Dual-sporting a 2010 TE 450, with cheap tricks

Dropped down off of Burma Road and rode up stream on Alamosa Creek into The Box, hit the water more times than necessary, and the Husky did great, just like the first year it did this ride! And a a little vid of Luke hittin' one a little too fast, I don't think he knew how wet he would get!.

Out of The Box, we made out way to the approach to Mt Withington, 10,000 feet climb from about 5000 foot where The Box is. As Luke was bombing away in front of me, I saw something weird fly out from his rear tire, didn't look like a rock, it was his plastic skidpan! He cased it on a rock on the exit from the washout in the background.


Made it to the top in record time, we were haulin' the mail for sure!

Ended up with a rough-as-hell jeep road up Chloride Creek, no pics, we were concentrating on hanging onto the bikes. Then took a super graded dirt road where I got the Husky up to 75mph, first time ever for that speed on dirt for me and this bike!

More later on the minor hiccup of the TE450's performance, I made it thru the water crossings without the bike dying, but something else cropped up and it was weird!.

I feel like i just watched 4 seasons of a great TV show and now I have to wait a week for each episode to come out for the fifth

go on OHR...

Thanks man, I think we're in the final season, there might be a Big Bend episode if I can squeeze it in before this motor dies....

The TE450 ran like a damn champ, it flew through the creek ride like it did 3 years ago, it powered up the climbs with guts to spare, I think I fell once and it was a fluke really, the Husky handles so good, it's nearly always my fault.

A strange thing happened, and it happened 6 months ago on this same ride. 6 months ago, we rode up Palomas Gap, heading towards the climb up to 7000 foot Timber Mtn, the Husky blew the speedo/fan fuse, and I didnt realize it and I was lucky to hang onto most of my rad fluid, although I skipped a nasty hill climb because I knew the bike was overheating, I just didnt realize why. This trip, the SAME fuse blew out in the SAME place. after climbing up Palomas Gap and heading towards Timer Mtn, I noticed my speedo was out and this year, finally, I realized my fan wouldn't be working, so I replaced the fuse and it stayed good the entire rest of that day and the next day. Very strange if you ask me.

And here's the really weird thing that happened that is still not fully explained but I have a corrective action that I hope will fix it.

At the end of Day One, we came back down Palomas Gap, down into the Rio Grande river basin. We were just be-bonkin' along, not racing, the bike had gone 80 hard miles with NO issue other than the blown fuse. So while we were just puttin' down the sandy bank of the Rio Grande, the bike sputters and dies, like it's out of gas, but the tank is 3/4 full from a stop we had made and dumped in our gas bottles. Crank the starter, she starts up, goes 100 yards, sputters and dies. Crank it up, with the starter grinding for awhile, she starts up, goes 200 yards and dies. It did this for awhile until I finally caught my buddy and said I was headed in, we were done for the day anyway, it was about 5pm and we were beat. I got back to the hotel, pulled the pump, looking for a split hose or loose hose clamp, nothing doing, all OK with the pump, PLUS the bike ran perfectly all the way back to town, about 10-12 miles.

Jump to Day Two, a 160 mile day, 30-40 water crossings, a climb to 10,000 feet, 60 mph run down a graded dirt road, all perfect. Got to the end of the day, 5pm again, came down a rough jeep road, got into the tiny town of Chloride, and the bike sputters and dies, like it's out of gas. Same time of day and end of the ride as yesterday. Crank it up, it runs 100 yards and dies. Over and over until we get out of town and I run it up to 70mph on the pavement and I keep it pinned all the way back to the trucks. Ran perfect, like a rocket.

I've thought long and hard on it, and I am deciding it's most likely the fuel pump. It's an automotive pump, I put it in June 2013 and I think it's just not really cut out for dirt bike duty. 2 things make me think this. 1st, the great CAcycleworks pump that I ran for 2.5 years met its maker on a hard suspension hit, there's no doubt in my mind, the fuel pump died on a very hard hit on a buried water pipe.. I did a major flying W, came down, the pump was gone, it never turned again, with 12v put right to it, it wouldn't make a sound. From this I know, the pump in my bike gets knocked around since I have a sub-standard mounting arrangement. 2nd reason to think it's the pump: on Day One, when I caught up to my buddy, we were listening to the pump prime and it was making this high pitched sound before it shifted into the more normal, low pitched sound. I've heard the high pitch sound before, mostly when reinstalling a dry ump and its initial prime when dry. But this was a fully wet pump in a 3/4 full tank.

Long post, simple decision really, I'm going back to the CAcycleworks pump I used for 2.5 years. I have one more ride tomorrow on the Toyota pump, it should make one more trip.

Man the suspense! Great write up.

Emma Long/City Park, here we come, goal is no more than 3 falls for the morning.

May this thread never die, you're a credit to the forum OHR.

Oh and when that motor does finally go out in a big bang or maybe just a little rattle and cough, no one can say Husky motors are fragile or weak!

Thanks man, the motor is a trooper for sure, I just got back from overheating it and spraying coolant, temps went over 250-260F to do that. The oil got so thin I had a loud rattle, by the time it cooled down and I rode home the rattle was gone, the oil just got really hot I think.

Logged 10 miles on the tightest trails in town, 2 loops of 5 miles each. I weighed 195 when I got up this morning, I weighed 192 when I got home, that's after eating a 1 lb breakfast and drinking 54 oz of coffee and water, so I figure I lost about 5 pounds of sweat on the trail. Only fell once, when I swung too wide to go around a bicyclist and the bark buster caught a tree, boom, down I went. Otherwise, me and the Husky made a good morning of it, no fueling problems, I replaced the 8-10 oz of coolant I lost with drinking water and rode the 18 miles home at 60mph. No pics, we were just moving along, stopping was just too hot. Here's some more pics from the trail tho.
http://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/texas_13947/ride_8e82.htm

Posted this in another thread, needed to get it over here as well...

I had a problem with the fuses and tip-over sensor getting oily from the air cleaner and crankcase breather oil, and the water from the rear wheel.
I took a quart zip lock baggie, cut a hole in the bottom, inserted the 3 fuses and blocked off tip-over sensor into the bag, taped the hole up where the wires entered and now I have dry fuses and still a quick way to get in and change a fuse if needed.

Nice tip OHR.

Its been over a month since I rode the TE450 last, felt good to get out, the bike went thru some of the deepest water it has ever been in and NO problems whatsoever, the problem ended up being water in the airbox getting on the air filter and then sucked into the throttle body. All openings are sealed up and as long as water doesnt splash up on the seat/tank junction, the Husky will run in deep water now.

Some relics from the 1950s or older, really rough concrete work.


We rode 4 creek sections getting here and 4 more back down, axle deep and deeper. This area is within 1 mile of the city hall of a town of 100,000 population.






Then, there's always some challenges, the diagonal tree root that threw him down is hidden under the bike...

Here's how deep it got in the section we had to turn around and go back on.

Recently purchased a 08 TE450. The PO had the powerup done with titanium exhaust. I need a spark arrestor for it. The Husky part (8000 B1307) is $166. Anyone have another option?

Who wants to do lake Travis tomorrow?

Where are you looking to ride?

Wherever the trails are, I haven't been there yet and wanted to maybe check it out. A few of us are riding tomorrow I don't know if they'd be up for any difficult stuff but I know at least 2 of us would be.

What tires do you have on?
Would you need to trailer the bikes?

I have Distanzias on mine and my buddy has one on the rear. We should be ok with most anything but deep mud.
We're riding them, no trailer.

Tony (Roadhazardguy) and his friend on a DRZ-SM made it out to my part of the world and we got some good miles in, 2 Huskys on 1 ride, his a 2008 SM. No problems, some unique riding.