Without waxing lyrically (is that a word)...lol. I just did a few hundred miles in the UP and damn, I love this bike.... maybe not the greatest in single track(for me), but wide open forest roads...hmmmm.
Plus one Use my 450 te for single track. Just did 600km this week end on my 09 te610. And then something struck home--What -IF. What if the 630 is not what i want ? Will i buy another 610te and just keep it under wraps and greased till i need it ----Sure i would
I'll be picking up a new TE 610 this weekend. Just curious, where do you see the limitations in single track?
Larger frame, longer wheelbase and a few extra lbs. Those are all things that make it wonderful everywhere else but in tight turning, rocky, rutted single track it works the rider a little bit more. All that aside it's still about the best bike in it's class and you would be hard pressed to find anything as versatile.
Be hard pressed to explain it better... I have an 05 TE450 for single track... I notice the extra weight of bag, toolkit, the extra things I'll carry on a longer DS run. The kinds of things I worry about 200 miles from my truck... not 2 miles.
Same experience - surprisingly good off-road and pretty decent on the road too. Handles two-track with no problem and very good handling. Weight is noticeable compared to my 200 XC-W but tolerable.
Just make a note to self--as a DS bike if you are riding with a group of riders on DS bikes Don't--i repeat DON'T let them take your 610 for a ride. You will have to arm wrestle them to get it back
I've had my '09 for a month now. I have mixed emotions. The Good: Great handling bike. Fuel injection is reliable. From a performance standpoint, it's exactly what I was looking for. Perfect application for the kind of dual-sporting I like. The Not So Good: I knew the bike had some issues before I bought it but I ended up with 2 pages on legal sized paper! 1. Suspension is set up for Shaquille Oneal. Valving is very harsh. 2. Overall cheap components, some missing, some falling off, some not going to last long. 3. Very cheap drive chain. I just don't understand this from any manufacturer (BMW uses these crap chains too). Master link snapped like plastic upon removal. It is a cast material and a time bomb that will punch a hole in your case 4. Cheap front sprocket. Loose fit on shaft will eventually damage spines. Aftermarket fits snug. 5. Cheap plastics (already cracked both sides in three weeks) 6. Breather line going into airbox not sealed well and dumps dirty fumes straight into the intake. 7. Poor air box design. Flimsy and too little protection. 8. Handlebars that don't accept standard bar ends for handguards. Drilling them out is a pain. Ended up replacing them. 9. Weak bolts throughout. Poor footpeg design (safety problem) I feel better now. I'm being picky, I know. I've fixed most of these issues but it's not something I've ever had to do with other brands. At least not to this extent. Still happy overall with the purchase, even if it may not sound like it.
Can't argue with some of the component quality concerns. KTMs seem to have better components and fit & finish. That being said, they seem to have more FI problems and other nagging issues.
+1 happens to me every time and it's funny how the folks on DRZ's kinda hang their head when they have to give my 610 back
You can add somewhat dicey electrical connections to the list also (my experience) HOWEVER, once you get everything sorted out (except the airbox) the bike is truly fantastic in it's class. The best really, IMO for what it's intended purpose is. I experienced similar teething pains as you but as a result I became much more familiar with this machine and I think I'm better for it. A side note: Check to make sure that the rear sprocket is properly aligned, do not trust the increment marks on the swingarm. After I aligned the rear wheel my masterlink problems went away. Do yourself a favor and have the suspenders worked on by LTR or Bottones, I did and the difference is night and day.
When the issues with the bike, including its limitations, come to mind I just have to ask myself, "What would you replace it with?" (not that I'm in a position to do so) There should be a better bike built by Honda, but it doesn't exist.
KTM 690 was a 2nd choice but after talking to a few owners, I scratched it off my list. Too many major problems, including several reported FI problems that some found difficult to fix. Tranny issues and valvetrain issues, too. The market for bikes like the TE610 is small. KTM is the only real competitor. Yamaha has a 660 but not sold in the US, and I don't know if it really would compete anyway.
There are a couple of bike that could probably match the big Husky performance wise BUT they aren't street legal and what's the point in having a dual sport bike that you can't dual sport with.
If the G650X wasn't a fragile POS with questionable components that take thousands upon thousands to upgrade...
