Any sightings yet?

How much are the 630's? Might need to trade the KLR.

Hall's shows them for $8,999. I'm sure it's impossible to get a deal on them since they just came out, but maybe some of the new owners will clue us in.

I wasn't given any indication that haggling was an option. I kind of figured as much. However, there also weren't a bunch of screwball fees tacked onto the price, either. It appears as if Hall's got two 630s, and one of them is mine. So it isn't as if they have a warehouse full of bikes to unload, either.

So far, my dealer experience has been worlds better than any local Japanese bike dealer has been. The clowns out here won't budge on MSRP + fees, even for leftover bikes. Even the local KTM dealer wasn't very helpful. I was also looking at the 690 Enduro when I made this buy. I did better going out of state and paying for shipping than I could do locally.

Paint and sticker theme brought to you by the fine folks at Tron.

Egads, nice shapes, but horrific pseudo 80's "pin stripes".

The wait is brutal

I am very angry with Husqvarna. For the last year I have been debating whether to sell my 12GS (2005, owned from new and tailored to fit like a glove) and get something more usable off road and for my daily commute (Istanbul traffic is worse than your worst nightmare). The choices were a 690E or and XChallenge. The BMW became less of an option as few were sold here, so there's not many on the used market and those that are will not have been well looked after. So, the 690E....a great bike, but I just couldn't bring myself to trade in my beloved and much adapted GS to buy one, for some reason it doesn't inspire me. I decided to make the most of my bike and had quite happily moved on from the search.

But, this weekend I noticed the TE 630. Oh dear. I'd looked at Huskies a couple of years ago, but the TE 610 just looked like too much of a single focus bike, for my purposes anyway. The 630, on the other hand, well, this looks just right.....on paper.

There's a small problem though. The Husqvarna importer in Turkey is unlikely to be bringing any in. Why? Because they are also the importer of a brand of Chinese bike and the manufacturer of a Turkish brand.....so the Husky side of their business is pretty much ignored, mostly because bike sales in Turkey are very low and so not very profitable. This means I'll need to import one, which throws up another problem.....servicing. There are 3 official Husky mechanics in the whole of Turkey, "official" meaning having had a cup of tea with the importer, passed them a few bags of Liras, and being given a certificate. This will need looking into.

So, what am I going to lose by moving from the 12GS to a TE 630? Well, firstly distance riding. I rode from Istanbul to Tipperary last year, which on the 12 was easy, but would I do it on a 630? Probably not, although I doubt I'd be doing anything like it again for a while. A couple of times a year I ride down to Bodrum/Marmaris, which is roughly 600-700km one way.....I think this should be possible but with a few more breaks than I'd usually take. Tank range....I have the Touratwat tank pods on my GS, giving me a range of up to 600km, I'd certainly want a bigger tank for a 630 as I hate stopping to fill up very often. Luggage carrying capacity....less luggage could be a bonus as I carry far too much crap anyway. Weather protection....I live in Turkey and don't ride in the rain....no problem then. High cruising speeds....the speed limit in Turkey, for bikes (yes, cars and bikes have different limits here) is 85km/h, although I sit at 100 most of the time....could there be annoying vibes? Possibly, but it's not a deal breaker for me as I used to have a Pegaso 650 which shook like an epileptic on speed, and I despatched that bike for 2 years covering an average of 300 miles a day. Room for the wife.....now here's a deal breaker. My wife loves to be on the bike, and she's a great pillion, but we've just had twins which means far less opportunities to go out 2-up....but will she agree? Hmmmmm.

Thinking objectively the 630 will allow me more time on a bike. There are many trails in Turkey, and no regulations or policing of them. I live in an area which is surrounded by forests with lots of good tracks which I wouldn't even consider on a GS....but on a 630....oh yes. So the chances to pop out for a few hours fun are more likely than with the big BMW. The commute to the office will be a lot more fun too. Having worked as a despatch rider in London for five years, I've got used to and really enjoy playing in heavy traffic. The GS is very capable at this, but at 220kg+ and with the pots sticking out so far, it's not as much fun as the 630 would be. Medium range camping trips would be a hoot too, as I'd get the chance to go further afield.

I can't think of many downsides to swapping, except for the thorny issue of the importing of a 630 and the servicing. It's quite possible that the BMW importer here might well get the Husqvarna distribution rights, and they have a good service centre, but there's no guarantee of this.

Sorry for the rambling post, I thought I'd put down my thoughts and see if there's any comment on the downsides I've thought of.

I don't know what it's like in Turkey, but the nearest Husky dealer to me is 350 miles away. I have done 100% of my own maintenance on every bike I've owned, and plan on keeping it that way. So, for me, it's kind of a cross-your-fingers and hope there's no warranty work to be done, or that there's no recall on the bikes. If that happens, I'm hoping I can work something out to at least receive the parts and do the work myself. I'm not going to have the means to truck my bike 350 miles to get it worked on.

Thanks for that, I've posted but as you say there's only a small chance of influencing things......still, it's worth a try. Maybe they'll offer me distribution rights!

I've heard conflicting information whether the internal ratios of the 630's gearbox were changed from the 610. Does anybody know the definitive answer or be able to post the 630's gear ratios?

I'm kinda confused why your angry at Husky though. Because they probally won't import their bike to somewhere that bike sales are very low and not very profitable??

Have read spec. sheets from several different European Husqvarna sites. Gear ratios on the 630 are exactly the same as the 610. The only difference is final drive of 15/42 as opposed to 15/45 in the 610.

The SM might have 15/42 vs the TE have 15/45. The articles previously quoted tend to suggest that is the case, they thought the SM was lugging through towns, the TE not. Also outside tire diameter must be figured into the calculation. So I think one must keep the SM/TE distinction clear here (unless they are infact the same?)

While on the subject of sprocket sizes, I just put new sprockets on my '07 TE and really like the 15/46 combo over the 14/45 I had before for highway commuting between weekends. Still going to slip on a 14T for when I know I am targeting mostly dirt. 6th gear is now better placed for 60mph+ cruising than stock (65mph+ cruising) or 14/45 (50-62mph cruise - 5K RPM is viby, feels like it is working too hard to want to stay there, even though it is fine.) I find it likes to cruise comfortably at 4300-4900 RPM. With the 630 new top end, likely has different vibrations, more power, it will be interesting to see how it compares to 610s. D908 on the rear.

- Mike

Specs say 15/42 for TE and 15/38 for the SM. Seem really high for the TE. Plan on changing mine as soon as I get my TE630. Whenever that is! Seem to be really slow trickling into North America.

I think the source of the rumors come from the Cycle World TE & SMS 630 first ride report where it says "With taller final-drive gearing but shorter internal fifth and sixth ratios, the SMS was ideal for quick riding but wasn't great when lugging through villages at low speed."

Maybe the CW authors misunderstood what they were told by the Husky reps.

I was at my local dealer today (Modesto Ducati/Husqvarna) and they had a TE630 sitting out front. Apparently it's the first one they've gotten and they've had it a few weeks...Nice seat (much softer than my 610) and it looks like they beefed up the subframe. Other than that I don't care for it (looks/ergonomics)...
Just thought I'd post in case somebody is looking for one...I didn't ask about pricing but they've treated me very fair on bikes and parts in the past...

BMW, the parent company, have a full range, as do KTM. The only reason the Husky importer (not associated with Husqvarna) don't import many bikes is that they refuse to invest in the future....short term profit only for them. They only have 1 each of 4 models available through just one dealer for the whole country. KTM on the other hand sell large numbers of equivalent bikes through a professionally set up dealer network, BMW sell huge numbers of the GS range, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki et al all have dirt / enduro bikes for sale here.....but Husqvarna are being left behind by a short-sighted importer with no imagination.

That's it, my last post on the subject. Sorry for boring everyone but I had to get this off my chest.

Now, who's got one and how snatchy is it really at low revs?