One step closer to a Husky TE610...

[Caleb]

IMO, I think you've hit the weaknesses right on with the 2T. I'll plate mine, but I don't plan to do anything more than connect trails or have a way to limp back to the truck. Any kind of street miles would suck and the mileage would suck even more. You'd need to retrofit your super tanker on to you 2T to get even half the mileage you get out of your WR.

I'll get another 4T (the 2012 WR is looking DAMN tempting ) so that I can still do the long rides and have a bike that can handle a Moab - Fruita type of ride. I think it'd be a pipe dream to try and do that ride (or one like it) on a 2T.

 

[Greg]

IMO, I think you've hit the weaknesses right on with the 2T. I'll plate mine, but I don't plan to do anything more than connect trails or have a way to limp back to the truck. Any kind of street miles would suck and the mileage would suck even more. You'd need to retrofit your super tanker on to you 2T to get even half the mileage you get out of your WR.

I'll get another 4T (the 2012 WR is looking DAMN tempting ) so that I can still do the long rides and have a bike that can handle a Moab - Fruita type of ride. I think it'd be a pipe dream to try and do that ride (or one like it) on a 2T.

Yep, fully agree with you Caleb. I couldn't believe how few miles a KTM 300 gets out of a tank, that was another thing that turned me off. The ride I did with Von in the Fruita desert & down 21 Road had us pushing almost 70 miles... there's no way the KTM 300 could do that with the stock tank of gas. :-\ One more reason the WR450 will be staying around for some time longer.

I used to think a guy needed 3 bikes to cover all the bases... now I'm leaning towards 5-6. A trials bike, a small, light singletrack slayer, a powerful desert bike that can handle mild singletrack, a true dual sport that can ride slab & dirt, then a road bike that can handle a rough dirt road.

 

[Rot Box]

I used to think a guy needed 3 bikes to cover all the bases... now I'm leaning towards 5-6.

You're absolutely right. I have 3 (the CR500 for wide open desert and dunes, The WR for Enduro scoots and the CR250 for singletrack) and its not enough and there's no such thing as a bike that does everything well however they are getting better and better at trying these days If I had to pick which one I could keep between any of them it would be very difficult. That said I know I could find a use for a few more

 

[Jared]

I used to think a guy needed 3 bikes to cover all the bases... now I'm leaning towards 5-6. A trials bike, a small, light singletrack slayer, a powerful desert bike that can handle mild singletrack, a true dual sport that can ride slab & dirt, then a road bike that can handle a rough dirt road.

You guys are spoiled. I feel fortunate to have one, ample motorcycle.

Jared

 

[Greg]

You guys are spoiled. I feel fortunate to have one, ample motorcycle.

Jared

Hey, I'm down to 2 at the moment and plan to sell another... until I can find my Husky TE610.

 

[Rot Box]

Uh-oh... I.. think I just pulled the trigger on a TE

 

[Greg]

Uh-oh... I.. think I just pulled the trigger on a TE

Which one? Year?

If it's one of the last carbed models, let me know if you decide against it.

I just passed on a well ridden '08 TE610 for a very good price. It's pretty beat up, but my biggest hangup is that the only aftermarket tank for the EFI bikes is an $800 Safari.

 

[Rot Box]

Which one? Year?

If it's one of the last carbed models, let me know if you decide against it.

I just passed on a well ridden '08 TE610 for a very good price. It's pretty beat up, but my biggest hangup is that the only aftermarket tank for the EFI bikes is an $800 Safari.

Far from EFI--It's a 2002 TE 570 (very similar to a TE610). If I owned anything new I'd feel guilty for trading bikes every 6 months However I'm one of the few people in the world that actually like the left side kickstarter so that's a plus right?! haha.

Truth be told what was supposedly a 3k mile TE ended up being a worn out--ran into the ground odd ball and rare Husky 570 haha. I traded my 02 CR250 for it and I think I came up a bit short on this one That said I drove too far to back out of the deal and I'm a sucker for a challenge. I have high hopes for this one in the long run I think it is a really cool and fun bike. So far I'm seeing zero aftermarket support, and I really hope the clatter in the top end can be solved from a valve adjustment--yay :-\

On a brighter note I was blown away at how much lighter this bike felt compared to my WR426 and I haven't even rode it yet. I'm going to pull it down to the frame and go though every inch of the chassis. If the motor is strong I will call it a fair deal. If I have to tear the motor down I'm going to really be mad at myself

 

[Caleb]

The 570 and 610 are the exact bikes. They changed the 570 to a 610 in 03 (I believe). The motor on a 610 is actually a 570. The couple downsides are no aftermarket support (like you're finding)...Hall's Cycles back east is the largest US Husky dealer so you can get most your OEM parts through them also these bikes are very popular in Australia and Europe so use international ebay, another downside is the air intake is super low...on one of my crashes while running HITR I sucked in a big gulp of sand (yeah, sand is not good on the carb or engine) many guys have problems with sucking in water due to their low height so be careful. I have the shop manual on CD if you want it...I think it should cover your bike as well. The over-sized tanks were a factory option so if you can find them used, you can get them for almost nothing...if you buy new, the tank alone is about $800-$900 but it's extremely high quality.

Also, when you get out and ride, you'll find this bike is way heavier than your WR. These bikes are pretty piggy, but they lug better than any other bike I've seen. Russ can tell you how heavy these bikes are, especially compared to a WR

 

[Rot Box]

Thanks for the info Caleb. And I'd love the manual Do you think you'd be able to get me some oil filters or are those a dealer only item?

I started laughing when I saw the air filter its so--weird! I can totally see how the location could be a problem now that you mention it.

I think the Husky's weight is deceiving because it seems to carry its weight much lower (on an already low sitting bike) making it 'feel' lighter. On my mental weight meter the Husky (and my Ford truck ) is lighter than my friends XR650R and that all that matters to me haha.

 

[Caleb]

IIRC, the filters are a standard filter, however RMATV is only showing the K&N available...I can save you a buck on each filter for those if you want. ($4.99 each instead of $5.99)

With these bikes, you sometimes need to get creative on finding parts. Since most of their 570/610 bikes didn't really change from mid-90s up till 2004ish, a lot of the parts are interchangeable.

 

[Rot Box]

Thanks again I think K&N makes a great oil filter from what I have seen. I'll hit you up for parts when I get a list together

 

[Caleb]

FWIW, here's the manual. Linky Like I said before, it's for a 610 but most everything will be the same.

 

[Rot Box]

Greg, I just finished putting my 570 back together (after tearing it down to the frame cleaning, repairing and replacing blown out bearings) and its running great and looking much better. I know you're looking at a newer model, but I figured I'd give my impressions as this one shares nearly the same engine design and the chassis has similar dimensions.

I'm really liking what I see on the Husqvarnas for instance I like the placement of everything is well thought out and the motor is very easy to service. I don't care for the placement of the air box for the reasons Caleb mentioned, but I guess it does make a lot more space for everything. I like not having to remove the carb (41mm Mikuni pumper) to change the needle... In fact all I have to do is remove the fuel tank (which takes maybe one minute) and tilt the carb a bit to access it. This was a huge pita when I was struggling with jetting on my WR. The Husky also sits a good 3 or so inches lower than my WR which is going to be great for the technical sections, but I think it looses a bit of ground clearance in comparison. Other than the airbox to intake boot I have not seen one part on this bike that looks cheap or flimsy. The airboot connection pops off if I tighten the clamp too much so I applied a bit of silicone around it to help keep it together and that seems to have taken care of it. The clutch and shifting are interesting--not bad just different and the SOHC/rockers are easy to service and adjust valves. It turns out the oil filter is a long skinny stainless steel piece that is serviceable and very easy to access and clean. That said the motor holds just over a quart of oil and it is a wet sump design so I can see why its important to change it often


Right now I'm almost ready to hit the trail. However I was told the forks did not leak--well they do and I found out why some rock rash lightly scared one of the tubes and I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it right now. Hopefully I can fix that and talk someone into a ride before its too cold

 

[rholbrook]

Andrew

I have your fix for the rock rash on the tubes. I crashed and marked mine up. A little water proof JB Weld and emery cloth and I have been good with no leaks for a year now. I also can be talked into a ride. Give me a call.