2020 Husky 501 OR 2020 YZ450
- Thread starter Cooksend
- Start date
How about a 300 2t and let us know how it compares to the 501..
There will be one of those in our group this year!
Yz all day. Way more fun and playful than a 500 in my opinion.
Why not a FC450 over the 501? The ktm/husky/gasgas mx 450's work better than the current yzf's on the snow.
I've had the opportunity to ride just about every brand out there. I'm currently running a CRF450R and RM-Z450 on TS kits, but if my dealership (where I work and buy my bikes) offered any bike for a build, I would choose a YZ450F over anyone else. They have the best aftermarket support, no need for an aftermarket ECU or tuner, and has the second-highest HP in its class. If I sold Yamaha bikes, I'd own a few of them.
I really love the YZ450FX but do your research. I know they had few blowing up after 50 hours.
Interesting reply's. the Yz builds low mid power, Track spin is what makes any snow skid/track work, The 501 and jap bikes do not hang with the higher revving KTM or Huskys, Look at the Dyno stats HP and RPM,s. The 501 make far less HP than the 450 race bike and Torque is also slightly less . The KTM is also Much lighter than the Yamaha .The 501 makes 44 hp @ 7800 RPM , KTM sx Race bike 450 makes 52.4 HP @ 10,100 RPM on the same Dyno at the wheel
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I definitely agree that the KTM/Husky 450’s have a sweet power curve for the snow.
Great replies. Considering another 501 would be based on the experience I have with my current bike. It has been nothing short of awesome. I do however miss that extra 1,000 rpm's I would get out of a Moto Bike. The YZ would be based on yes, mobile app tuning and my experience with Yamaha reliability.
501 performance can be improved significantly with aftermarket ECU and de-smog (if needed) You can get the power and move the redline up to similar numbers from the MX bikes. Husky 501 with PR2 ECU and aftermarket intake will make 60HP on the dyno and tons or torque over a super wide rpm band. These work great for snowbike use, don't hesitate to start with that platform as long as you don't mind spending a little to make it work.
Hmm The stroke/bore of the 501 will never allow for similar Rpm of the 450 race bike ,simple physics mass /inertia , you can increase the HP however they build power at lower / mid RPM, Its a grunt torque motor not a high revving engine.those who own juan will tell ewe how great it is, Talk to some Juan who owns both. I have juan here all tricked out, The 450 RPM kills it due to the overrev . I have 450, 350, 500, 501 on the same kits, we ran side by side"
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I believe you are correct byeatts but I would not say the 501 will be a dog either. Some of this depends on the riding style too, the grunt torque motor is great in the technical tree riding, the high revving mx motors benefit shows up in climbing and longer pulls, at least that has been my experience. I ran a 450MX and 520 big bore and preferred the added torque of the 520 in most all circumstances, even tho the top end felt about the same. Of course this was a short stroke mx motor with the big bore so it still spun up pretty high. We'll see how the 501 does in comparison this year, I am in the process of building one now. Out of curiousity, what ecu do you run on your 501?
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Try around an extra 2500 RPM on a 450. Most of them have limiters around 11,500 RPM
The older 500s had the limiters around 8800 RPM if I remember right. Maybe the new ones are up into the 9,500 range?
That being said the 500 has way more low end torque and grunt, I just hit the limiter constantly. I don't think I've ever hit the limiter on my 09 Honda 450R or 19 Husky 450.
If this is a snowbike specific bike, I would get a 450. If it were dirt and snow, that is where the 501 shines or the wide ratio YZ450FX. The 501 is a way, way better bike for single track. My 19 Husky FX450 blows for singletrack. Too motocrossy and the gearing sucks. The flip side is the gearing works well on snow, although a taller top gear would be nice.
I'm pretty happy with the motor on my Husky 450 but I am not happy with the shifting. Gearbox sucks IMO. The shifting is rough and tight. The people I know with 16-20s have had issues popping out 2nd gear mostly and some other gears. Mine likes to pop out of 2nd after the 1-2 shift. If you take off in second it seems better. Supposively the 21 got gearbox some changes, and I may look into seeing what I could swap.
The Honda makes the most power, and now with a better clutch and spring forks it is probably the best snowbike platform.
I have heard these 18+ YZ450 bottom ends are junk and seems like quite a bit of failures out there. My next 450 would be a Honda or Kawasaki I think.
The older 500s had the limiters around 8800 RPM if I remember right. Maybe the new ones are up into the 9,500 range?
That being said the 500 has way more low end torque and grunt, I just hit the limiter constantly. I don't think I've ever hit the limiter on my 09 Honda 450R or 19 Husky 450.
If this is a snowbike specific bike, I would get a 450. If it were dirt and snow, that is where the 501 shines or the wide ratio YZ450FX. The 501 is a way, way better bike for single track. My 19 Husky FX450 blows for singletrack. Too motocrossy and the gearing sucks. The flip side is the gearing works well on snow, although a taller top gear would be nice.
I'm pretty happy with the motor on my Husky 450 but I am not happy with the shifting. Gearbox sucks IMO. The shifting is rough and tight. The people I know with 16-20s have had issues popping out 2nd gear mostly and some other gears. Mine likes to pop out of 2nd after the 1-2 shift. If you take off in second it seems better. Supposively the 21 got gearbox some changes, and I may look into seeing what I could swap.
The Honda makes the most power, and now with a better clutch and spring forks it is probably the best snowbike platform.
I have heard these 18+ YZ450 bottom ends are junk and seems like quite a bit of failures out there. My next 450 would be a Honda or Kawasaki I think.
we have Pr2 on the 500 XCW which does not have reeds and is performance motor, The rev limiter is soo annoying , hits it all day long and shuts down track spin. Great for beginner riders not for advanced riders, You wont see Pros running that platform.Its really boring to ride in comparison. But again easier for new riders.
Fwiw, my primary snowbike is a 18' 500 ktm and backup is 17 450fx. My primary riding partner is on a 19 450xc, same engine as sx I believe. We have raced uphill, across lakes, on trail etc. As grk mentioned the 500 needs help to hang with the sx/xc. I have removed reeds, pr2 ecu, open exhaust and 13/1 piston in the 500. The 450 has aftermarket ecu. They are quite close across the lake, and down the trail. When approaching the base of a climb at same speed the additional torque of the 500 is very noticeable and general results in the 500 holding speed and making the climb while the 450 stalls if can't downshift fast enough before losing too much speed. On most climbs where the 450 maintains rpm it climbs a bit better. I prefer the 6 speed transmission in the 500. 1st is too tall for me for slow moving on the 450. I much prefer the 500 in the trees or slow moving.
I think rev limiter is about 10,000 on my 500. I seldom hit it but, I'm not as aggressive as most.
Glenn, I wonder about the Yamaha bottom end as well, buddy with xc and I both bought 450fx's prior to the ktm and he lost the bearing on big end of rod at about 90 hours on his fx. I checked mine and is good but his failure didn't instill confidence.
Glenn, what Honda 450 makes best power?
I think rev limiter is about 10,000 on my 500. I seldom hit it but, I'm not as aggressive as most.
Glenn, I wonder about the Yamaha bottom end as well, buddy with xc and I both bought 450fx's prior to the ktm and he lost the bearing on big end of rod at about 90 hours on his fx. I checked mine and is good but his failure didn't instill confidence.
Glenn, what Honda 450 makes best power?
My current set up is a 2015 Husky 501 with Euro map and Blais Racing program. Runs well but yes a few extra RPM's would be nice! I am considering a different bike to dedicate to snow. Price is always a consideration but not the only or the most important. In the big picture I am just looking for the best bike to put on the snow.
