TE511 Love & Adventure

After switching to the TE250 for race duty, I will likely never use the TE511 again for this purpose. It is a great racer, but he little 250 is just better suited. My results are better, it's way easier to pick up after I lay it down, and it doesn't wear me down. I miss the power, but the lap times show that lighter and more agile is better.


There is no problem here. We have another grand purpose for the absolutely incredible TE511. Last June I rode it on a local ride called BreckTrek. It is a 220 mile single day ride consisting of single track, dirt roads, and paved roads. It starts at sun up and continues well after sun set. It was the greatest ride of the year and the 511 only had two flaws….night lighting and fuel capacity. I want to do more rides like this and have a perfect in state adventure bike. From my hub in Divide, Colorado, the possibilities are endless.

So lets start with the love. I currently have 1600 miles on the bike. I want to tear it down and correct some of its flaws and do some routine maintenance. I have never done anything about the oil blow by accept for run a clear tube to the bottom of the bike from the weep hole in the air box and let it drip on the ground instead of onto the motor. We will take care of that too.

Time to see how things are looking.


I have never done a shim type valve adjustment. Secretly I was kind of hoping that they were out of adjustment just so I could see what it's all about. Well…I got my wish! The intakes were .010 in., or .250 mm. Way too loose. I need to get them down to .004-.002 in., or .100 to .050 mm. My local BMW dealer had the half ball shim's I needed in stock. The manual covers this procedure pretty well.

Here are a few goodies for the project! The IMS 3 gallon tank from ZipTy Racing has an aluminum cap from BRP and graphics from Decal Works. Beside the tank is a 4300 Lumen OnX LED driving light from Baja Designs. 7602 Racing provided the radiator braces and guards. The braces are probably overkill with the added protection of the IMS tank, but I will have piece of mind and I am tired of constantly bending my radiators back onto shape.

I threw the tank on to see how things were lookin. I am happy with this! I was glad to see that the tank allows for plenty of clearance of the Scotts stabilizer.

I'll be very interested to see how you mount up that little box full of sunlight. 4300 lumens should be real nice!

I think I have it worked out. If I raise the headlight assembly and mount it between the fender and headlamp it will fit nicely but require some fancy bracketry. I put it in there to see how it would look, but I didn't take a pic. It looks pretty clean and keeps the added weight down low. I could change my mind at any minute though.

I'm glad I don't need a big tank like that where I ride but I gotta say, that is not a bad looking tank to have on a bike ...

Radiators can be a show stopper so adding more protection is a good idea I think ...

This tank is the best option IMO for the TE449/511. I like that it does not cover the motor like other tank options. It's a beautiful and well designed engine and I want to see it. Glad someone else see's it my way in the radiators too.

You're going to want those lights as high as possible. We mounted two of those on our race bikes with quick change over brackets for dual 8" hid's.

You can also get the onx 2 led system and add them to the onx giving you 6 leds in a line. This is what team Honda runs at Searchlight, NV. This makes a huge difference over a standard onx system.

Cant wait to see the finished product. Looking great so far.

Sweet looking set-up. Should be the ultimate serious dual-sporter!

My bike was like that, as well as at least one other person on the forum. My guess is they accidentally shimmed them to TC specs at the factory. Looks like it will be a sweet bike when done. I have had the Zip-Ty oil recovery kit for around 1000 miles now and I love it. I don't know what you were planning on doing about the oil blow-by, but if still undecided, check it out. I am in the Denver metro and will be doing a lot of riding this summer. I'm always looking for people to ride with, so if you want to go for a ride let me know. What do you race? I was thinking about doing a couple of hare scrambles this summer.

Thanks guys! I can't ever get enough info on the CTS platforms. Any help or advise is most welcome and appreciated. I don't claim to know it all and I have a tendency to miss simple things. Is there a name for this motor platform like the X-lites?

Thanks Tinken, I thought about this and have read it before. I have never had an additional light system so I might be over thinking it. I figured it was only about 1" lower than the stock light after it was all said and done. I don't travel at high speeds at night, nor will I race at night…well as of now anyway. The trail systems that it will be used on the most are in the deep woods and very tight. It is where I need the most light. If you still think I need to mount it higher, I will seriously conceder it. Would like to know why and if the gains are worth it. I also thought I would loose a little handling with a high mount. It looks good on there either way. How hot do they run? There is some serious cooling fins on it. If it runs very hot, they I have no choice and need to mount it higher.

Indeed! I can't think of a better bike to do this to other than a 610 or 630. I am super excited to get it all together. My only major hold up is the left side radiator is on back order. Mine are all bent to heck and I keep beating them back into submission. They still hold coolant, but I think my luck will run out in the middle of no where.

That is exactly why I didn't sweat it when I found the valves out of spec. You and a couple of others posted the same results and I thank you. I might have over thought it and wasted a lot of time trying to figure out why. Instead, I just located the shims and put it back together. I did set it up at .10 mm to give it some wiggle room. I thought that the TC, TXC, and TE motors were all the same? If so, why would they set up the intake valves looser on one model?

I thought long and hard about the recirculation system. I am going to pass for now but I would like to see the set up in real life. I will be up for that ride this summer Bryce. I am going to keep it simple for now and run a vent up behind the number plate. I race the CORCS series. My buddies and I will be at them all this year. I live for those races. All the tracks are way different and it makes it exciting. They run a good show. It looks like I will be doing at least one race with RMEC in New Mexico as well.

Thanks Kelly! The smaller sprocket really helps and I can run around 65 comfortably. We avoid pavement like the plague and hardly ever do more than 10 miles of it. Adding more oil to the crank case eliminated the vibrations and made it even sweeter. A 45t Kush sprocket is probably the best way to go for this, but I have no idea about the longevity of them. It would probably also eliminate the chain jerk when it gets a little loose. You know that can't be good for the trany.

The TXC, TE, and SMR's are all the same, but the TC is different. It has more power, so probably higher compression and something different with the valves. If you look in the manual, the valve clearances are different on the TC vs the rest of the lineup. The CORCS series is what I was thinking about racing in, as well as my wife. Will probably see you there.

Take your number plate assembly off and lay the light on top of the fender. See resulting light pattern.
I do suggest you run at least the breather relocater on your 449. Depending on how many of those 1600 miles are race miles, your torque limiter may already be severely damaged. There's no way of knowing they are slipping until right at the end before they fly apart from worn head spacing. I shipped out two TL's this week alone, one to Caiman here on CH.

The higher you go on the lights the less contrast (shadows) you get on the ground. You should experiment out in the yard. Hold the light up high and point it at the ground about where you would aim it if it were a headlight. Then hold it down low and aim it level. You'll see how every little bump and rock shows up because of the shadows when you hold it down low. Whereas when you had it up high the whole yard seems flat. Those are extremes, but you have to strike a happy medium on the bike. 6 inches can make a difference between seeing a rut, and having no clue it was there until you're laying on the ground wondering what just happened. And the brighter the light, the worse the flattening effect is when the lights are up high.