Reasons NOT to Buy a New 2008 TE450

Hi Ever'one.

I have the opportunity to purchase a brand new (still in the Husqvarna crate) 2008 TE 450 EFI for a good price.

What I would like from current owners of such bikes or people who have had experience with 2008 TE 450's are reasons why I should NOT buy this 2008 TE 450 .

Ideally and theoretically there should be no posts on this thread,
however feel free to post away and save me from myself.

The Marzocchi forks, although very good, are prone to oil leaks. It can be sorted out by a knowledgeable suspension tuner apparently.

Being an early EFI model there were some teething issues. Some bikes had problems with the wiring harness rubbing against the frame etc and wearing the insulationa way - causing electrical problems. If you're going to do the fastidious things and strip the bike down then rebuild it (re greasing the steering head bearing and linkages etc) then maybe you can pre-empt this by checking where the harness could rub and doing whatever you need to sort it out.

The above pushed me int he direction of getting the 2010 model as they had sorted out the teething problems and gone with KYB forks by then.

Oddly enough, aside from my 2011 TE 449, my 2008 TE 250 was the most trouble-free EFI system I've owned... including a Kawasaki ER6n street bike that has several annoying little issues. I guess I received an "annointed" '08 bike, but mine was absolutely flawless. Go figure.

Lots of very small gremlins. If you use the search feature you will easily figure them all out. Couple I can think of are-

Exhaust mid pipe is too close to the air box, air box needs to be metal plated(small piece)
Rear turn signal too close to the exhaust
Radiator crossover tube poor quality and needs to be replaced
Clutch slave cylinder oring should be replaced with an x ring
Theirs a plastic "t" in the rad hose coming off the water pump that should be replaced with an aluminum "y"
Bike NEEDS an exhaust mid pipe guard
I'd check over all wiring for routing and dielectric grease everything you can
Forks are harsh from poor valving. I think they need a revalve
Rear mud flap rubs a groove into the swingarm. I smoothened out the mudd flap.
Rear brake line will rub into the transmission case. The case needs to be protected.
Many have poor fueling but can be made good but usually maintain some sort of stalling issues at super low throttle

So I quess that's more than a couple. Honestly though, I bought a 11 TE 250 to replace my 08 TE 450. I've had all these issues worked out on mine for a while now and never did bring myself to sell the 08.

Usefull info so far guys, keep it commin.

Anyone here know what differences exist between the 2008 and 2010 TE 450 Models, besides the ECU version ?

They Changed from the Marzocchi 50mm forks to KYB 48mm Good choice there. UNfortunately they retained the 50mm Marzocchi forks on the 2010 TE 310 and I can say from experience that they leak terribly until some money is spent on them.
The "T" in the radiatior house routing was changed to a "Y" to more uniformly distribute heat between the radiators.

I think there may have been an updated temperature sensor as there was some issues with that.

There were a few other small changes (swingarm length, graphics, lights?, etc.) also

If the price is right the issues are minor and cheap to fix if they occur and I do mean if. These bikes are wonderful robust machines. I have had 5 huskies and never had a mechanical. Only ever replaced wear and tear items-ie consumables.
The bottom end is bullet proof the forks are good if you really align the forks accurately.
Go for it.

I'd rather have the EFI adjustability that the 09-10s have over the 08 with Ibeat. BUT with the JD tuner and DynoJet there are good options. There were little changes, as mentioned, that add up between the 08/09/10 the differences are/aren't significant depending on your goals and how well you are at setting up bikes. Personally- in regard to the Mazacci/KYB I have the Marzocci's on my 09 and have only had one seal leak in 3 seasons- due to slamming the outer fok leg into a rock and denting the outer fork tube-so the wiper was no longer wiping and allowed contamingation to ruin the seal. I fixxed the dent and replaced both seals with Marzocci seals from Motorsportz and all remains well. I do align my fork tubes and axels- maybe that's where my good luck comes from.
Like GHTE- if its a good price go for it.

Thanks for the posts guys, this thread now has a parallel thread at:

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/2008-te450-or-2010-te510.21369/

your comments there will be most welcome.

Do not buy it, but let me know who has it so I can. Just kidding. Buy it, do the must do fixes listed on this site and enjoy the ride. The forks might leak, but I've knocked the fork seals out of every bike I've owned. The stock shock and fork set up worked great for me. Didn't have to send it out for expensive revalve.

Ended up buying a new 2010 TE 510, less fixes to do, more torque and only cost $250 more, and ..oh yeah...will DEFINITELY enjoy the ride !