[Topic changed] False neutral fix discussion

meka

new rider
Joined
Feb 2, 2021
Messages
3
Location
Switzerland
Don't mind the original question I asked 🙃
I hit a false neutral multiple time on a demo bike and the discussion is mainly about that now. Feel free to share if you've had the displeasure to experience that and/or if you have any proposition to fix this issue.

Hey guys, sorry to bother you, I've been lurking for some time and I wanted to have your two cents on this.

Short version of the story, I got to test a svartpilen 701 in october 2020 and fell in love with it. I've been dying to get one since but decided to wait to see if anything was coming up for 2021 (upgrade of the dashboard, new color, etc).

A couple of days ago, I jumped the fence and called the nearest Husqvarna dealer in switzerland (there aren't many) to get quotes on the vit/svart for news bikes and see if it was possible to get a new one.
I learned with a little bit of disappointment that Husqvarna were apparently discontinuing the svart/vit 701 because of the new Euro 5 laws since it would apparently cost them too much to adapt the models to the new norms (He also told me that "rumors" were floating around about an eventual 801 (...) but that nothing was known and that it was basically just speculations).
Thus, it is now impossible for dealers around here to get new bikes and I have to make a choice with what's left in the country (not much).

The dealer in question is a pretty nice guy with a small dealership (with demo bikes -> no new vehicles) and a workshop where he often does tweaks on vehicles so I have some confidence in his ability as a mechanic and the maintenance he must have done on the demo.
The deals he offered me are:

2020 Svart 701: 4800 Km (3000 mi) for 9500 CHF (this is the bike I rode in october and everything seemed fine at the time, I just had a false neutral once between 5-6 gear)
2020 Vit 701 : 2000 Km (1200 mi) 9999 CHF.
For reference, the price for a brand new model is 10'990 (and online auctions for used vehicles are in the same price bracket).
The dealer told me that if I absolutely wanted a new one he could look with his colleagues to see what was available around here but that there was no guarantee (or that it would imply a bump in price).

I'm going there this Saturday to test the vit (I'm still torn on which one I should pick but I lean in favor of the svart atm) and I'll check the general condition of the vehicles to see if there is any problem.

What do you guys think, should I go with his offer for the svart? Should I insist for a new one (with the possibility that it will cost more than the original listing price?)
Pro/cons of getting a demo bike for this one?
Anything I should ask him specifically about the condition of the vehicle?

On a side note, I was more interested by the svartpilen for it's ability to handle more off-road(ish) conditions.
I saw people doing wild stuff with the 401 and assumed the 701 should be able to kind of the same.
Am I wrong/is it a bad idea/insert your comment.

Thank you all for taking the time to give me your advice and thoughts! :)
 
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Tough call. I chose the Svartpilen for its more upright riding position. I removed the rear bodywork so I could use luggage racks designed for the Vitpilen and have a more symmetrical look. Most seem to agree the rear suspension is a bit harsh, so hard to say how either would do off-road. Mine is street only, so I can’t really comment on its worthiness off-road. Perhaps the Enduro or Supermoto might be more suited for what you’re looking for?
If it was me, I’d say go for the Svartpilen. It’s less expensive and sounds like the way you’re leaning anyway.
 
It’s not Euro 5 that killed the Vit / Svart 701s, You can get the same engine in a new 2021 KTM 690 or Husky 701 supermoto.

It was abysmal sales and reports of poor reliability, possibly linked, that killed them. Plus they were comically overpriced originally.

In the U.K. right now you could get a 2019, used bike with under 1000 miles for £5000 easily. Brand new unsold 2019 models for 6500 and 2020 models for £7000. That’s not a bad price compared to a lot of new bikes now.
Given how hard these have been for dealers to shift I imagine some crazy deals are available if you walk in with cash.

Be *very* sure you want one because it’ll be hard to sell it in the short term. My local dealer doesn’t even want to take them as trade ins because they don’t sell. In time it’s true they may become classics due to the limited number around...if you can wait 20 years and don’t ride it it’ll be worth a fortune :)

The supermotos hold their value much better, as do the enduros, and they’re both going to be better in dodgy road conditions.
 
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Personally, I'd call all the other dealers within reach. Dealers all seem nice, but they do just want to sell what they have.
I regularly buy used bikes, but I'd be a bit careful with a dealer demo. Test rider's aren't known for being gentle on bikes they don't yet own. And you have already noticed a potential shifting issue. Just be sure to look it over VERY carefully and to take another extended test ride. Do they have any documentation of oil changes, or is it just "trust us, we are the dealer"?
Yeah, definitely make a few calls, it's not that hard. ;-)
 
@MoeZambeek
Thank you for the imput! Yeah I definitly have a little bit more affection for the svart but I always make sure to stay open minded and consider available options.
I guess I will be sure about that on saturday ;)

@Ray R
Of course, the dismal sales and reliability issues are probably the main factor but maybe euro 5 is what broke the camel's back.
There seems to be some kind of curse around the "Pilen", maybe that's the reason why I find them so alluring.
Sadly, I'm not fortunate enough (I'm a student 😂) to afford to do that. Buying one is already a hefty investment and I plan to rentabilise it as much as possible :). The engine will have to die before I swap for something else.

@Vintage Veloce
That's one of the issue... There really aren't that many >.>
Yeah I know it's totally in his interest but I know people who dealt with him and he seems great overall.
Plus, I've heard pretty nasty things about some of the other dealers I could go to (scammy pricing). I think I'll stick with the guy.
I'd go in france if I could to get a really good deal but the situation with covid (say hi) makes this virtually impossible (the borders are closed)

Being an expo is definitly one of the things that make me doubt about getting that one. I will check the bike thoroughly and see if everything has been done properly ;)
Though, I saw a couple of other owner report about the false neutral so I assumed it was kinda "normal"

Thank you!
 
False neutrals has been a problem with the 690 engines for years now.
I bought mine brand new and the gearbox is not fantastic.
I've tried 4 different brands of oils in mine so far, best shifting has been with the advised motorex oil.
I'm going to try some modifications to the shifter mechanism this winter, to hopefully get rid of the missed shifts and false neutrals.
 
Undercut the gears?
No, I'm going to try this:
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It's a lot easier and cheaper than undercutting the gears.
I've already stretched that little spring that sits in the gear selector, that helped a lot on the downshifts.
So I'm hoping the method in the youtube vid will help the false neutrals and missed shifts.
 
They do, but it didn't fix it 😔
It made it marginally better, but that could be placebo effect.
It wasn't the night and day difference I hoped it would be after reading all the reviews and watching vids on youtube.
 
Me neither. Mine also doesn't burn oil. Though I don't like the motorex. I think the factory oil shifted better..
 
From what I've heard.dino is factory for break in. Could be motorex dino. I've heard a lot of problems come from people switching to synth too soon.
 
If I remember correctly I had 1 false neutral in the first 1000km. After the first service I had one every ride. (dealer put in some cheap oil I had never even heard of, it was called 'racing 4 lube'. I changed that to Castrol 10w50 full synth after about 1500km's because of the shifting and I never had problems with that same oil in my KTM 990.
I changed that to motul 7100 at 6900 km's and I installed the pirate racing spring because it hadn't improved much and pirate racing always rave about motul in their 690 related videos. Again no noticeable change.
Then around the 10k km mark the bike refused to shift down more then one gear at a time without releasing the clutch in between.
This was almost completely solved by stretching that little spring in the gear selector mechanism. I also took out the pirate spring.
Bike went for a 10k service, dealer put in motorex and it now misses a shift or hits a false neutral every now and then.
And I stil can not shift down from 6-5-4 without releasing the clutch after 5th gear. I can go 5-4-3 or 4-3-2 no problem without releasing the clutch on between. 🤷🏻‍♂️
So plan is to file that gear selector a bit before spring. And while I'm in there I'm going to give that little spring a little extra stretch to hopefully fix my downshifting.
 
I have wondered about Pirate - do they deserve their reputation as 690 / 701 experts?
I think they do, I just think my gearbox is sh*t 🤷🏻‍♂️
The guy knows the engines inside and out, and does cool stuff. The 1/8th mile sprinter he is building is awesome!
 
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