Hello. I just bought a basically new Te 630 (636 miles, no signs of use). For various reasons the owner set it up for adventure travel but could not use it. It was originally bought new in 2014, and used just enough to keep in running condition. On the way home I bought fluids to change the oil (and oil filter), coolant, and brake and clutch fluids. Wasn't sure if I need to change the brake and clutch fluids, but seemed like the thing to do. The scheduled maintenance chart for the 600 mile service indicates to check the valve clearance. Do you really need to do that at 600 miles on a system using valve shims? The bike came with some pieces to strengthen the subframe. In looking for legible directions I came across thread for the gusset weld fix. How much weight can yo carry with these fixes? I recently did a trip on my soon-to-be-ex KLR with about 70 pounds--enough that off road the flexing of the frame made the bike too unstable to ride. Don't want to carry that much weight, but would like an idea on how much can be easily carried for dual sport riding. And lastly, I was shocked at how thin the front disc is. It's barely thicker than the discs on my bicycle. Is it some special metal? Seems like any wear would be too much. But I'm more familair with old school bikes like the KLR. Thanks, Scott
Think the idea is that you check them after the bike has broken in, then they are good for a while, check when the next service interval is. In terms of weight, no more than 50lbs is good target. I had some gussets welded on my 610, it gives you peace of mind and you can distribute the weight further back. The SM has beefier brakes, the TE is a little underwhelming in terms of breaking, but if you have 50lbs on the back and you need more breaking than the TE provides you are probably in other kinds of trouble!
Wouldnt hurt to change radiator and forks fluid, air filter, and of course the fuel too. Check rubber parts are Not deteriorated.
Are you suggesting I don't need to check valves until service interval after the 600 miles one, when the engine will actually be broken in? KLR650 uses shims, and the first check was 7500 miles, later over extended to 15,000 miles. (Mine were just in spec at 11,000.)
Hey it's your bike do what you want. Lots of threads with insight, tips and fixes all thru this website. Checking the valves is easy on this bike, even changing the shims is no heroic act. Worst part is pulling the tank. I have had mine since new and did the initial check, all good. Consider it good karma winter maintenance. For the rear subframe I would put the supports in there. There are a few post of pictures with broken sub frames, yes it is aluminum. I pulled mine off and had gussets welded in, I believe pre CJ Brown stiffening plates. Even SWM uses them and a few commercial places made them briefly. Probably something like a 25 lb limit on the tail rack. Even a passenger would be a stretch but the weight is not that far back. PS 1) If carrying weight on the back change the subframe lower bolts too. Even carry a spare set. 2) Consider changing the clutch spring washers also look at the filter in the clutch cover. It's basically a new bike that is a bit of a project to fix some of the flaws. You get the chance to fix the known problems before they become real problems without having to discover them yourself. When it is fully sorted it is a wonderful bike! Good Luck!
Im suggesting take a look at what the intervals proposed in the manual are for checking the valves: They may be e.g. 600 miles and then 6000 miles, that would mean they are advising owners to check the valves after the engine has bedded in a bit, and I would follow that advice. The engine is definitely more particular than the KLR. I have the 610 which uses a nut instead of shims, so I can't advise directly. My bike has 10k on it and the valves have been checked three times. I replaced the cam chain at around 8k. The valves don't seem to move much, but they can be checked without removing the whole engine, so its something you can do when the tank is off.
I saw that checking the valves was easy, but I didn't want to pull the Safari tank to do it if it wasn't warranted. Checking at 600 miles seemed like being asked to see if the manufacturer assembled the engine correctly. What's to wear in 600 miles? But I'm new to Husky, so I'll take your advice. Thanks. The bike came with rear subframe supports that I discovered are from Nomadic. I read some aftermarket ones are poor. They are smaller than the pictures I found of the ones CJBrown installed. Any feedback about them?
Key to keeping the valves in spec, as evidenced by easy starting, is ensuring your air filter is cleaned and oiled regularly.
