Anyone at home?

AndyB_11

Still waiting
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Stand by for a catalogue of whinges when I collect my first Husqvarna in a couple of weeks.

It’s only a ginger in disguise :D
 
I’ve traded my KTM in against a new 2020 model FE501to be collected when I can get a day off work because it needs the first service after a mere 1hr of riding so the dealers workshop has to be open and I’d sooner they did the first one then I’ll do the rest.

I’m happy enough with the deal because the KTM has only dipped £2.5k in 2 years and close to 12k miles and cost to change is about £500 on the road.

I’ve got mad ideas regarding changing it into a lightweight adventure bike and hitting a few longer trails in Europe and when you look at the Husqvarna 701 or KTM 690 they’re 40kg heavier which is a lot of weight to be picking up when you're out on your own so the 501 makes sense from at least one way of looking at it.
 
How good are you at justification of a new bike?? Good on you, enjoy the trails.
 
How good are you at justification of a new bike?? Good on you, enjoy the trails.

I never worry about justification when it comes to buying new bikes :D

The only comment my wife made was that she thought I was buying a KTM and when I walked into the dealers the salesman said he knew I was coming over because my wife was in there on Friday she told him I’d been muttering about some stupid idea of turning what’s basically a competition bike into an adventure bike. I usually buy a new bike every 2 years and I can do a decent conversion for less than the cost of a full Akropovic system on a big twin so it’s job done :D
 
I’ve traded my KTM in against a new 2020 model FE501to be collected when I can get a day off work because it needs the first service after a mere 1hr of riding so the dealers workshop has to be open and I’d sooner they did the first one then I’ll do the rest.

I’m happy enough with the deal because the KTM has only dipped £2.5k in 2 years and close to 12k miles and cost to change is about £500 on the road.

I’ve got mad ideas regarding changing it into a lightweight adventure bike and hitting a few longer trails in Europe and when you look at the Husqvarna 701 or KTM 690 they’re 40kg heavier which is a lot of weight to be picking up when you're out on your own so the 501 makes sense from at least one way of looking at it.

And very nice too. 108 kg and all the power will be great fun. There’s a guy done a RTW trip on a 500exc and it’s been very reliable.
I’ve been thinking of getting a WR450F (2018 model) as they’re only £6100 otr but finding places to ride around here is a difficult

Anyway have fun when you get it :green gri
 
I find it's always easier to seek forgiveness than ask for permission ;)

It’s always worked for me though I’ve told my wife that if she buys a Honda cross dresser (she’s considering it) she won’t be keeping it at our house because I’ll burn it.
 


So that’s £800 for different handguards, panniers and a different headlight. The panniers are tiny butcheap, I’ve ordered a pair because they come with a replacement seat to strap them to which will mean I can have extra padding added to the standard one.

The other parts like the mapping switch and bash plate are standard parts on the 2020 bike.

It seems that I’m not alone in thinking that adventure bikes have become too bloated and having something that weighs under 140kg wet with a bigger fuel tank is the way to go.
 
The KTM has just been dropped off at Gear 4 and the 501 will be collected in a fortnight. It’ll have had the first service by the time I pick it up because it’s only a 1hr service interval so the salesman will ride home on it then back for a day to get the hour on the clock and they’ll do the necessary changes ready for me to just ride it home and not have to oil.

My wife stood next to it and realised that she’s not going to be riding it because the seat height is near enough at waist level on her :D
 
Now there’s a somewhat open ended question :D

For use around home just trundling about on the local green lanes I won’t be doing anything because it should be fine until the going gets a bit heavy and it may need tyres with a more aggressive tread pattern.

For next year when I want to go further the list has to be in roughly this order:

Luggage carrying capacity. I want a small plate that will take a roll bag with my camping gear in it plus something to keep soft panniers both secured to the bike and away from the exhaust.
Bigger tank. I’d prefer something around 4.5 gallon to give me at least a 200 mile range but because the MY20 bike is very different to the previous model I’m going to have to wait until the main manufacturers have tooled up to make one that fits properly rather than try and make an older one fit.
I’d like to get something on the front end that has at least a small screen and somewhere to put a satnav plus power sockets.
A decent bash plate, preferably one with a small toolbox built in.
Probably a lower front mudguard that isn’t affected by wind when I’m loaded up and using a motorway to get across Europe.
A new front sprocket with one tooth more to drop the revs on the aforementioned motorway rides.
A rear wheel with a cush drive would make a lot of sense for road use.

Now that’s a lot of money but I’d normally be changing the bike for something with a cost to change of around £5k rather than £500 and I don’t work to leave money in the bank, I work to buy toys, have decent holidays and generally enjoy myself. I’m a filthy contractor and I’ve recently been told that I’m going to be expected to work 12 days on/2 days off for the foreseeable future with the last 4 shifts of each rotation being 12hr nights so crass as it may be, money isn’t a restricting factor.

I’ve been in contact with Nomad in the NL and they’re keen to get their hands on the bike so they’ve got a template to make parts for the new model so once it’s at my place I can phone them and get something sorted. It’ll mean either using a transport company to get it there or if the timescale isn’t too excessive I can just have a few days on the lash in Rotterdam then ride home. Either way I’m not too worried.

https://www.nomad-adv.com/husqvarna-fe-nomad.html

If the timing is right I’ll get it over to them fairly soon because I’m going to a bike rally in Denmark in January and while I can use the GS if the 501 is sorted to a degree that it’s suitable for a trip like that it’ll get coated in ACF50 and I’ll use it.

Once it’s here I’ll start a new thread so everyone can laugh and tell me where I’m going wrong because it’s always entertaining to get alternative views.
 
That looks interesting, certainly worth an email to see if it fits the MY20 501.
 
Thanks JB. Their front end looks very tidy so they’re worth an email :thumb2
 


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