• 4 Stroke Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Italy - About 1989 to 2014
     TE = 4st Enduro & TC = 4st Cross

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2011 511 trouble shifting

erik329

erik329

Husqvarna
AA Class
I've got about 300 miles on My TE511 and I was hoping the shifting would improve by now, but it hasn't. Shifting up into 2nd and 3rd seems to be the worst. It just feels really notchy and takes deliberate concentration to shift. Accelerating into traffic is a little scary. I think some of the problem may be due to the clutch dragging. I have bled the clutch several times and it feels fine and I have the adjuster on the lever all the way in for maximum disengagement. When I start the bike in gear, it noticeably jumps forward. And when running on a stand in gear, it is hard to stop the wheel with the clutch pulled in. The clutch on these bikes is a diaphragm design without springs. I took it apart and everything looks fine, but I wonder if something isn't right?
Has anyone else seen this on a 449-511? Does your clutch seem to drag a bit?

On another subject, has anyone else noticed these bikes are difficult to hillclimb? In that the front wheel will not stay down? I'm sure the tall height of the bike and rear-tank are mostly to blame for this.
 
My TE449 doesnt change properly untill its compleatly warmed up.Or maybe its the oil?Im using Motul 7100 10w-60
 
erik329 said:
I've got about 300 miles on My TE511 and I was hoping the shifting would improve by now, but it hasn't. Shifting up into 2nd and 3rd seems to be the worst. It just feels really notchy and takes deliberate concentration to shift. Accelerating into traffic is a little scary. I think some of the problem may be due to the clutch dragging. I have bled the clutch several times and it feels fine and I have the adjuster on the lever all the way in for maximum disengagement. When I start the bike in gear, it noticeably jumps forward. And when running on a stand in gear, it is hard to stop the wheel with the clutch pulled in. The clutch on these bikes is a diaphragm design without springs. I took it apart and everything looks fine, but I wonder if something isn't right?
Has anyone else seen this on a 449-511? Does your clutch seem to drag a bit?

On another subject, has anyone else noticed these bikes are difficult to hillclimb? In that the front wheel will not stay down? I'm sure the tall height of the bike and rear-tank are mostly to blame for this.
Click to expand...

My TE511 changes OK cold but excellent when warm and I find neutral when I want to real easy; unlike my previous KTM's that are always hard to find neutral.

In my experience gear change quality is also linked to the quality of your oil. I have been running Motul 300V 15W-50 over the last couple of years after trying BelRay, Motorex and Castrol and IMHO it offers the best gear change of anything I have tried.

You could also try lowering the gear lever one notch as an experiment to see if that helps, but I suspect it might be oil quality &/or or viscosity.

I love my TE511 .

SAM
 
Odd. One of the things i love about my TE511 is how EZ it shifts. Much smoother than most 4 strokes i have ridden and i get this comment from people who try it. Maybe try different oils. I also have NO clutch drag unlike previous huskys that dragged like crazy. Wonder if something is up with yours. I will say the shifter is a bit high and it can be a big swing to get it in second. We (Motosportz) already have a protype shifter end for them which is lower and will have it available soon.

As for hill climbing I find this thing rules hills. It will wheelie if you want but i have not found it wheelie prone.

I love my TE511
 
I forgot to mention I have lowered the shifter one position. Also, I run Amsoil synthetic 10w-40 motorcycle oil. I didn't notice any difference at all changing to the Amsoil from the oil that came in the bike.
Forgot to mention also that the bike will not go into neutral running. I always just shut it off to find neutral. Which also leads me to think dragging clutch. Although, it also shifts horrible no-clutch shifting it. It also shifts the same hot or cold.

Didn't I read somewhere that TEs have a 6 month warranty? Do you think the dealer would/could do anything about it?
 
Mine slides right into neutral EZ. Something is not right. Sounds like the clutch needs adjustment or something. Actually this is the first husky i have had in ages that the clutch doe NOT drag.
 
I took it apart and there is nothing to adjust? There does seem to be a lot of drag just turning the basket by hand and applying a light force to the plates.
The clutch is quite noisy when idling in neutral, but when I pull the clutch lever in, it becomes very quiet. Is this common to other 449/511s?
 
erik329 said:
I took it apart and there is nothing to adjust? There does seem to be a lot of drag just turning the basket by hand and applying a light force to the plates.
The clutch is quite noisy when idling in neutral, but when I pull the clutch lever in, it becomes very quiet. Is this common to other 449/511s?
Click to expand...
My 449 shifts smoothly although neutral can be a challenge when standing still. I can't detect much of a difference in noise at idle with the clutch in or out.
 
Last weekend I got in about four hours of dirt time and really got to test it out on varied terrain. Towards the end the bike's shifting did feel a little notchy. Almost felt like the shifter was loose. Also noticed it was leaking oil at the end of the day. As it turns out they (whoever fills it with oil at the factory) way over filled it. Got that squared away.
So this morning I just decided to do the first oil change even though I've only 65 miles on it and the dealer told me to wait til it had like 800 miles til I could bring it in for it's first service. I put some Motul 10w60 in and it seems to be shifting a lot smoother. BTW, what a pain in the ass trying to get that oil filter out.
I've had no problems finding neutral on this bike although on my 610 I've had to perfect the art of down shifting into neutral when approaching a stop light.
About the hill climbing on the 511, it does great, imo. I haven't had any problems with the front end wanting to wheelie. For me it's all about keeping steady throttle, maintaining traction and trying to stay out of the ruts. Love my 511, though.
 
erik329, all the symptoms you have mentioned are exactly the same problem I have with my 2011 TE449. Rebleed master twice with DOT4, lever screw adjuster all the way in, second oil change with 15w-50 Silkolene Syn, clutch in 1st gear rev up and I can feel some lucking a bit, first gear clunk and chain shatter like hell on the downhill with the clutch in!
Convince oil weight might be wrong and just oil change to 10w-40 but yet to do a proper ride to find out.

If anyone got answer to this please let me know.
 
Motosportz said:
Mine slides right into neutral EZ. Something is not right. Sounds like the clutch needs adjustment or something. Actually this is the first husky i have had in ages that the clutch doe NOT drag.
Click to expand...
One of the reason's why Kelly's 511 works so well is because of the oil he runs. Kelly runs a special kind of 10w30. Not only does this improve shifting, but increases his flow. I have learned a lot about the Kymco engine through research and development and one thing i can tell you is that you do not want to run any oil in this engine over 10w40. The oil spray jets alone will not take anything thicker cold and you will be killing your right crankshaft bearings with higher viscosities. The thinner oil will actually protect your engine in the manner in which you invisioned the thicker oil would. :)
 
If the thinner oil does not improve your shifting to the desired amount, Husqvarna manufactures different sized clutch springs and spacers to customize your engine's clutch. I would not recommend this until you exhaust your other possibilities.
 
This might be a long shot but is your chain tight when you have your full body weight on it?

I had a DRZ400Sm that became terrible at shifting. I replaced the clutch cable, tried different weights of motor oil and every trick SMJ and T-talk forum members could think of.
Feared the worst and almost traded it in. In a last ditch effort I put the stock sprocket and chain on and ran the chain loose, shifted so smoothly I was emabarassed.

Just a thought...
 
Its hard to get the chain to do that on a 449/511 with the concentric CS/Swingarm pivot; but I have seen in on traditional chassis.
 
Tinken said:
One of the reason's why Kelly's 511 works so well is because of the oil he runs. Kelly runs a special kind of 10w30. Not only does this improve shifting, but increases his flow. I have learned a lot about the Kymco engine through research and development and one thing i can tell you is that you do not want to run any oil in this engine over 10w40. The oil spray jets alone will not take anything thicker cold and you will be killing your right crankshaft bearings with higher viscosities. The thinner oil will actually protect your engine in the manner in which you invisioned the thicker oil would. :)
Click to expand...

I'm using Motul 15W-50 Synth. Are you saying that this is harmful to my motor ?
 
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