2010 TE450 Electrical

[GreekMountains]

Update over 2 years later: Bike still runs perfectly. Don't ride as much as I'd like, but probably will when I retire. The problem I experienced with electricals WAS the horn. I replaced it with one from a CRF450L a local Honda dealer took off to prepare the bike(s) for Baja adventures. They gave it to me for free, as it was eventually going to be thrown out. I bought some new goggles from them for being nice. A number of rides later, this bike really works well. Power is never lacking for the riding I do. Stock gearing. Stock suspension with painstaking adjustment for my particular style, speed, and terrain. It appears my only two choices for a larger gas tank are the Safari 4 gallon + monster, or a custom made aluminum welded one. I found a guy willing to do it, but it would be nearly $1000 US. I'll likely spring for a Safari tank before they go away. Clarke no longer makes one. Nor does IMS. I talked with IMS, and they stopped making theirs because they had way too many problems with leakage where the fuel injection system bolts in. They had a steel insert, but still would not seal well enough on many. Some are successful with this, and have tanks from when IMS still made them. A local SWM dealer said they had been told that Acerbis was working on a new larger tank for the SWM RS500. I communicated with someone in marketing at Acerbis in Italy, and he denied the rumor. Said they had no plans unless and until SWM was successful in selling many more bikes.

Stock gearing. Around town, and off-road, it's fine. For high speeds, or on the freeway, it's geared low. So, the engine is sometimes running in the 6000-7000 rpm range. At that rpm, it ends up running hot, and I lose clutch engagement due to overheating fluid in the slave cylinder. At least, according to George Erl. He has the orings. Somewhere. Someday, I'll get that done. But for the most part, it runs in acceptable temp ranges at normal speeds. Don't want to re-gear with higher final drive, because first gear is already high enough. Occasionally, our trail systems get really tight and there is some hard enduro-like short sections that would be miserable in a higher gear. Some, I modulate the clutch already.

I put a Shinko 3.25 fatty on the front, and a Kenda Equilibrium hybrid on the rear, and I love both. Where we live now, there is a lot of very tight singletrack. I've ridden some of it, with switchbacks that are insane. I have to re-learn how to ride with this bike, because the throttle response is very very quick. Torque right off the bottom, and more than enough of it. It wants to stand up a bit in those turns, so I just carry momentum and pull in the clutch so I don't get into trouble. Most of our trails are between 3500-6000 ft here, and everything works great. Fire roads and dirt roads, it's so easy I could ride a 50 year old street bike and be reasonably happy.

Hi i have a 2008 TE450,its a great bike apart from the vibration and the lumpy fuel injection"off the bottom"