Hi, new here.. I am going to look at a 2006 610, which looks immaculate in pictures and low mileage. I have an FJR 1300, and just sold a DR650. Been riding and racing hare scrambles for a portion of life, and owned my fair share of the KTM 300's over the years..Point being, Dirt bike feel and egos, seem to feel better to me than more street oriented bikes. I had the egos set up on my DR perfectly, but I just wanted a little more motor and a 6th gear. To be honest the 610 wasn't even on my radar until one came up for sale locally, and doing some research it checks a lot of boxes. Its about 20 pounds lighter than the DR with an additional 10HP +/- . Suspension seems worlds better on paper. I believe I see oil change intervals at 2500 miles, is that correct? Importantly, ultimately this would be my only bike, as Im downsizing to 1 bike because of space limitations and time constraints. I will primarily be doing some office commutes on it, some runs up to the mountains and moto camping in the back country. I suppose I was curious, how does it do soaking up the miles. Is a 3-4 hour highway ride to get to some backwoods riding areas going to stress it? I know the DR handled that well, although it was turning some RPMS at 70 MPH but I felt it could run it all day. Is the 610 Similar? I imagine it has a taller 6th gear so the RPMS would drop and lend it to have a more relaxed highway run with lower RPMS, than the DR. Also, what about parts availability. As a previous Buell ULY owner, this is somewhat of a concern. Any thoughts are appreciated, thank you!
610 turns a little less than 4800 @ 70mph with stock gearing. My 630 is geared the same and is quite relaxed at that speed so seat comfort would be the only issue for extended jaunts. Haven't heard of any issues with parts.
Sorry for the wall of text, but I like to think this could be useful information for you. I live in Italy and here the 2006 610 was considered the best model year ever because the fuel injected model, like the one I have, lacks 5 HP in exchange of being able to abide by more restrictive anti pollution standards and it also lacks the compression adjustment in the fork. I remember two guys who owned a 2006 610 who were used to bragging about that stuff. I don't know where you live; if I recall correctly, in other nations fuel injection came maybe one year later, but if that bike has a Keihin FCR41 carburettor and golden forks and if my memory doesn't fail me, then it should be the model I'm talking about. It does need oil changes about every 3k miles, according to the official manual. With OEM gears and sprockets ratios, the top speed of bikes reaching the rev limiter @8.3 RPMs was 105-110 mph, so @70 mph it should rev @5.5 k RPMs. The rear shock on paper is probably quite good; the fork is an open chamber type with nothing special. That said, if you need something reliable which won't break down and cause troubles while going to work I personally wouldn't recommend it. It surely need less frequent oil changes and piston replacements than a 450 racing oriented bike, but I remember how I and other people who used it on the road (I don't know anyone owning that bike in real life anymore, just someone on forums) complained about some annoying occasional failures which coud leave you stuck somewhere and spoil a happy trip on sunday or make you late for work. In 8.5k miles on the road, I recall mainly three problems I had more than once: • severed clutch cable even if replaced with a sturdier one • breaking of the woodruff key of the crankshaft • coolant leaking plus other things including the cup washers of the cushioning system of the clutch shattering, which may note leave you stuck anywhere but may scare you when you find debris in the oil, wondering where it comes from. I personally just use it on supermoto tracks with street legal tyres, replacing components way less often that the people with racing 450s and sometimes feeling frustrated when I jump with it because it's clumsy. At least, if it breaks down I just load it onto the trailer and I call it a day but I'm not on foot 50 miles from home. I read on the internet that spare parts are not a problem, but one year ago, since I needed a clutch lever I went to a dealer who used to be an official Husky dealer and still sells parts and they were worried because they said that some parts were not available anymore. I'm surely not saying that willie is lying: maybe he hasn't heard of issues with parts in Canada yet but he will soon. I mean, I find those Italian Huskys fascinating and I'm very sad to say this, but I just think that we should let them go and maybe buy an SWM instead, which shares the style/philosophy. My 610 has been my first motorcycle and I just can't sell it because I would miss it... yes, call me crazy. I also understand that, especially when looking for a secondhand bike, you have to find a compromise and will never find a perfec bike. You may buy a motorcyce with a more reliable engine and replace the suspensions (I don't know whether it would be legal where you live) but I don't know how you could buy a 610 and make it more reliable. Considering the risks in parts availability, I would buy one only for short trips close to home and for a low price.
Thank you guys, I appreciate the feedback. Theo, I think you echo kinda what I have been reading and as a Primary bike, I should probably look elsewhere, which is a shame. IM still gonna go check this one out after church this morning but think Ill probably pass on it because of the potential unknowns..
Well crap.. I made the mistake of riding it. Probably the smoothest 4 stroke single I have ever been on. Motor is near total silence. Bike was gone through from top to bottom internal engine, with documentation and photos, receipts. Has Manual cam chain adjuster ( how does that work, just wait till it gets a lil noisy then adjust?) All new clutch parts and upgraded washers, etc.. whatever that means.Even steering head bearings, swing arm bearings, shock linkage, all new.. SO now, can I run this thing at 5200 RPMS for 3 hours, or will it be bad.. VERY comftorable to ride, great aftermarket seat thats very comfy..
I think I made a mistake: according to the owner's manual, the SM and TE models share the same ratios of transmission of crankshaft-clutch, gears and sprockets, so the TE, having a bigger rear tyre, should stay at lower RPMs than the SM i was referring to, sorry. Anyhow, when I used the 610 on public roads, years ago, there were other 610 owners I sometimes rode with who spent some long time on highways and I doubt that any failure we had was related to that kind of use. That may not be the way a motorcycle like the 610 is intended to be used, but it should be acceptable, just everybody always used to say that on highways you had to vary the RPMs and not keep it steady, for example you could keep it between about 5.000 and 5.500 with an average of about 5.250. There were theories about the reason for this and I also have an opinion to support it but I am no engineer and I don't want to write another wall of text. Well, if you like it so much maybe it's worth the risks; only you can decide.
Got the 4800rpms @70mph from www.gearingcommander.com My te 630 is basically an updated version of the 610. As mentioned my bike currently (stock is 15/42 changed to 14/42) has the same gearing as the stock 610 and I run it for extended periods of time @75mph and would not hesitate to run it faster if legal to do so. There is absolutely no basis to the fact of needing to vary the rpms on the highway! None! The 610/630 engines are in a mild state of tune and hold up as well as their Japanese counterparts.
I ride an '07, last year for a carb here in the states. Love this bike! I commute to work and back daily (granted, not very far, 12 miles), starts, runs, rides just like it should. Off road it works the same, very good. Changed the gearing from the stock 15/45 to 14/45, much better off road yet still does the road very well (65mph @ 5000rpm) running full knobby tires I don't really want to go any faster. Parts, I don't know. This thing seems pretty bullet proof. Being that it just went through a complete rebuild then I would think that parts are still around.
Well guys Im almost there. Comes with new in box parts like spare radiators, subframe, new blinkers, ecm and electronics. New body work not yet installed new tail rack not installed spare excel rims and tires and sprockets Im thinking I'm stupid if I pass on this..
They are great bikes, I have a 630 so slightly different. September 2019 rode from Vancouver to Roosville Montana (600 miles over 1 1/2 days) to ride the CDR. No problem on the highway at proper speed and kept thinking to my self what an awesome little sport touring machine, mind you I was not full knobby Mitas 09 and Analas front. Then came the gravel and the bike really started to shine. As for parts the 630 seems good with SWM production and KTM seems to still be taking care of us. Sounds like you are pretty much sold on it. If it is a good deal to you, grab it try it out for an extended period. If its not the bike for you, move it along as when they list for sale they do not sit around for long.
Kirbybikes Thats kinda the info I'm looking for, actually everything posted so far is what I have been looking for.. Things I should question, known issues, and those good reports as well. I mean a 300 mile day might not happen very often but I want to be able to do it a couple times a year if need be. All good info here, thank you, I called and made an offer, offer was accepted I put down deposit tomorrow. Thanks Again!
Congrats Ron, I think you're going to be happy with this bike. Having all the extras just makes it that much better. I agree with Kirbybikes about the 610/630 platform being a little sport touring machine, been setting mine up for that very thing.
My set up for the CDR. There are a few things loaded in there I would not take again. Mainly too much food, a chair (ya I know) and a pack safe. Man that Mosko luggage is nice but so heavy.
Yea I like the Idea of Luggage. My DR I had just a Drybag on the back rack and my clothes in a backpack on me. I had Tent, chair, sleeping bag and pad, spare parts in the drybag. seemed to work O.k but not optimal The Husky comes with hard side racks and bags and a new, never installed tail rack that Ill be puttin on as well. Deposit made yesterday, Meet at DMV friday to swap everything over and bring it home.I'm danged excited. I did notice a flat spot in the midrange on hard acceleration but a nice screaming top end. Pretty sure Ill need to adjust the Accelerator pump on the FCR carb and that should cure it!
That Mosko stuff is cool, didn't know it was heavy. I've got Dirtbags, they don't hold a lot but that prevents me from taking to much.... I like chairs!
They are Mosko Back Country 35, right at 18 pound empty. Great luggage and mounts are really nice but the weight is the penalty. Probably better suited to the liter class ADV bikes. Justplainiron, nice bike. Love the desert racer headlight. Once you get used to the bike and some of its quirks of owner ship you will love it. Congrats!
Is this the bike recently for sale on ADV? Looks like a great score. I've got an '07 coming in December via Arizona. Love all my Husky's! Despite their little quirks they are in a class of their own.
Yes thats the bike, funny in this big wide world the gentleman lives only 20 minutes from me. Great guy, very transparent. I was already wanting a like minded bike but had not paid much attention to the Husky until seeing his ad. I really liked it after throwing a leg over it. Think the only thing that needs any kind of adjustment may be the accelerator pump on the FCR as it's got a kinda flat spot in the mid range with sudden throttle input. Seems like a symptom with that carb, but it runs very strong and silky smooth. If im not mistaken I believe the 06 and 07 to be the same bike with only color changes!
Yes I think you're right re 06/07. I'm east of Rochester. Where are you? The 07 has the same color scheme as my 08 WR250. I had an 04 TE310 and a 2000 WR250 as well, your color scheme. I remember changing the accell pump on my 04. You may find that adjustment here on Cafe Husky
