FE/FC Browsing online new dual sport

I read about the new husqvarna four stroke needing con rod, crank bearing, crank pin, piston, I guess a total rebuild at 138 hours of run time? I'm retired so a ride every morning let's say 2 hours for breakfast. That's not going to last. That's 14 hours a week minimum ten weeks 140hours. Kaput.

Sounds like a Honda 650

Don't read too much into the scheduled replacements of those parts. It's usually based on Hard Riding/Racing and on the safe side. We see a lot of bikes that need a Piston according to the scheduled maintenance and they are 2x past the hours and still in spec. Keep up on regular maintenance and you'll get years of enjoyment between rebuilds.

If you aren't bombing down the interstate for those 2hrs every morning and just taking a nice ride to breakfast it will go way longer than 138hrs. I cant say it will last longer than a DRZ/XR-L but keeping a clean air filter and fresh oil in it will go a long way.

I went through the same process when I bought my Husaberg (KTM) FE570. The owner's manual says you need to change the piston at 100 hours. So I go to the dealer and my question is something along the lines of "WTF?". Well he has a lot of customers who have way more than 100 hours on their bikes, with original pistons, valves good, still running fine. The key is to keep up with the maintenance. Do the oil changes, check the valves, and fix anything that breaks right away.

Having said that, this would mean that if you ride a Husqvarna in your scenario that you will need to change the oil once a week! Are you ready to do that? If not, then probably one of the Jap bikes is a better choice. They are way more conservative designs that don't perform as well as the KTM/Husqvarna/Husabergs, but they need way less maintenance. EG: on the Yamaha WR250R the manual says you only need to check the valves every 26,000 KM!! That is pretty incredible.

After spending a couple of years trying to find one bike that can do it all, I threw in the towel and now I have two bikes, a Suzuki DR650 and a Husqvarna FE350s. I use the Husky for the more aggressive off road stuff, and I use the Suzuki to run around town during the week and for long-distance dual sport rides. Not only do I not worry about the Suzuki's maintenance, but its weight actually makes it much more comfortable than the Husky for this type of riding - something I hadn't understood until I tried it. Maybe some variation of that approach might work for you.

I was thinking about two bikes. A husqvarna 300 2st would be nice in the stable with a dual sport 4st. I wonder how the availability of parts for the husqvarna? This was always a problem from the Italian huskys. I can find the swede parts but nothing for the newer bikes. Buy a newer husky kind of scares me parts wise too?

If you are looking at one of the KTM-built Husky's, there is nothing to worry about. Not 100% sure on this but I think this applies to 2014 and newer Husqvarna models, and 2009 and newer Husabergs as well.

Sounds like you've got it figured out. Especially if you do any extended dual sporting. Closest I came was the 500exc, but its nowhere near as comfortable on the street as the Dr.

When I was dual-sporting on the Husaberg I was always scared about wearing it out or breaking something. That pressure is completely gone now with the Suzuki. Plus I still have the awesome power and light weight of the Husky 350 when I really need it on the trails. For me it's a great setup.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who use an older dirt bike so I don't trash my new one! HA!