• 4 Stroke Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Italy - About 1989 to 2014
     TE = 4st Enduro & TC = 4st Cross

  • Hi everyone,

    As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.

    When he passed, I worked with his kids to gather the necessary credentials to keep this site running. Since then (and for however long they worked with Coffee), Woodschick and Dirtdame have been maintaining the site and covering the costs. Without their hard work and financial support, CafeHusky would have been lost.

    Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working to migrate the site to a free cloud compute instance so that Woodschick and Dirtdame no longer have to fund it. At the same time, I’ve updated the site to a current version of XenForo (the discussion software it runs on). The previous version was outdated and no longer supported.

    Unfortunately, the new software version doesn’t support importing the old site’s styles, so for now, you’ll see the XenForo default style. This may change over time.

    Coffee didn’t document the work he did on the site, so I’ve been digging through the old setup to understand how everything was running. There may still be things I’ve missed. One known issue is that email functionality is not yet working on the new site, but I hope to resolve this over time.

    Thanks for your patience and support!

TE310 - 2012 vs. 2013

Huskynoobee

Huskynoobee

CH Sponsor ZipTy Racing
Staff member
OK, so here's the dilema...

I've got a 2011 TE449 and well, frankly my girlfriend is pretty jealous since she's no slouch on two wheels herself. She's got lots of quad time, and lots of street miles, but not really any two wheel offroad time.

She's too tall for a TE250 and without a doubt strong enough to handle a 310. Plus if she's anything on the dirt like she rides street, the extra power on tap will allow her to have something to grow into quickly.

I've read up on the 2013 R update with the Red Head, Keihn FI and other internal stuff that it's damn near a new motor in the same chassis more or less. It sounds like Husky has stepped up to address lots of things and make improvments where they were needed most, while not screwing up the good stuff.

SO.....do I go for a smokin deal on a late 2012, or is a 2013 really THAT much better, and thus worth the higher price?
(unless I think she'll stand by for another year or so to get a deal on a 2013 :lol:)
 
Sounds like the new bike is better off out the box, I've had to play with my 310 a little but I keep finding more power and I keep getting more excited. Also it is a very tall bike. I am 6'1" and honestly when im on it it feels taller than my Dads ktm450, if it was 4mm taller I wouldn't be able to touch, but while riding it feels nimble.
 
I rode a 2011 TE 310 and it was all that you have read, it was awesome! If that motor can be any sweeter they I say get lucky '13, the Redhead and you BOTH will be happy. :banana:
 
I rode the 2012 Redhead TC250 and it ran real good....the 2012 TXC models with the old head and FI were only okay.
 
Why don't you give her your 449 and get a new one? There are smokin deals on the 2012 449s right now and there is no difference between 12 & '13 besides the chain guard that no one keeps anyway.
 
I actually had her sit on the 2012 449 since it's a little lower than my '11. It was better but she liked that the 310 was a smidge lower, and felt lighter.

I went to see my bud Sam at Malcolm Smith's and talked over the differences in features and price '12 vs '13. They just got some late production 2012's in and had a 2013. I walked back and forth and basically saw very little difference in the two.

So has anyone heard the head on a late 2012 is a Red Head and the only change on the 2013 is the cams? Also, on the fuel injection it seems the only real change is in the ECU mapping. Is it possible that some new stuff found it's way on to some bikes at the end of the 2012 production run?

Now I'm really confused, especially if it means big $$$ in savings. Plus, I just don't see those changes making a huge difference for a novice off roader.
 
Huskynoobee said:
I actually had her sit on the 2012 449 since it's a little lower than my '11. It was better but she liked that the 310 was a smidge lower, and felt lighter.

I went to see my bud Sam at Malcolm Smith's and talked over the differences in features and price '12 vs '13. They just got some late production 2012's in and had a 2013. I walked back and forth and basically saw very little difference in the two.

So has anyone heard the head on a late 2012 is a Red Head and the only change on the 2013 is the cams? Also, on the fuel injection it seems the only real change is in the ECU mapping. Is it possible that some new stuff found it's way on to some bikes at the end of the 2012 production run?

Now I'm really confused, especially if it means big $$$ in savings. Plus, I just don't see those changes making a huge difference for a novice off roader.
Click to expand...

'13 TE has new head and Keihin EFI which gives a significant increase in power. None of this was on any 12 TEs.

It may have been a TC you were looking at, the 12 TC250 had the new head.


Dave
 
Get the 2013 and don't look back! Mikuni FI is the debil! My guess is you'll be wanting to sneak it out from time to time. :)
 
I would get the 2013 just for the new items on the motor. EPA will cause out of the box running issues on any FI plated bike. A good dealer will solve them for you before you pick the bike up. The 2013 will need a remap, tunner or TXC ECU so budget that in for it to run right. Seems more poeple like the Keihin EFI and seems to run better.
 
I have a 2011 TE310 and if you ask me Husky hasn't don't half of what they need to do to resolve the issues with this bike. My ECU has been rock solid from the day I put the power up plug in so no complaints from me on that one. However the starting system has been a joke. Battery was destroyed in less than 2 months or riding. The air filter access is a pain and hopefully improved on the 13 and the oil drain plug is a joke too. My local (70 miles away) dealer has replaced everything in the starting system path in an attempt to fix the starting issues and now the starter remains engaged. Most likely because they have no clue what they are doing but either way Husky N/A knows of the starting issues and nothing has done nothing on the 13 to address these issues. I might be crazy but if I had the extra cash I would upgrade to a 13 and hope for better results.
 
The difference between a TE310 and 449 in weight is about 8 pounds. Replacing the battery alone with a Shorai will make most of the difference, but changing the exhaust drops an additional 6 pounds which would make the 449 lighter than the 310. The seat height on a 449 is 37.5" and the seat height on a 310 is 37.4". The real difference between the two models is low end torque and the BMW engine is awesome. The only difference between the '12/'13 449's is the chain guide, so the '12s are a great deal right now.

http://www.tinken.com/cafehusky/2013_Husqvarna_Product_Guide.pdf

Next time you're down @ Malcom's, ask for Sean Hummel, his knowledge on the new Husky's is extensive. :)
 
Tinken said:
The difference between a TE310 and 449 in weight is about 8 pounds. Replacing the battery alone with a Shorai will make most of the difference, but changing the exhaust drops an additional 6 pounds which would make the 449 lighter than the 310. The seat height on a 449 is 37.5" and the seat height on a 310 is 37.4". The real difference between the two models is low end torque and the BMW engine is awesome. The only difference between the '12/'13 449's is the chain guide, so the '12s are a great deal right now.

http://www.tinken.com/cafehusky/2013_Husqvarna_Product_Guide.pdf

Next time you're down @ Malcom's, ask for Sean Hummel, his knowledge on the new Husky's is extensive. :)
Click to expand...

A TE449 feels a lot heavier and a lot bigger than a TE310. Those weight numbers are surprising! I rode them back to back and the 449 felt like a 600 to me.

Also, the handling is completely different.
 
Cool, I used to ride a XR600R as well, it weighted about 375lbs dry. My 511 is really thin compared to my XR, but I do miss it, kinda, maybe, a little, okay, not really. Turning can be difficult until you get used to the cts traction system. I installed a 120 tire on the back and it was a night and day difference. I was in Johnson Valley a couple weeks ago and literally rode up the side of a mountain, no trail. The cts is no joke and gives awesome traction. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
 
Tinken said:
The difference between a TE310 and 449 in weight is about 8 pounds. Replacing the battery alone with a Shorai will make most of the difference, but changing the exhaust drops an additional 6 pounds which would make the 449 lighter than the 310. The seat height on a 449 is 37.5" and the seat height on a 310 is 37.4". The real difference between the two models is low end torque and the BMW engine is awesome. The only difference between the '12/'13 449's is the chain guide, so the '12s are a great deal right now.

http://www.tinken.com/cafehusky/2013_Husqvarna_Product_Guide.pdf

Next time you're down @ Malcom's, ask for Sean Hummel, his knowledge on the new Husky's is extensive. :)
Click to expand...

But you could change the Battery and Exhaust on a 310 too ?

I have riden both and there is no comparison IMO , the 449 is like a Tank compared to the 250/310 !
 
Well, I think it'll probably need to wait. I can't drop over 10Gs by the time I get it out the door for a 2013 right now. But Phoenix is right, it would surely need ummm...."proper testing" by a more experienced rider in order to really be able to comment on what it's like compared to my 449. :thinking:
 
Tinken said:
Cool, I used to ride a XR600R as well, it weighted about 375lbs dry.
Click to expand...

no way....I've had a bunch of XR600R's and they're a 275lb bike. You're in KLR650 territory with that weight.
The XR650L is in the 330lb range, still not close to 375lbs.
 
I picked up my TE 310 0n 10/2. Found a posting on E-bay at a dealer in W.V. for $6,299. My local dealer wouldn't budge off $6,999, so I took a 4.5 hour ride and saved a chunk on money to buy a pipe and 12 port injector. I read about the upgrades to the '13 redhead, about 3 h.p. and Keihen FI is what you get for the added money. I am just riding for fun, I don't need the latest upgrades when my riding abilities won't notice them.
 
huskydave310 said:
I picked up my TE 310 0n 10/2. Found a posting on E-bay at a dealer in W.V. for $6,299. My local dealer wouldn't budge off $6,999, so I took a 4.5 hour ride and saved a chunk on money to buy a pipe and 12 port injector.
Click to expand...

Mine was in a demo fleet used on one Husky demo day.....dealer said it had about 30 miles on it, but it looked to me like it had never been ridden.
It was priced at $5399 and sat next to a similarly discounted 449 and 511.

It turned out to have 2.8 miles, not 28 (he couldn't see the decimal point :lol: ) so I was pretty happy with the deal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top