FE/FC Opinions on FE501S

I'm 80% decided to sell my '11 TE630, and my '01 KDX220, and pick up a FE501S. Wife has OK'd the purchase of a new bike, but there's a soft limit of 3 bikes in the garage at any one time. I also have a '88 Hawk GT that's been mine since new, so it's not going anywhere without me. Currently I use the TE the most, have SM wheels and dirt wheels, commute on it, take 4-5 day road trips on it, take overnighter camp trips off it. Use the KDX for trail rides, single track, and on the lake when frozen in the winter, just to get some seat time. I'm thinking the FE501S could take the place of the Husky and KDX, opening up a spot in the garage next summer for something like a FJ-09 for commuting and road trips, leaving the FE for the occasional commute, trail rides, camping, single track, and possibly multi-day back road camping trips.

From what I've read, it looks like these 500 (510?) cc KTM/Husky engines are earning a reputation for being reliable.

Opinions on the FE?

I've had mine for about a year with no problems. Terrific power/torque for a heavier guy, like me. I don't like the forks much, but I believe that problem can be resolved.

The 701 should be considered as well. Heavier than the 501 and not as trail worthy but probably a better light adventure bike and commuter.

Hey Bushwa:
I pulled the trigger and traded my 2011 630 in on a 2016 501s July 1st. The 630 was a fun bike and very reliable and I had lots of fun riding two up with my kids. Now the kids have their own bikes and I was honestly getting nervous about parts availability for the 630 plus it weighed a ton (give or take a couple of pounds). It was tough to trade a perfectly good bike in on something new and expensive. I have a meager 20 miles (all dirt) on the 501s but here is what I noticed:
Much better brakes
suspension is insane
power is fantastic.
ergonomics are perfect
The 630 was good, but I think my 501s is going to be great.

Did it. Picked it up on Saturday. 300km on it. So far I've balanced the wheels (ran out of weights for the rear), adjusted the ergos to my liking, and rode about 20km mix of gravel and pavement. I feel the 630 had more pull at freeway speeds, but the 501 certainly is more responsive and pulls harder in the lower gears. Think I'm going to like it.

Got it dirty, desmoged, uncorked. Now if I could only part with it for long enough so the dealer can load the euro map, I'd be a happy man.

Congrats on new bike, it looks beautiful.

I'll be interested in what you think of it in comparison with the 630, as I have been tossing up between one of these and a 701 as a replacement for my 630 when the time comes. In particular I'm interested in whether it can handle some tar work OK, as I typically ride to the dirt rather than trailering.

Thanks,
Russell

Thanks! I've been comparing the FE on dot knobbies to the TE on sumo wheels with street rubber, so obviously the TE has much better road manners. The FE gets a little twitchy on the knobbies at about 65/70 mph, and the seat is shit, but the bike is not breaking a sweat at those speeds. Trying to remember what the TE was like with knobbies on street. Anyway, the FE has more vibes in the bars, but not annoying to me, and the FE is MUCH better off road. I think with some more street friendly knobby tires, this one will be a winner for me.

Mmm, thanks, sounds good. What I'm after is quality off road performance & I'm prepared to compromise a little road comfort to get it.

I'll be interested in bigger tank options - there are plenty for the 500EXC but seemingly not listed for the 501. Not sure if they're interchangeable so will need to do some research.

Thanks again for the feedback.

The Acerbis tanks for the exc fit. The 3 gal one requires the use of KTM rad shrouds from what I have read, the 4 and 5 gal ones don't use shrouds. All require about 3/4 inch to be trimmed from the very front tip of the Husky seat to sit in the recess of the tank nicely. I ordered the 4.1ish size for mine. Going to get a pump assembley too so I can swap easily back and forth from purdy stock to ugly but useful larger tank. They all require the removal of the charcoal canister too.

Thanks again. I'd probably go the 5 gallon, depending on whether it makes things too cumbersome. Most of tne time I wouldn't need it but figure I could 3/4 fill it & have the full capacity when required. Hopefully Acerbis may start making them specifically for the 501 so we don't need to trim the seat.

Or I could just buy the EXC, as I'm not sure it is materially different to the 501 anyway.

The EXC and the FE have been changed for 2017, not sure what parts are shared, but the plastics are significantly different, so much so that the tanks for pre 2017 models may not fit the new ones, at least without changing the side panels on the Husky, and as they now extend under the seat up to the gas cap.

I have had my FE 501s for a couple of weeks now. Traded my 630 in to help ease the purchase pain. For some great fire road riding I have to ride 20 to 45 minutes on asphalt. I am just as comfortable on the 501 as I was on the 630 on the tar except going through the canyons where the wind can really mess you up. The added weight of the 630 made those passes much easier to keep the bike pointed straight. But then you get to the dirt and the 501 shows up the 630 in all aspects. Personally I never liked the 630's brakes and the 501 fixed that. There is plenty of tractor power to pull you up any hill and plenty of speed for the dry lakes. My brother has the KTM 690 and it is great for riding 2 up but can be handful out on the trail solo.

thanks for pointing that out.. I have a 2017 fe450 as my desktop background and I never noticed the massive difference!

The stock tires on these bikes are twitchy! The rear is so poor it's absolutely unacceptable on the straight the front Works Fair and isn't bad in the dirt

Yes the stock tires on these bikes are not that great on the street the rear is unacceptable and downright dangerous once I uncorked my bike it would literally spin the rear wheel on the pavement in a straight line the front is fair and not too bad in the dirt. The motoz tractionator it enduro tread or the Dunlop 606 both work substantially better on the pavement and still provide decent traction off-road personally I prefer running a full off-road knob in the front whether it's dot rated or not. Right now my favorite is a Maxxis it desert front. For a full knobby it handles quite well on the pavement. It is very confidence-inspiring Off Road in all conditions and works substantially better on the highway then the stock Michelin Enduro. I made massive improvements to the vibration situation on my 501 by installing shot filled dead end vibration dampeners in the ends of the handlebars as well as using a KTM hard parts vibration dampening handlebar mount system If you expect an improvement in the vibration you must use the optional green soft elastomers with ktm hard parts rubber mounted handlebar mount. The stock yellow elastomers that come with the kit are rather hard and do not do much to dampen vibration you will only notice a difference if you use the optional green elastomers system with you expect an improvement in the vibration. With these mods my bike is now tolerable Stock the vibration was insane at high revs.

Throttle on, I've made some changes to mine recently too. I installed Michelin T63 rubber front and rear, and heated grips that are a little thicker and heavier than the stock grips. These two things helped with vibration in the bars to the point where it doesn't bother me at all now. I may look into these shot filled dead end dampeners you mention. Thanks! The tires are also fantastic on the street and very good in the dirt for the type of riding I've been doing.

I just went the same path as you guys. traded my TE630 for a new FE501s. It was tough as the 630 is an excellent machine.
The FE behaves pretty poorly on the road but hoping for the T63 Im about putting on will makes things more stable and less viby. Also on the market for an acerbic tank, can't decide between the 4 and 5 gallon. wonder if the 5 is not too bulky.
Squamish BC

Hey Brzoza, need to balance the wheels regardless of the tires. My front has a bunch of big lead shot I picked up at Bass Pro, drilled and split them to fit on the spokes. On the rear, I had the same, but this week picked up and installed a 2nd rim lock opposite the oem one. Now it only took a few stick on weights to balance out the tire/wheel assembly. Will do the same to the front once my HD front tube arrives and I get around to swapping it out. Overall engine seems smoother now it's got some hours on it too. I went with the 4.1gal.. not installed yet, but with the mileage I'm getting, it should be good for over 300km before the fuel light comes on, which is more than I could do on my TE630 carrying an extra 4L of fuel in a kolpin on the back. Nice headlight BTW!

thanks! Milage was a big factor in the decision to go for the FE. My buddy is on the WR20r and it was ridicules how much gas I had to carry.
Will definitely balance the wheels.