New-to-me 2005 TE450

[The Mayor]

Hey all, picked up my first enduro & Husky - a 2005 TE450. Little bit of a mystery as I believe the majority of the mods were made by the previous-previous owner. Here's a list of mods I've noticed thus far - would welcome any input as to their worthwhileness.

BRP triple clamps
HBD top clamp & guards
Scary Fast Power Now (PNKTM4)
Boyesen QuickShot (APC001)
JDJetting JDHQ01 kit
FMF exhaust (oem header I believe)
Rekluse Z-Start clutch with hand brake kit (uninstalled)

The bike has been sitting for a while, but starts easily, idles, and seems to overall run pretty well. Pops a good bit on decel, but I'm assuming that's more noticeable do to the FMF can, and is fairly normal for it's current setup? Although, I wouldn't mind it being a little quieter (don't tell the others I said that). I *think* that it's jetted correctly for my location; research should tell.

Clutch Fun:
So it has a either a rebuilt or new slave I believe, and a whole new master installed. The PO said it has problems with air in the line, assumed it was from crank pressure getting past the seal (evidently it was getting overflow gas into the crank, so it may have sat or been ran like that to some degree). I haven't messed with it yet, but don't know much about this issue - if anyone can point me in the right direction here I'd much appreciate it.

However, this also leads to my other question. Should I go ahead and install the Rekluse, and by doing so, would I eliminate the issues mentioned above? Not sure about the handbrake, but it does sound kind of interesting...

Body/Plastics:
Are there still plastics available for this model? If so, any recommendations on the best source?
Same goes for graphics...

Does anyone make a good rear rack for these?

Lighting
So this bike has a plated/street legal title. I'm not 100% sure if that was available from OEM, or that started with the 06 models? Regardless, I was wondering if you can still get the OEM tail light for these? I have a decent unmodified tail that I thought I may fit with one if I can find it. Or if there's a good aftermarket option that includes the license plate mount/light, I'd be interested in that.

It also has a turn signal switch on the bars, but was that factory?

Maintenance/Reliability
My goal is to make this a reliable weekend enduro/trail bike with a little TLC. From what I've head, the 05-07 models are just that, and improved on the 04 quite a bit. Besides changing the oil and checking the valves, any areas of concern I should watch for? The hours/miles are unknown at this point.


Looking forward to getting this bike back on the road and trails! And thanks in advance for any advice/help/etc.!

 

[Bugsinteeth]

Hello Mr. Mayor!

I am a former 2005 te 450 owner.

In my opinion you have a classic on your hands. Very strong and will last a long time if it's cared for properly before & after your purchase.
Clearly you have done some research re. this model prior to purchase.

The 05 models were indeed upgraded from the first year 04 offering. Cosmetics(plastics) and engine components were improved.
One unique (awesome) feature of the 05 TE's is it comes equipped from the factory with the counterbalance parts to make the engine smoother in operation. No other year TE's have these parts. I currently have an 08 AND I miss this feature!

The side stand is very weak... It should be used for the bike only.....Never any rider weight on it... or for spinning the bike around on the stand. You must monitor the tightness of the side stand mounting bolts regularly or it will break off. I checked the bolts daily when riding.

You are correct, the 2005 TE's were not factory street legal in N. America. That started in 2006.

The blue and yellow plastics were only for a couple of years...may be scarce now. There are several makers of aftermarket stuff. Good availability for my 08 still.

The hydro clutch is problematic. I upgraded my OEM slave with a double oring for the piston from new....worked well for many many years. Eventually the slave cly. did get scored and was repaired with an Oberon unit from the UK. Although the most expensive "fix", the Oberon has worked problem free for years.
The clutch slave is activated by a pushrod.....it is believed that pushrod wear is the culprit for some of the slave issues...it shorten's with use. I tend to replace the pushrod every so often. Upon removal, my pushrod has indeed been shortened when compared with the replacement.
I never had a problem with the master but many did report issues....flaking of finish on cyl. bore that would lead to leaking.

Re: Rekluse:
I have not fitted one...So definitely not an expert......
FWIW my research has shown Rekluse increases engine heat quite a bit in slow single track conditions. I ride in slow(1st gear) mountain single track conditions quite a bit..... these bikes get very hot. Anything that would add heat to this scenario is not recommended. If this is not the type of riding you do then maybe no problem.

Rod knock/crank bearing failure is the main weak link for these machines. I got 12k Km out of mine before rod bearing failure. Bike was run about 60% in Baja, often on questionable gas & 40% here in BC for dual sport/trail riding mostly single track in mountains...so fairly hard use. Engine was rebuilt once and ran perfectly for another 8K Km.
Valves were checked often....never moved once in the time i owned the machine.
Keep an eye on your coolant level & change out the rad crossover tube at the headstock (this has likely been done already)

Les at LTR in Port Orchard WA modified the suspension to his specs. upon purchase, and the bike rode beautifully throughout my ownership.

All the best with your new machine!
let me know if you want me to look in the tickle trunk.....I may have some left over goodies.
Enjoy it,
Bugs

 

[The Mayor]

@Bugsinteeth - thank you for the detailed info and response!

It would appear that body plastics that are a direct fit are for the 05-07 years? Has anyone tried fitting 08 plastics?

 

[Bugsinteeth]

Stick to searching for the 05-07 stuff. My 08's plastic is different.
Polisport & UFO..... both Italian aftermarket plastics producers should be able to sort you out.
I bought a complete polisport kit for the 08 ..... easy to fit & has survived well.
OEM is best quality but likely unavailable.
I could not destroy the front fender on my 05 despite my best efforts to do so. No matter what i piled it into, that front fender would untwist itself & pop back into shape! Amazing quality.
Cheers,
Bugs

 

[The Mayor]

Any idea what the pushrod length should be? I'm thinking about grabbing the Oberon unit and just starting fresh vs trying to figure out what was wrong with the rebuilt slave.

 

[Dirtdame]

Any idea what the pushrod length should be? I'm thinking about grabbing the Oberon unit and just starting fresh vs trying to figure out what was wrong with the rebuilt slave.

It may not be the slave unit. If the bore that the slave unit fits into is worn sufficiently, that would be the problem.

 

[The Mayor]

It may not be the slave unit. If the bore that the slave unit fits into is worn sufficiently, that would be the problem.

To be clear, you're talking about the bore in the casing, as opposed to the bore in the slave for the slave piston? I'm new to this type of hydraulic clutch so I'm all ears.
It doesn't appear to leak from the outside anywhere, but the PO said it would fade after 20 mins or so of riding.
I know that when he bought it, one slave had already failed, and they rebuilt or installed a new one, but with the issue mentioned.

Is there any kind of seal on the pushrod side? Or is it the piston seal that separates the clutch fluid from the engine oil?

 

[Dirtdame]

To be clear, you're talking about the bore in the casing, as opposed to the bore in the slave for the slave piston? I'm new to this type of hydraulic clutch so I'm all ears.
It doesn't appear to leak from the outside anywhere, but the PO said it would fade after 20 mins or so of riding.
I know that when he bought it, one slave had already failed, and they rebuilt or installed a new one, but with the issue mentioned.

Is there any kind of seal on the pushrod side? Or is it the piston seal that separates the clutch fluid from the engine oil?

Correct. the bore in the case gets worn, and the piston seal is the only thing preventing the mineral oil from leaking into the engine oil. Somebody used to make a kit that consisted of a thicker piston, and a wider X ring. I bout one for my 07 and it worked pretty well. The kits are no longer available though.

 

[The Mayor]

Correct. the bore in the case gets worn, and the piston seal is the only thing preventing the mineral oil from leaking into the engine oil. Somebody used to make a kit that consisted of a thicker piston, and a wider X ring. I bout one for my 07 and it worked pretty well. The kits are no longer available though.

Gotcha. Believe that was 7602 and Zipty that made kits. So I was assuming that the Oberon slave had an improved piston & seal as well compared to the Magura slave.

 

[Dirtdame]

Gotcha. Believe that was 7602 and Zipty that made kits. So I was assuming that the Oberon slave had an improved piston & seal as well compared to the Magura slave.

The kit worked great in my 07, but it took 4 or 5 years for the piston to fail on that. My 2018 FE blew out suddenly at 1800 miles in the middle of a trail ride in the middle of the mountans. I wasn't going to chance it with a rebuild kit or even a Brembo. The dealer had an Oberon hanging on the peg. I took it home and was ready to ride in less than an hour.

 

[RodKnock]

I am pretty sure you can get new plastics in Italhusky

 

[The Mayor]

Making some progress! Frame is back from powder coating, forks and rear shocks have been services and rebuilt/customized by Cogent Dynamics (https://motocd.com).

1st question of many that I'm sure to have: I replaced the steering head races/bearings. When I pulled the existing bearing off the stem, there were 2 washers below it.
I put the new one one the same as I found it. However, I'm now wondering if I should have used one of them to go between the top bearing and steering nut?

If so... I don't really want to trash the bearing/seal (the old one was a PITA to get off). Should I just find a new one and add it up top? Or does it even matter?

 

[rancher1]

Put the washers back the way they came out.