Good Morning, All and greetings from the Palm Springs, CA area. I'm just curious what made you all pull the trigger on the Terra and not some other bike, like the KTM 690 or another adventure touring bike. I currently own an FZ1 and it's a great bike, but there are so many dirt roads near my home that are dying to be ridden. Thanks, Tim
Welcome. It carries the weight low for an adventure(ish) bike, cheap, low financing... Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than I will give input, but I knew in an instant when I first took a ride on one I liked it. Then I rode the same bike on some trails for hours with a huge grin on my face. Maybe take a test ride?
Wanted to get off my way to fast street bike and onto a bike that would prompt me less to try and kill myself. The TR650's low price, Low financing and mutli use adventure bike was it for me. Could not be more happy. Will cruz all day long at 70 and then do endless gravel and some two track. Exactly what i wanted.
That's what I'm thinking as well, Motosportz. I mean, my FZ1 is a great bike and has been dead reliable, but at the end of the day, it's just a hopped up street bike.
Welcome to CafeHusky, Tttimmay I bought my Terra to replace my naked SV650 commuter. I bought it new in 2005, took it on a few fun street rides and it filled in admirably on a few dual sport rides, but it has mostly been a workhorse to get me into San Francisco and back every day. The bike is stone reliable, has no issues, looks great and has fun useable power on the street. I was just kind of getting bored with it and thinking I might like something a little more versatile...but what? The F800's, Triumph Tigers, KTM 950's are all too big and heavy for my 5'1" self. I even thought about turning the SV into an adventurey bike since the motor is awesome when off pavement...and it seemed to be finding its way off the pavement more than it should. But then I saw the first photos of the TR650's. I instantly got a lot more bored with my SV and knew I was going to buy one if the motor didn't bore me to death. Eric (my better half) had ridden the same motor in the BMW bike and said it was the most boring bike he'd ever ridden and he was betting that I'd hate the TR650. Still, I had to check it out. Needless to say, we were both really impressed with the bike when we test rode it. It's even better now that I have over 1000 miles on it and can rev it with reckless abandon I'm quite pleased with the TR650 and I think it's going to be a really fun bike for me
Thanks, Woodchick! I'm sort of in the same spot. I bought my FZ1 new in 2009 after having an SV650 and they were both great bikes, but I'll be honest in saying that I don't ride my FZ as much as I used to. I started looking at KTMs a few weeks ago, but price of those bikes made me shy away from them. Thanks for your insight. Tim
Sure, hope my insight is useful to you. My SV only sees duty to SF and back these days. It's more fun on the Terra. I will also admit to digging the idea of having a Husky single tracker (WR165) a Husky dual-sporter (dirty SM6`0) and a Husky street bike! Husky covered all the bases for me
Yep I sold everything to get a CR165 (woods), TE511 (everything), TR650 (Street / gravel / 2 track). Three huskys to cover anything I could ever want to ride. You got some sell'in to do :>)
I had a heavily farkled 650 v-strom with knobby tires etc that i sold to get the terra. Loved that bike tho. I beat myself and the strom to death when I'd go off-road with it. I needed something that was between the strom and my DRZ that i could eat miles on but still carry good speed off highway. I love the terra and see many great Adventure rides ahead. It's a great all around package. I have a dirt bias but continue to be blown away by how freakin' nice the terra is on the road!
Good question. Here's my story. I rode big cc road bikes for 15 years, CBR1100XX GSXR1100 ZX12R etc, then caught the adv bike bug. First Adv bike was a Buell Ulysses XB12X. That was pretty good on good quality dirt roads, considering it's 17" wheels and fat sportsbike sized tyres. After that I bought a DL1000 V-Strom with 19" front, thinner more dirt oriented tyres. I still like doing long road trips, so the 1000cc is great for big trips and I've ridden her 75000km in 4 years. Last year I went to New Zealand for 2 weeks of riding, lots of dirt roads, some of dubious quality, and over there hired an XT660R. I really appreciated the more nimble, lighter, thumper with much better riding posture than the VStrom, really able to pull my weight over the tank and front wheel. That was a bit of a backward step for me because when I got back home, I felt less and less comfortable riding the Vstrom on dirt roads because after the XT I could really feel how much it lacked all round. I was thinking of upgrading the Vstrom to the new Triumph Explorer 1200, but after the XT I started thinking more about something smaller, maybe something like the Tiger 800XC or the f800GS, but the tubed tyres have always been a bit of a turnoff for me. Anyhow then someone posted a picture of the Terra and I was sold. In Australia it retails for under $10000 ride away, and it looks great. They were basically the two selling points for me. I decided to keep the Vstrom and have two bikes. A bit of a luxury, but still cheaper than upgrading to something like the Tiger 1200 or a R1200GS, but meaning I didn't have to compromise. Cost of annual registration and all insurance here is about $1000, which means that compared to buying something like an XT660 I get a few years of free rego/insurance. I guess the $9995 ride away price really helps to break through any psychological barriers.
I have a couple of pure dirt bikes that I ride every week so I'm mostly a dirt-guy. I wanted something street-biased for road trips and I was looking at a used naked sv 650 for that role. The larger japanese dual sports seemed unfun (I had a DR400s I didn't like at all so the 650's would likely be more of the same but heavier)...when I came across the Terra it seemed to be ideal for what I wanted - as I do hit a lot of dirt roads when out exploring. I also have a WR250R (great bike BTW), but I'm intimidated at speed when in hiway traffic....not so when I'm on the Terra - I like the extra weight when on the hiway. I look forward to a skid plate and tweaking the footpeg areas (both sides) to get more protection for when I might go down, then it should be an excellent fun do-it-all bike. I like power delivery too - easy but effective.
Great feedback everyone! Thanks so much. I will be looking at one this week. It seems that a dealer about 40 minutes from me has one in stock.
Just chiming in here. I have owned BMW GS's, GS ADV, X Challenges, KTM 950's, and a few others. Currently still have an BMW Hp2E and a Yamaha Super Tenere. (Just sold the X Challenge) Have a couple of Husky Dirt bikes. The Terra seems to be perfect in that it is not too dirt oriented, capable of getting anywhere you want to ride off road via the blacktop and then punch into the dirt and be at home off road as well. Not going to get into heavy enduro style riding with it but just a great all around woodsy type bike. For the price, this bike is an unbeatable bargain.
I wanted something like a KLR or maybe a DRZ to get back into motorcycling. When the Terra was announced it looked like a great alternative. I just put a deposit on a Terra, it cost about $1000-1200 (in Canada) more then a 2012 KLR would have, but I think the investment will be worth it! Great reviews on the net and dealers selling out of them all over kinda tells me The TR's should be a sucess for Husky.
Ktm 690, 137kg dry. Get 230-300km from a 12l tank, on the samebike I can pop whelies in 4th at a fair speed. Ride all day (with a modified seat) and load it up with gear and arrive comfortable at the destination. Very reliable. I know the GS power plant has been retuned for the TR but the motor is still a "lugger" more than anything. I was looking very hard at the mid size adv market and you get what u pay for. From cheapest and most basic DR 650 to a decked out tiger. Sorry in advance for the blasphemy again..
Went down to my local dealer (40 miles) and I was able to sit on the bike and it felt nice, a little tall for my 30 inch inseam, but not too bad. The kickstand was an issue as it folded up on me, but I knew it was coming after my reading here. Unfortunately, the dealer would not allow me to test ride the bike as they wanted me to basically buy the bike before I test rode it which was a total turn off. It looks like I'll be looking elsewhere. Tim
[quote="Toyboy, post: 271460, member: 11073 The Terra seems to be perfect in that it is not too dirt oriented, capable of getting anywhere you want to ride off road via the blacktop and then punch into the dirt and be at home off road as well. Not going to get into heavy enduro style riding with it but just a great all around woodsy type bike. For the price, this bike is an unbeatable bargain.[/quote]Bingo! Road wheels that can get a little bit dirty too.
From what I have read, the 690 gearbox is no where close to being comparable to the 610/630 and now TR Husky's. I can rip 4th gear throttle wheelies all day long on my plated TE 510, like you can do on your 690, but they aren't 610/630/TR's. So why come in here swinging that ugly orange thing around thinking its all that.
