Cleaning carter/New issue: starter problems.

[adrianmgs]

Hello all,
Relatively new rider and fresh Vit' owner here. Bought a 2021 model second hand with some tasteful mods, though also some less tasteful touches. One previous owner decided it was a great idea to apply white paint or correction fluid (tippex, etc) to the tires (ok, not too bad) and to the Husky logo in the carter (*sigh*)... Would anyone have any recommendations, dos and don'ts for trying to remove said touch from the carter? Not sure what the material is and what different products (Alcohol? Acetone? Chain cleaner?) might do to it... thanks a lot in advance!

Edit: doesn’t look too bad from over 2 meters away, but close up you can see the paint is not uniform… and my OCD doesn’t like it. If it was very well done i’d be ok with it.

 

[Jester1971]

Try paint thinner or spray gun cleaner on a cotton bud. Try it on the engine casing first somewhere you cannot see. If it does not melt the casing paint it should be safe to gently try on the white paint. If it does not melt the white paint you could paint over it with model (Airfix, Revell, Citadel, etc.) paint in a similar colour like olive drab.
Good luck.

 

[GeoKrpan]

Hello all,
Relatively new rider and fresh Vit' owner here. Bought a 2021 model second hand with some tasteful mods, though also some less tasteful touches. One previous owner decided it was a great idea to apply white paint or correction fluid (tippex, etc) to the tires (ok, not too bad) and to the Husky logo in the carter (*sigh*)... Would anyone have any recommendations, dos and don'ts for trying to remove said touch from the carter? Not sure what the material is and what different products (Alcohol? Acetone? Chain cleaner?) might do to it... thanks a lot in advance!

Edit: doesn’t look too bad from over 2 meters away, but close up you can see the paint is not uniform… and my OCD doesn’t like it. If it was very well done i’d be ok with it.

View attachment 5288View attachment 5289

Great pics of your Vit, such a pretty bike. I chose the Vit as well, the apple of my eye. It may not be as good of a bike as the 2024s but it's prettier IMO.

How's that aftermarket exhaust sound and which one is it?

 

[adrianmgs]

Great pics of your Vit, such a pretty bike. I chose the Vit as well, the apple of my eye. It may not be as good of a bike as the 2024s but it's prettier IMO.

How's that aftermarket exhaust sound and which one is it?

Thanks, I do really like the design and honestly couldn't really care much for the 2024s.

The exhaust is a GPR M3 slip-on. Can't tell you what the difference with a stock exhaust is as I bought it as is. So... it's louder than my stock CB300r was, but that's not exactly a fair comparison. I do feel like I get more induction and engine noise than exhaust sound, and the volume is still very civilized - only had a friend ride it once, but as soon as he was 30 meters away and behind some trees you couldn't hear a thing anymore. Sorry for this half-answer, I can gladly try to send/post a video if you want but they often fail to translate the volume and texture of these kinds of sounds.

 

[adrianmgs]

New issue: was out on a ride on Friday evening, stalled in traffic two clicks in and then the bike refused to start. Electronics woke up but no effect when pushing the start button apart from a click under the saddle. Recovery truck came along, tried boosting the battery but no dice. The only thing that got the bike started was giving juice directly to the starter motor... The bike is still under warranty until today, Sunday, and my Husky dealer is not open on the weekends, so I'm crossing my fingers that they'll accept recovery's report as proof and will fix this under warranty.
I'm really hoping this is a simple issue - connectors/relays and not the wiring loom or starter motor. If anyone has any tips or experience with starter motor or wiring issues that'd be great, otherwise I'll be posting about the (hopeful) fix once it's solved.

 

[Jester1971]

Try tightening the bolts on the starter relay under the seat, they can work loose after time. There is a thread on here, search ‘401 starting problem’ in the 401 forum, it may be a simple fix.

 

[adrianmgs]

Try tightening the bolts on the starter relay under the seat, they can work loose after time. There is a thread on here, search ‘401 starting issue’ in the 401 forum, it may be a simple fix.

Ah, maybe I should have given some more detail: the recovery man also tried putting his booster’s positive lead directly on the starter relay’s bolts you mention, but this didn’t work either. Thanks a lot for your comment, I’ll check again to make sure, but I fear the issue lies elsewhere.

 

[GeoKrpan]

Thanks, I do really like the design and honestly couldn't really care much for the 2024s.

The exhaust is a GPR M3 slip-on. Can't tell you what the difference with a stock exhaust is as I bought it as is. So... it's louder than my stock CB300r was, but that's not exactly a fair comparison. I do feel like I get more induction and engine noise than exhaust sound, and the volume is still very civilized - only had a friend ride it once, but as soon as he was 30 meters away and behind some trees you couldn't hear a thing anymore. Sorry for this half-answer, I can gladly try to send/post a video if you want but they often fail to translate the volume and texture of these kinds of sounds.

My previous was a 2019 CB300R. How do you think the 401 compares? I think it's a way better bike.

I wanted a Vitpilen 401 in 2019 but they were $6299 plus $1500 freight from Austria.

 

[adrianmgs]

My previous was a 2019 CB300R. How do you think the 401 compares? I think it's a way better bike.

I wanted a Vitpilen 401 in 2019 but they were $6299 plus $1500 freight from Austria.

Oh sweet! Which color? Mine was this champagne-ey, slightly golden tone!

It was great as a first bike and to pass my license exam with, very docile and easy to handle. Riding position was a good mix between comfy and sporty. I was also quite fond of it in terms of looks, really handsome without feeling too edgy/wacky in design.
In comparison, the Vit has a much more aggressive riding position - I'm still finding it hard to relax while riding it, although I don't necessarily see this as a negative point. The engine feel, sound and pull feel much tighter as well - at 4k revs, I felt like the CB was already screaming, while the Vit feels like it's only getting started. Obviously the power difference is noticeable, and I think the Vit's gearing also helps. On the CB, first and second only helped get me to third to cruise from 30 to 50kph, while on the vit I can happily do 30 kph in second without feeling like the bike is begging to change up. And it's nice to know you still have some power available at 120 kph on the highway. One of the things I do miss from the CB is how easy it was to find neutral, which is a PITA on the Vit. But I'm loving the racier feel, the amazing looks and the nicer sound.

Thankfully Switzerland is well served by European brands, the country's tiny so dealers aren't too far away usually, and the vast amounts of disposable income mean there's a lot of movement even in the second hand market.

 

[GeoKrpan]

Oh sweet! Which color? Mine was this champagne-ey, slightly golden tone!

It was great as a first bike and to pass my license exam with, very docile and easy to handle. Riding position was a good mix between comfy and sporty. I was also quite fond of it in terms of looks, really handsome without feeling too edgy/wacky in design.
In comparison, the Vit has a much more aggressive riding position - I'm still finding it hard to relax while riding it, although I don't necessarily see this as a negative point. The engine feel, sound and pull feel much tighter as well - at 4k revs, I felt like the CB was already screaming, while the Vit feels like it's only getting started. Obviously the power difference is noticeable, and I think the Vit's gearing also helps. On the CB, first and second only helped get me to third to cruise from 30 to 50kph, while on the vit I can happily do 30 kph in second without feeling like the bike is begging to change up. And it's nice to know you still have some power available at 120 kph on the highway. One of the things I do miss from the CB is how easy it was to find neutral, which is a PITA on the Vit. But I'm loving the racier feel, the amazing looks and the nicer sound.

Thankfully Switzerland is well served by European brands, the country's tiny so dealers aren't too far away usually, and the vast amounts of disposable income mean there's a lot of movement even in the second hand market.

Mine was black. It was ABS model, "rare" at the time. The only other color that year was red.

Here's a pic from the day it was delivered, March 17, 2019. They are good looking bikes for sure.

 

[GeoKrpan]

Oh sweet! Which color? Mine was this champagne-ey, slightly golden tone!

It was great as a first bike and to pass my license exam with, very docile and easy to handle. Riding position was a good mix between comfy and sporty. I was also quite fond of it in terms of looks, really handsome without feeling too edgy/wacky in design.
In comparison, the Vit has a much more aggressive riding position - I'm still finding it hard to relax while riding it, although I don't necessarily see this as a negative point. The engine feel, sound and pull feel much tighter as well - at 4k revs, I felt like the CB was already screaming, while the Vit feels like it's only getting started. Obviously the power difference is noticeable, and I think the Vit's gearing also helps. On the CB, first and second only helped get me to third to cruise from 30 to 50kph, while on the vit I can happily do 30 kph in second without feeling like the bike is begging to change up. And it's nice to know you still have some power available at 120 kph on the highway. One of the things I do miss from the CB is how easy it was to find neutral, which is a PITA on the Vit. But I'm loving the racier feel, the amazing looks and the nicer sound.

Thankfully Switzerland is well served by European brands, the country's tiny so dealers aren't too far away usually, and the vast amounts of disposable income mean there's a lot of movement even in the second hand market.

I love the riding position of the Vit. It could even be more radical for me My main hobby is bicycling and I'm used to being bent over. Someone here went ahead and put clip-ons on their Vit 401, proper under the top triple clamp clip-ons. It looks great. I think I'd like that.

I should have put a 15 tooth sprocket on the front. It is a popular mod. The gearing is too low in my opinion. I used 6th gear a lot but on the 401 it's hardly necessary.
The power and gearing of the 401 is way better than on the CB. The 401 can have better gearing because there's more power, 43 vs 29 hp. Although I have to say, the Honda's power was better than the numbers imply. Yes, finding neutral was way easier on the Honda but I think it is at the expense of the 1-2 shift.

The CB has no quick shifter but I put an aftermarket one on mine, upshifts only. It wasn't as good as the Vit's. The CB has no suspension adjustment other than rear preload.
The quick shifter, adjustable suspension, and beautiful wire wheels make the Vit 401 such an outstanding value.

Overall the Vit is just a way better bike. It is a big upgrade over the CB. As far as looks go the Honda is good looking but the Vit is the apple of my eye. I Vitpilenized my CB with a cafe racer bar and rear hugger.

Rizoma Race Retro bar and Husqvarna mirrors. I took a gamble with that bar that it wouldn't hit the tank. I had to tilt it just right.

 

[adrianmgs]

Regarding the starting issue: went to the dealer, apparently the starter relay was toast. Phew, cheap fix and I'm gonna try to get it covered under warranty. I was really hoping it wasn't something bigger like wiring or the starter motor itself. They weren't able to tell me what may have caused it - the negative lead on the battery was a little bit loose, but they couldn't be certain that was the culprit. Hope this helps!

 

[adrianmgs]

I love the riding position of the Vit. It could even be more radical for me My main hobby is bicycling and I'm used to being bent over. Someone here went ahead and put clip-ons on their Vit 401, proper under the top triple clamp clip-ons. It looks great. I think I'd like that.

I should have put a 15 tooth sprocket on the front. It is a popular mod. The gearing is too low in my opinion. I used 6th gear a lot but on the 401 it's hardly necessary.
The power and gearing of the 401 is way better than on the CB. The 401 can have better gearing because there's more power, 43 vs 29 hp. Although I have to say, the Honda's power was better than the numbers imply. Yes, finding neutral was way easier on the Honda but I think it is at the expense of the 1-2 shift.

The CB has no quick shifter but I put an aftermarket one on mine, upshifts only. It wasn't as good as the Vit's. The CB has no suspension adjustment other than rear preload.
The quick shifter, adjustable suspension, and beautiful wire wheels make the Vit 401 such an outstanding value.

Overall the Vit is just a way better bike. It is a big upgrade over the CB. As far as looks go the Honda is good looking but the Vit is the apple of my eye. I Vitpilenized my CB with a cafe racer bar and rear hugger.

Rizoma Race Retro bar and Husqvarna mirrors. I took a gamble with that bar that it wouldn't hit the tank. I had to tilt it just right.

Sweet! Mine was also a 2019 ABS.

I also do quite a bit of road cycling, but being 190cm I'm already hunched over enough in daily life, so I try to avoid silly aggressive riding positions.

Kudos on the mods, I'm always impressed with how ballsy you guys are over there. Here we're really cautious as it can seriously hinder resale. I'd bought the CB for an insanely cheap price, so preferred keeping it stock and getting back the same money once I sold it.

 

[Jester1971]

Regarding the starting issue: went to the dealer, apparently the starter relay was toast. Phew, cheap fix and I'm gonna try to get it covered under warranty. I was really hoping it wasn't something bigger like wiring or the starter motor itself. They weren't able to tell me what may have caused it - the negative lead on the battery was a little bit loose, but they couldn't be certain that was the culprit. Hope this helps!

Glad you got it sorted.

 

[GeoKrpan]

Sweet! Mine was also a 2019 ABS.

I also do quite a bit of road cycling, but being 190cm I'm already hunched over enough in daily life, so I try to avoid silly aggressive riding positions.

Kudos on the mods, I'm always impressed with how ballsy you guys are over there. Here we're really cautious as it can seriously hinder resale. I'd bought the CB for an insanely cheap price, so preferred keeping it stock and getting back the same money once I sold it.

View attachment 5410

Good looking in silver!

I sold my CB during the "pandemic" when prices for used bikes were sky high.