I was sitting here bored last night and got to thinking that I should get spare hard parts that are prone to wear for future installation. You know, hoarding. Jump in with your thoughts on this. So here is where I am at right now. I doubt I'd buy everything or maybe i'd buy nothing on the list as I am presupposing here. Headlamp assembly (unique) A spare ECU (unique and very expensive) Throttle cables (can be an interchangeable item) Clutch cable (can be an interchangeable item) Brake reservoirs (not sure they are needed but somewhat unique) Counter shaft seals (not unique or unavailable - Rotax) Water pump replacement parts (not unique or unavailable - Rotax) Fuel Rail (unique) Wheel spacers (unique?)
I would agree w/headlight & ECU (how expensive BTW?) What is the fuel rail? Cables are easy, they are surprisingly easy to make Wheel spacers could always be machined Brake reservoirs, maybe
There is too much to buy. When you think about a set of bodywork, the speedo, fuel-tank, all think that can be damaged in a spill.
FWIW, The front brake reservoir is a standard BMW part. The rear reservoir is a Ducati part, but only slightly different from available aftermarket ones. The headlight apears to be the same used on the new CCM 450, along with the rear rack and possibly rear fender.
It would be cheapest to just buy a second hand TR650 and park it in the back of your shed for spare parts. A waste of a bike, but probably the most cost effective way to hoard a supply of parts.
How about the here and now... I've busted my front Bembo caliper on my TR650 Strada. Anyone now the part number or where I could locate an after market replacement? I've been quoted $390Au to replace from my dealer.
Hey Charlie, FWIW, my experience from buying a bunch of parts for a defunct BMW model did not go so well. My wife loved her 650CS so much, that we went to a mechanic and asked which parts to buy to keep the bike running. Well we spent alot of money on parts. My wife rode the bike quite a bit over the last 8 years. THEN she tried the Husky Strada and fell in love with it. The Husky is a great bike for her and she thinks it is way better than the CS. I wholeheartedly agreed. Well, the CS had a leaking head gasket so we sold it to our mechanic and the parts for pennies on the dollar. You might think that the Terra is the "end all" Dual Sport. But your heart might say otherwise in a few years! (Blasphemy for sure but maybe KTM will make a comparable bike in the near future!) Happy trails and good luck with your decision.
Well...this might sound harsh...but the TR is just another bike like any other to me. I'm past the sentimental stuff with bikes....it's ONLY where they can get me , that counts. As long as I can fix the donk with BMW/Rotax/Aprilia/2.hand/aftermarket parts and the frame hangs together (even with a bit of help/ welder etc)... it's all good. The only thing I'm worried about are the electronics, the rest is somehow replaceable with all sorts of generic stuff. Switchgear to brakes, basic electrics to wear-item-mechanicals. KTM forks in custom triples? why not. Or an XT660R front end? If that's what keeps it going and it's cheap enough, no question. Goldwing or Ural switchgear...sure... just chop, solder and heatshrink as required. Ebay scooter brake parts...of course! If it all becomes too expensive/ bothersome to fix....turf it and buy something else. I'll chop and change for as long as it makes economic sense...then it's onto the next thing (most probably an electric disabled -scooter by then) Let's try to get as many memorable rides out of the TR as possible first, though...then we'll see. Sorry...pretty unemotional, I know.
Don't apologize Glitch. I love my TR but, I'd sell it in a heart beat if a new bike attracted me. I never keep a bike or car more than 5-8 years anyway. I started the thread thinking that tossing around the issue of hard parts availability might reveal the most worrisome perceived parts issues on the bike. I think we all know by now that the ECU is vulnerable in several ways, not the least of which is, shorting it out. The instrument cluster is right up there too. Other than that, I am with you on the "it's just transportation" thing. A bike is a bike, is a bike. It's just that some of those bikes are more enjoyable and I think the TR is one of those (at least for me).
That's Blasphemy It is also so not true. There will never, ever be a bike like the Kawi H2. And they are worth gold. Will the Terra ever reach such status? Maybe. Are there alot of nice rideable bikes out there SURE, but a classic will always be a classic, and rest assured, they are not making any more Terras. Brake light might be a good spare item. Turn signals, if you want to keep you bike classic and original. The side panels will be worth gold in 5 years. May wish to get a piston ring set, that will be difficult to come by. And, the rub blocks for the chain/swingarm. @ Glitch, 30 years from now you may wish to relive your glory days of today. Back in the day, my TS 250 and H2 were just fun bikes, both of which I would love to have back. Honda 350 or 750, sure you can find nice examples easy enough with enough money, but try and buy a nice TR650 30 years down the road. Most will be hammered and hacked. No aftermarket parts so to speak. Just not enough made. And contrary to popular belief, I have had the most difficult time finding "The Right Bike" as all the new fun bikes are way too tall for me. In the 70's, bikes fit me better and still do. Thus the beginning of the comeback of the scramblers. 30 years from now, what will bikes be like? All electric? Just try to find a thumper LOL.
In 30 years from now I'll have long gone from dribbling bullshyte...to just dribbling. And that'll be a good day. I'm getting rather more interested in spare parts for myself than for some nice, but obscure little bike I used to have in the grey fog of my past. Oh, and those rub blocks/ rollers for the chain? Bog standard HD PE thickwall tubing available in the right size (or any size) from any decent plastic supply...by the yard! Still got a foot left over from the Aprilia Pegaso days. In red, too....that'll make the chain go faster.
That's my feeling. I've thought about it and my approach is deal with it as it comes along. I've owned several "obsolete" cars and bikes and am used to this situation. In the end it's "usually" not quite as bad as one imagines. I have a pair of "obsolete" PWCs right now that Honda gave up on. I've considered buying critical parts for them, but in the end why bother, just replace what breaks when it's needed with what you can find/make/adapt. You can ask the Cubans how it goes...., LOL.
Stuffed ECU: Have another bike to ride while a fresh one is sourced and programmed. I am confident if Husqvarna don't get their act together, some other supplier will step into the vacuum. (How many current Husky dealers have compatible equipment to deal with the ECU ?) Most other parts can be substituted, machined, bodged or repaired if Husqvarna don't have them. I have spares for my Guzzi which I have not used since I bought it 30 years ago. Some parts can be hard to get (anybody have a 850 T4 sidecover badge), some easy, like the sidecover itself, from non oem sources. I did loose a key out on the road and was fortunate to find it, so I'm thinking of another spare, just in case.
Close proximity of the battery positive terminal to the unprotected ECU and the occasional incident of a metal object creating a circuit between the two ending up in the demise of the ECU. Accidental short when removing the positive wire while the bike is grounded to the negative or careless placement or loose tool could do it. Hint: remove the negative first. I've put a one sided sticky piece of rubber mat over the positive terminal as a bit of protection till something better comes up.
I'm planning to make a rubber or plastic cover that goes over the positive terminal. I might just make a cover that extends over both terminals if it's easy enough. Most bikes have some sort of protective cover over the positive terminal if it's exposed.
I've been messing with a piece of plastic milk jug. I cut out a big flat section of it and drilled it full of small holes. Tomorrow I will use my heat gun and see if I can shape it to fit over the metal cover of the ECU on just the top and sides. I will post pictures if it works ok.
DON't use a heat gun!! A half-decent hairdryer is powerful enough to do the job. The heatgun will be hot enough to shrink your material to 1/4 to 1/20th of it's original size, also rendering it brittle and useless. It's usually HDPE (high density Poly-ethylene) and a thermoplastic for the start. the super-thin-wall stuff will shrink within fractions of a second if past the critical ~250F. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-density_polyethylene Rather try an old engine-oil container, many of them are stamped PP on the bottom somewhere. Poly-propylene is far more temperature stable and morphs way slower from rigid-to-pliable/ re-shapeable when heat is applied. It's also thicker...and machinable. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_bottle With all heat-mouldable materials, have a wet or damp (cold water) soaked rag handy to "set" the remoulded shape quickly to create a new "memory"-setting. Yes, I play with this stuff every day...and pls DISCONNECT that ECU before playing around with it Thinking about it....I could take out my ECU, make a plaster-master-copy and and make the covers out of 0.8-1.2mm PP sheeting in my vacuum-moulder at work. If it's worth the effort?
