FE501s

[Rot Box]

Been riding a lot lately as the snow is almost all melted on some fun trails north of me. Found the mud that’s for sure! I love the JD Tuner for the record! The bike has a lot more power but more importantly it isn’t running crazy lean anymore super happy with that 😎

So I don’t even have a thousand miles on the bike yet and the fork seals are completely blown out from this last ride—to the point there’s puddles under the bike.

I’m going to rebuild them myself I hope I’m not getting in over my head. I’ve rebuild lots of forks in my day but never on something this new. Figure I’ll get the cap wrench, oil, driver and SKF seals/wipers anything else I should consider?

Wish me luck I’ll take some photos and bring you guys along for the ride. Wish it was in the budget to get gobblers as I’m not thrilled with the performance of these forks stock. Oh well I’m going to have to live with it for now….

Do you think this mud is to blame for my seals blowing out? Or was it just bad luck?

 

[Vonski]

If they’ve been leaking a while, you very well may need new seals. However, you’d be amazed how often you can thoroughly clean each fork leg/shaft, pull the visible dust seal down, clean the area between the dust and fork seal, then take a seal saver or similar thin rigid plastic to pull out debris. I’ve been successful probably 90% of the time if catching it somewhat early. …and yeah, some conditions and types of mud seem worse than others.

 

[Gravy]

If you're riding that kind of stuff I would get a set of SKF mud wipers. (They replaced the stock orange rings on the bike).
They're actually two piece with a cotter pin holding them together so you can add them without taking the forks off the bike.
Also doing fork seals on those xplor forks are cake, you could bump the foil oil levels 10-20cc to increase bottoming resistance. It effectively makes the air gap smaller and so you get a *slightly* stiffer fork in the mid range but lots better at bottom.

I forgot to ask but did you do a silencer end cap? that's a nice little bump in bark too!

 

[Rot Box]

Thanks for the help everyone! I watched a RMATV video on doing the fork seals on this bike and I agree it’ll be cake 😎. I just have to buy two special tools but they’re cheap so that’s good. I’ll try cleaning the current seals first though maybe I’ll get lucky.

So Gravy, I just gutted the screens out of the stock cap. It still has the factory spark arrestor so it’s legal. Just removed the super restrictive end screens in the cap and removed the intake reeds. Between that and the JDtuner the bike is a whole new animal! Love the way it runs.

 

[Rot Box]

On that note I’ll get those SFK wipers and add a little more oil. These forks will bottom fairly easy even with the comp knob turned up a bit. I don’t think I need stiffer springs or anything I’ll bet a little more oil will do the trick. I wish it was in the cards right now but I would really like to try the gobblers. These forks work okay but compared to my brothers Husaberg with Ohlins and my other friends bikes with suspension work done mine are a bit lacking. They’re good but not great if that makes sense.

 

[anderson750]

Are you opening the bleed screws periodically? You would be amazed how much air builds up in the outer chamber. It does not take much additional air pressure to force oil out past the seals

 

[Rot Box]

Are you opening the bleed screws periodically? You would be amazed how much air builds up in the outer chamber. It does not take much additional air pressure to force oil out past the seals

I’m usually pretty good at keeping up on this but I’ve been slacking a bit lately. I’ll check them asap 😎

 

[Rot Box]

Time for a new rear! I’ve been running the Motoz extreme hybrid and have loved it for ‘most’ of the riding I do. That said I’m thinking I might switch things up a bit. Call me crazy but I’m thinking of the tried and true Dunlop 606. Anyone have suggestions? I know tire threads are as bad as which oil should I run threads 😂

Two track, single track, fire roads, pine tree dirt, a little highway (dot rating is useful) and the occasional snow drift this time of year—oh and lots of rocks! Mostly the stuff you’d find in southern Idaho. What do you think? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Vonski]

Time for a new rear! I’ve been running the Motoz extreme hybrid and have loved it for ‘most’ of the riding I do. That said I’m thinking I might switch things up a bit. Call me crazy but I’m thinking of the tried and true Dunlop 606. Anyone have suggestions?

As everyone knows, Tusk items can be great, and many are mediocre. The Recon Hybrid is the tire everyone should try. Don’t let the low price fool ya, it rivals the hybrid tires double the price (or triple, like some Goldentyre). Unless you prefer a skinnier 110, the 120 would be great for that 501.

 

[Tonkaman]

Agreed with @Vonski, I’ve heard nothing but great reviews for the Recon Hybrid. I’m usually a Tusk skeptic, but it sounds like they hit that one on the bullseye.

I’m a big IRC fan. I’ve been loving their VE33S Gekkota but don’t have any input as far as pavement.

 

[TRD270]

I ran the 606's on my WR450, no complaints but that was a lot of years ago and have no idea what else is on the market these days.

 

[Vonski]

Agreed with @Vonski, I’ve heard nothing but great reviews for the Recon Hybrid. I’m usually a Tusk skeptic, but it sounds like they hit that one on the bullseye

I ran a pre-production sample with a bit too soft of compound. That was corrected with the released version and I think it’s perfect for a hybrid tire. Great traction, but still has some mileage in them.

Sadly, my idea for a sticky tire named the “Stickmata”, complete with crosses for tread blocks was shot down. Bunch of babies… 🙄😂

 

[Gravy]

I've ran that ve 33s shinko 525 and 505 cheaters and for the money the tusk recon hybrid is really great. In fact that's what I've got on there right now- so if you want to be second place in the old man age bracket amateur class that's the tire for you LOL.

 

[Rot Box]

That’s for the heads up on the Tusk Recon! I’m kinda sorta one of those guys that likes to get a season (I’ve only put a thousand miles on my bike since purchase) out of a tire. Am I dreaming with the Recon? For the price I think it’s worth a shot 🤔

 

[Rot Box]

Oh help me spend some money lol! I’ve got my heart set on a steering damper. I’ve had Scott’s and GPR in the past and loved both. Any reason to choose one over the other? I’d go SUB mount and keep my stock triple clamps as I like my bars up higher—old age, slow, bad back you know how it goes…

Leaning towards GPR as I have more options for bar position. Sure liked my Scott’s though.. hmm. Guess I couldn’t go wrong either way right? Thanks fellas I appreciate your help.

 

[Vonski]

That’s for the heads up on the Tusk Recon! I’m kinda sorta one of those guys that likes to get a season (I’ve only put a thousand miles on my bike since purchase) out of a tire. Am I dreaming with the Recon? For the price I think it’s worth a shot 🤔

Lots of variables, but my guess is you wouldn’t make it through a full season. The knobbies don’t chunk or tear off, so you could sharpen the leading edges a time or two (knobby knife or tire groover) and try to prolong use a little. I’d plan on buying 2.

 

[Gravy]

Scott's or Precision on a damper. I like the gpr (and I ran one on my YZ450f) but it doesn't let you control the strength of damping at the ends of the sweep vs the center where I need it most.
That said a mount wasn't available for my 19 when I bought it so I skipped putting on my Scott's and only miss it occasionally.
I'd say 30 hrs on a standard tire and maybe 20 on sticky is pretty optimistic for my style of ridding.

 

[johngottfredson]

Had the 606’s on my 501. Loved them, did 5 miles of Hell down in the Swell with this bad boy with the desert tank and those tires no problem. Also had the Scott stabilizer which was great, but my favorite mod was the rekluse auto clutch. Miss this bike!

 

[Tonkaman]

Had the 606’s on my 501. Loved them, did 5 miles of Hell down in the Swell with this bad boy with the desert tank and those tires no problem. Also had the Scott stabilizer which was great, but my favorite mod was the rekluse auto clutch. Miss this bike!


View attachment 149834

Wow that’s a lot of bike for 5MOH!

 

[johngottfredson]

Wow that’s a lot of bike for 5MOH!

Well…all my buddies on their 350’s had a good laugh as I didn’t know what I was signing up for. The bike made it just fine but I was wore clean out by the ride back to the truck, which felt like 50 miles.