Thoughts on my Terra and engine question.

[Alex Danielsen]

I have owned my Terra for a summer now after my good friend and BMW/Husky dealer made me an offer I could not say no to. I was initially looking for a BMW 650 XChallenge, as I had a lengthy test ride on one and really liked it, especially the strong responsive engine and the long stroke plush suspension that just soaked up most of what i could throw at it.

I then got my eye on the Terra at my local dealer and having the same engine and what looked like decent suspension, great looks and specs, and with added comfort it suddenly became an attractive alternative to the XChallenge. And when my dealer started punching his calculator and came up with a great offer which was only slightly more then what I had to pay for a 6 year old XChallenge it was a no brainer. He also included first service, extended warranty and a booster plug.

And after a summers worth of riding I am quite happy with my Terra. Its pretty much as comfortable as my F800GS when riding alone, it feels as light as the Xchallenge when on the move, its off road abilities are much better then mine and I really enjoy taking it places I would never take the GS. As I have had the booster plug installed since new I can't compare, but I have no problems with stalling, cold starts or running rough, and I really love the engine character and how hard it pulls above 3000 rpm.

Below 3000 rpm is another story though, and I find it very frustrating how weak and unresponsive it is.. When riding the Xchallenge it would respond immediately to throttle inputs and start pulling hard, pretty much the same as my 800GS, and I really miss that on my Terra. It feels like the throttle travel is very long with a rubber band for a throttle cable when opening it below 3000 rpm. Not much happens until it hits 3000 rpm when it suddenly wakes up and from there its all good. I thought about installing a quick action throttle to speed up the response, and I have been reading all the treads about our Husky's engine character, poor running and injection issues. I am not sure if anyone else are having the exact same issues as they are so many terms and expressions for what people feel the Husky engine is lacking, and english is not my native language. And I know that many people are referring to stalling, rough running and hesitation, and I don't have those issues with my bike.

So now I am looking to install a AF-XIED, EJS injection module, PCV or similar to try and wake up the engine and make it more responsive at low revs if that is possible. So for those of you that have one of these devises installed, could you please comment on any improvement in that particular area and try to describe exactly how it feels before and after installing with engine response, throttle pick up and power below 3000 rpm.. Thanks..

Another area I feel is lacking a bit compared to the XChallenge is the suspension, as its not nearly as plush and doesn't soak up bumps as effectively. I feel its quite harsh and I have replaced the fork oil with some lighter weight and slightly less oil, which has helped some and allowed the suspension to use its full stroke. I haven't bottomed out the suspension no matter how hard I ride, but I have this clonking sound from the rear shock when riding hard, and its struggling to keep the rear wheel tracking the surface, so I would like to upgrade the suspension at both ends. But I haven't read many treads on upgrading the suspension on our bikes, so I am inviting anyone who has done that or are planning to do so, to share their ideas and suggestions here.. Thanks, and sorry for this lengthy tread..

Alex.

 

[drzcharlie]

Check this thread for your fueling issues down low. Lots of good information there on various remedies including the AF-XIED, PCV and the LC2: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1002255

Also see the EJK thread here: http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/my-ejk-chronicle.44203/

 

[tokor]

so I would like to upgrade the suspension at both ends. But I haven't read many treads on upgrading the suspension on our bikes, so I am inviting anyone who has done that or are planning to do so, to share their ideas and suggestions here..
Alex.

I am also thinking about suspension and tried to look for information on the subject.
The search has been unsuccessful.
I've gotten to the rear suspension pretty close that I want, but I would like the front suspension more sensitivity and a little more stiffness. This does not seem to be successful only for oil exchange.
I changed the fork oils about 7.5w, the oil level I lifted up about 0,25dl. Sensitivity improved a bit but stays still too loose

 

[dmw_az]

I would try a 15T front sprocket. This would keep you at higher RPMS and above the 3000 rpm.

 

[wferrari]

You could replicate the xchallenge gearing by replacing the front 16t sprocket with a 15t one. The added weight and power should compensate each other.

 

[Alex Danielsen]

Thanks for all the replies.. I have already replaced the front sprocket to a 15t and that helped in drivability in the slow stuff, but did nothing for the dull and unresponsiveness of the engine a low rpms.

drzcharlie, I have also read those threads and gained a lot of useful information and ideas, and my conclusion from those treads are that my booster plug is not a long term solution and I need something that will alter the lambda signal in order to properly address the lean fuel condition. And I can tell that people are generally seeing a great improvement with devices like EJK, PCV, AF-XIED and not least the LC2 that you have done a great job with. But when people are talking about improvements there seem to be a lot of different expressions and opinions to how and where, and a lot of it seem to target the problems with poor cold starts and engine dying, stalling at slow speed, hesitation at 3000 rpms etc, and also of course resulting in a more responsive engine overall. But I haven't found much about the specific area below 3000 rpm and the real dull and almost dead throttle feeling when getting on the gas from idle, or at least I'm not quite sure if thats what people are talking about when saying the engine response is better.

Hence the reason I am asking those who have installed one of the above mentioned devices about their experiences with this particular problem. And I am glad that you responded drzcharlie, as I know you have tried several different solutions to make your Husky run better, so if you could elaborate more on your experience with this particular problem area and if you have managed to get rid of that truly dull, slow and unresponsive feeling below 3000 rpms with any of the devices you have tried..?!?

 

[drzcharlie]

I can only speak to my experience but the LC2 cures the problems across the board however, you will be adding 7% more fuel if you do it. I have torque every where, a very linear throttle, no off idle stumble, no lean pop and a very lively engine. I am surprised the Wuka is not doing the trick for you as most never remove it. The AF-XIED device did a very good job for me but I wanted to go further. If I were to install one again I would run it at setting 8 or 9 to get it as close to seven percent more fueling as I can.

 

[Alex Danielsen]

Charlie, thanks for answering, it sounds just like what I am looking for.. When you say adding 7% fuel, is that all through the rev range or just at lower revs where the lean condition is most pronounced.? The LC2 sounds like the best and most complete solution, but not exactly plug and play. AF-XIED sounds like it will almost do the same if I turn the settings up to achieve the 7% more fueling, and I do like the option to keep the lambda and to retain the closed loop running feature, but if the AF-XIED adds 7% fuel across the rev range, won't it run way to rich at the upper rpms or basically anywhere in open loop mode.?

I like the EJK feature of adjusting the fuel in different areas, which in theory should make the fueling more accurate across the rpm range then AF-XIED I think, but not so much that the lambda has to be disconnected and by that taking away the option of running in closed loop and adjust for different conditions.

So which feature/option of those two do you feel is the best and most important for our bikes.?

My booster plug seem to be doing the trick in most areas, as it seems to run great and be very responsive as soon as the rpms are above 3000, just not below that where it feels very sluggish. And I don't suffer from stalling or poor running, but I don't have much to compare with as I had the booster plug installed from new.

 

[Centerline]

I have owned my Terra for a summer now after my good friend and BMW/Husky dealer made me an offer I could not say no to. I was initially looking for a BMW 650 XChallenge, as I had a lengthy test ride on one and really liked it, especially the strong responsive engine and the long stroke plush suspension that just soaked up most of what i could throw at it.

I then got my eye on the Terra at my local dealer and having the same engine and what looked like decent suspension, great looks and specs, and with added comfort it suddenly became an attractive alternative to the XChallenge. And when my dealer started punching his calculator and came up with a great offer which was only slightly more then what I had to pay for a 6 year old XChallenge it was a no brainer. He also included first service, extended warranty and a booster plug.

And after a summers worth of riding I am quite happy with my Terra. Its pretty much as comfortable as my F800GS when riding alone, it feels as light as the Xchallenge when on the move, its off road abilities are much better then mine and I really enjoy taking it places I would never take the GS. As I have had the booster plug installed since new I can't compare, but I have no problems with stalling, cold starts or running rough, and I really love the engine character and how hard it pulls above 3000 rpm.

Below 3000 rpm is another story though, and I find it very frustrating how weak and unresponsive it is.. When riding the Xchallenge it would respond immediately to throttle inputs and start pulling hard, pretty much the same as my 800GS, and I really miss that on my Terra. It feels like the throttle travel is very long with a rubber band for a throttle cable when opening it below 3000 rpm. Not much happens until it hits 3000 rpm when it suddenly wakes up and from there its all good. I thought about installing a quick action throttle to speed up the response, and I have been reading all the treads about our Husky's engine character, poor running and injection issues. I am not sure if anyone else are having the exact same issues as they are so many terms and expressions for what people feel the Husky engine is lacking, and english is not my native language. And I know that many people are referring to stalling, rough running and hesitation, and I don't have those issues with my bike.

So now I am looking to install a AF-XIED, EJS injection module, PCV or similar to try and wake up the engine and make it more responsive at low revs if that is possible. So for those of you that have one of these devises installed, could you please comment on any improvement in that particular area and try to describe exactly how it feels before and after installing with engine response, throttle pick up and power below 3000 rpm.. Thanks..

Another area I feel is lacking a bit compared to the XChallenge is the suspension, as its not nearly as plush and doesn't soak up bumps as effectively. I feel its quite harsh and I have replaced the fork oil with some lighter weight and slightly less oil, which has helped some and allowed the suspension to use its full stroke. I haven't bottomed out the suspension no matter how hard I ride, but I have this clonking sound from the rear shock when riding hard, and its struggling to keep the rear wheel tracking the surface, so I would like to upgrade the suspension at both ends. But I haven't read many treads on upgrading the suspension on our bikes, so I am inviting anyone who has done that or are planning to do so, to share their ideas and suggestions here.. Thanks, and sorry for this lengthy tread..

Alex.

English not your native language? You write/ communicate better and more effectively than sadly (IMO) many American adults.

 

[Alex Danielsen]

Thank you for the kind words.. Danish is my native language, but since we are a very small country its best to learn some foreign lingo.. :-) But sometimes it can be a bit tricky to understand exactly what the writer means, or to express myself accurately and as I think of it in Danish..

Back to topic.. Need to unleash that sweet Husky engine I know is hiding somewhere in the ECU..

 

[wferrari]

I would try a 15T front sprocket. This would keep you at higher RPMS and above the 3000 rpm.

You must still be under moderation, because I'm pretty sure your message was not there when I posted mine. Oh well

@Alex Danielsen I'm an EJK user, and I'm pretty happy with it, although I'm too not too happy about the fact the O2 sensor is disconnected. I think the best of both worlds is still a permanent installation of PCV + autotune, but for budgetary reasons I contented myself with the EJK, which I'm sure in the end delivers pretty much the same overall performances. Since you already have the 15t sprocket installed, my next suggestion would have been to replace the sparks with the Brisk ones, but I've not installed them yet (but will do very soon). Still, I think it's still worth a try considering the relatively low cost of the change.

 

[danketchpel]

So now I am looking to install a AF-XIED, EJS injection module, PCV or similar to try and wake up the engine and make it more responsive at low revs if that is possible. So for those of you that have one of these devises installed, could you please comment on any improvement in that particular area and try to describe exactly how it feels before and after installing with engine response, throttle pick up and power below 3000 rpm.. Thanks..

Another area I feel is lacking a bit compared to the XChallenge is the suspension, as its not nearly as plush and doesn't soak up bumps as effectively. I feel its quite harsh and I have replaced the fork oil with some lighter weight and slightly less oil, which has helped some and allowed the suspension to use its full stroke. I haven't bottomed out the suspension no matter how hard I ride, but I have this clonking sound from the rear shock when riding hard, and its struggling to keep the rear wheel tracking the surface, so I would like to upgrade the suspension at both ends. But I haven't read many treads on upgrading the suspension on our bikes, so I am inviting anyone who has done that or are planning to do so, to share their ideas and suggestions here.. Thanks, and sorry for this lengthy tread..

Alex.

The engine can DEFINITELY become what you want below 3,000 rpm. I'm just not sure which approach to suggest to you as I only have experience with the PC5+AT approach. But, I will say that with the proper mapping the engine is just fantastic, everything you could ask for (seriously, not kidding here), pretty much from idle to redline. But, you might/will loose some mpg and how much may depend on your approach and how much fun you want to have. I'd suggest some reading first, check out the links Charlie posted.

What's really difficult is there has been no practical way to compare the results of each approach and document it for others to judge. Dyno charts don't tell even 10% of the story as most of us are more concerned with engine response over absolute WOT power. I've never seen a dyno chart yet that shows how an engine responds to throttle input, especially at the all important lower rpm levels.

The one thing I'm trying to figure out is how to minimize the on/off throttle reaction at slow speeds and very little throttle angle opening changes, like riding a 1st gear goat trail, when you want the smoothest possible response between zero throttle and say 5 degrees, just cracking it open. Mine will crack open very smoothly from a stop, but when you're riding along and go from a tiny bit of throttle to nothing, then crack it open again it's a tad jerky, not quite as smooth as a carb'd bike. I'm kinda splitting hairs here but it's relevant to slower trail riding. I believe the issue lies in the function of the throttle position sensor not really understanding degree angles between 0 and 5 degrees, or maybe it's the mapping cells available, not sure. It's a small thing overall though and I might be able to improve it by playing with the fuel settings at zero throttle angle in the 1750 - 2000 rpm range.


I'll agree with you on the suspension, not too many here have really tackled it full on yet. I find it works OK in the dirt but the forks are not very responsive on the street. The shock is just average and I suspect I'll end up replacing it later on with something better that has full adjustment. I'd like more adjustment on the forks also and they "may" get replaced later on also, not sure yet.

I think I can achieve what I want with the forks using only oil, but not positive. Remember the fork dampening is separated. You can have different oil weights in each leg to achieve different compression and rebound action. I want quicker, more sensitive action so I'm thinking to go with 7.5w oil, probably in both legs as the rebound seems a bit slow also. But.... I'm going to do some more riding with them as they are as they seem to be loosening up. I've only got about 1,900 miles on my bike.

I've cranked in more rebound dampening in the rear but I think I need to add some more as the shock seems to be "loosening up" also.

Overall I find the suspension not too horrible in the dirt as long as you're not trying to ride it like a motocross bike.

BTW, your English is fine, totally understandable. A good friend of mine from High School lives in Denmark. After 20 years I guess his Danish is now good enough, LOL. I can't make heads or tails of it, most of my language skills are based in the romance languages, plus some Filipino.

 

[wferrari]

Oh, forgot to mention that with the EJK I have plenty of torque at 2000rpm. I'm not sure about the throttle responsiveness at low rpm, but I find it quite satisfying, although I have to point out that I drive 99% of the time on tarmac, and I'm fairly aggressive on the throttle.

 

[drzcharlie]

All of us that are adding devices to change fueling are in the same mode here. The "magic" occurs when we increase fueling. No matter what device you choose, increasing fueling improves the operation of our engines. In my case it's 7% more fuel, it seems Dan is dialing in at around 5% overall. No matter the device this beast is too lean.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

I don't mean to open up a debate or anything, but wanted to document that not everyone feels the bike needs more fueling. There seems to be a good amount of variability in how these bikes run. It isn't clear why this is. I have no major problems with mine, and so far, fancy new spark plugs have eliminated the minor problems I did have. I love it just the way it is.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

The one thing I'm trying to figure out is how to minimize the on/off throttle reaction at slow speeds and very little throttle angle opening changes, like riding a 1st gear goat trail, when you want the smoothest possible response between zero throttle and say 5 degrees, just cracking it open. Mine will crack open very smoothly from a stop, but when you're riding along and go from a tiny bit of throttle to nothing, then crack it open again it's a tad jerky, not quite as smooth as a carb'd bike. I'm kinda splitting hairs here but it's relevant to slower trail riding. I believe the issue lies in the function of the throttle position sensor not really understanding degree angles between 0 and 5 degrees, or maybe it's the mapping cells available, not sure. It's a small thing overall though and I might be able to improve it by playing with the fuel settings at zero throttle angle in the 1750 - 2000 rpm range.

Have you adjusted the throttle cable? There was a lot of slack in my throttle before anything would happen, adjusting the cable at the throttle helped. Not a cure, but at least helped.

 

[drzcharlie]

Oh I agree Hasnpfeffer, it's just that those of us that have added devices always end up in about the same fueling range which seems to be from 5-7% more. I am happy for you that your bike is good. I wish mine had been.

Regarding the throttle cable. I had to tighten mine as well when I first got the bike. I had considerable slop in mine.

 

[Alex Danielsen]

Its good to hear that many people has succeeded in unleashing the full potential of the Husky engine, and I look forward to experience the same.. I really do like the smoothness and great power in the upper rpms, and the way it can just tractor through slow technical stuff without slipping the clutch all the time. I just need to wake it up at low rpms and make the throttle response more immediate and direct.

I am leaning towards the AF-XIED for the moment, mostly because I would like to retain the lambda sensor and the ability for the ECU to adjust for different conditions, but also for the ease of plug and play. I have tried contacting Nightrider.com but no answer, so I don't know if they will ship overseas or not, and I don't know of any dealers in Europe. Where did you guys buy the AF-XIED from.? Are the any other places to buy it, or even better somewhere in Europe.? Thanks..

 

[endurobra]

Its good to hear that many people has succeeded in unleashing the full potential of the Husky engine, and I look forward to experience the same.. I really do like the smoothness and great power in the upper rpms, and the way it can just tractor through slow technical stuff without slipping the clutch all the time. I just need to wake it up at low rpms and make the throttle response more immediate and direct.

I am leaning towards the AF-XIED for the moment, mostly because I would like to retain the lambda sensor and the ability for the ECU to adjust for different conditions, but also for the ease of plug and play. I have tried contacting Nightrider.com but no answer, so I don't know if they will ship overseas or not, and I don't know of any dealers in Europe. Where did you guys buy the AF-XIED from.? Are the any other places to buy it, or even better somewhere in Europe.? Thanks..

They shipped mine to the UK no problem

 

[tokor]

They shipped mine to the UK no problem

so I don't know if they will ship overseas or not

They are also shipped to Finland