Work Case #18 TE450

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Thedktor
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Work Case #18 TE450

Post by Thedktor »

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Previous #17 FE450

I’ve already mentioned the wiring issues on the Italian built bikes and part of that was frequent problems with, or around, the relay powering the fuel pump. All manner of things could happen such as no power to the relay, the control wire to the ECU open circuit, stuck high, stuck low, or the relay itself conked out. Now, as the ECU was dependant on other things being correct before it would switch the pump on you could be led a merry old dance trying to figure out what the cause was, not helped by intermittent wiring issues.
TE450 510.jpg
TE450 510.jpg (67.59 KiB) Viewed 2138 times
A problem with an older TE450 was diagnosed relatively easily – for no reason the ECU refused to pull the relay control line down to earth to switch on the pump, and a quick swap-over with another bike confirmed the ECU was faulty. Well that was a tricky one as replacement ECU’s were no longer available! :?

A search for a second-hand one drew a blank but I had one in a drawer for a TE510 and put that on just to see if still worked. Ah, it did! The dash lit up with no error codes, so I tried the starter button and it burst into life!

Mmm, interesting! I wonder what would happen if I took it out for a road test....

Well surprisingly the bike ran absolutely perfectly, so I gave it a very, very thorough road test and could find no issues at all despite *really* trying everything to find a fault. Fast, slow, and not a hiccup. :) :)

So that was declared a fix, and onto the next....

Next #19 CRF250R
Last edited by Thedktor on Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DR350, 349, DRZ, 701
Tonibe63
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Re: Work Case #18 TE450

Post by Tonibe63 »

I bought a non runner 2005 TE450 which after having a new stator, regulator, battery, plug etc had been given the final diagnosis of failed ecu by a bike shop, at which point the owner said forget it. He just wanted the workshop bill paying and the bike taking away so I decided to take a gamble and bought it. Within an hour of getting it home and stripping back the wiring loom I found a broken wire so soldered it together and it was a runner.

I loved the suspension and brakes on that bike but that engine ....... jeez it was an animal ...... so much more power than my Ktm engined Beta 450. It got to the point where I believed I could fly ...... and that's when it tried to kill me :lol: .
Open your eyes and you see what is in front of you, open your mind and you see a bigger picture but open your heart and you see a whole new World.
mechanic
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Re: Work Case #18 TE450

Post by mechanic »

Thanks. Interesting write up. A while back I had one of the later TE 511 from new. It was a real weapon when running well! Unfortunately that wasn’t very often. It spent hours back at the dealers, who gave up in the end. Basically, it was plagued with electrical and slow running problems, all linked to the wiring and ECU type things. Smoke and mirrors to me at that time. Same type of engine and management system fitted to the CCM 450 GP. The early CCM bikes seemed to have suffered from exactly the same issues. That put them straight off the option list for me. It’s a shame as I would have liked to have owned one otherwise. British manufacture and all that!
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Richard Simpson Mark II
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Re: Work Case #18 TE450

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

My experience of ownership of an earlier generation of Italian-built Husky was the same...endless problems and disappointment.

Great bikes ruined by shocking lack of attention to detail.

I wonder if SWMs, built in the same factory, and using similar components, are any better?
daveuprite
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Re: Work Case #18 TE450

Post by daveuprite »

Great post. I like reading these work cases, from someone who clearly knows what he's doing, mechanically.

As a contrast to the Huskie TE450 bad news stories, this is our good mate Aussie Matt, who basically thrashes and bashes his bike, gives it a quick spray down and leaves it in a shed until he returns to his French holiday home, when he joins us for another day in the dirt to do it all again. It barely gets an oil change let alone anything more involved. The bike has never missed a beat, as far as I remember - and it was owned by another Matt beforehand who also did loads of days on it with us, including a week in the Pyrennees. I've ridden it and liked it. Not quite as urgent as my 2012 Beta 450 but handles perfectly well. Maybe the Huskie factory had Friday afternoon bikes and Matt's one was built just after the Xmas bonus was handed out - who knows?

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Crossrutted
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Re: Work Case #18 TE450

Post by Crossrutted »

Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: Wed May 27, 2020 10:48 am My experience of ownership of an earlier generation of Italian-built Husky was the same...endless problems and disappointment.

Great bikes ruined by shocking lack of attention to detail.

I wonder if SWMs, built in the same factory, and using similar components, are any better?
I've got a SWM RS500R (think husky Te 510/511) which is now three years old.

It's been used for trail riding, some UK rallies, an odd enduro and a day on a MX track. I've maintained according to schedule.

So far it has been very reliable and only let me down (or did I let it down?)when it ran out of fuel due to it's very small fuel tank.

I also had a RS650R for a year which also performed faultlessly. (Now replaced by a AJP PR7).

IMO SWMs are very good value for money bikes for trail rider and Clubmen enduros.

The fly in the ointment at the moment is the lack of a UK distributor with the sad demise of 3X motorcycles.
Richard Simpson Mark II
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Re: Work Case #18 TE450

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

That's good to know.

Let's hope someone steps forward to take up the SWM banner. With Gas Gas going to KTM and Reiju, is there a UK importer looking for a new product line?
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