The test ride was the clincher for me. As soon as I hit the road and felt the throttle through the twisties on the river road, I was done. Plus, the price was right. I was also swayed by the brand, particularly the combination of Husky and BMW, and the track record of the Rotax 650 engine. It's not the fastest, leanest bike on the road, but I don't want the fastest, leanest bike. The Terra hits right in the center of the sweet spot for fun factor. I had been riding a wee-strom, which I liked very much, but it didn't make me grin as much as this bike does. The TR650 has excellent visceral appeal.
i was actually looking at a used F800GS or a KTM 950 Adventure, but it was too much of a bike at the end. I like the flexibility of transporting mine back and forth from the cabin on a hitch mounted ramp (my SUV has air suspension, and the ramp has a 600lb limit). The Husky is a lot lighter than the big adventure bikes. The final clincher was the styling. The bike looks a lot less plasticky than the Japanese ones, and the dual exhaust, modern fuel injection, and a useful gauge cluster sealed the deal.
Just offering my $0.02 If I wanted a wheelie machine I would have got a 510 or a 450 TE. I think the 690 is very felxible in what it can do. I wouldnt want a potential buyer to make a compromise on their new machines capabilities just for the sake of its colour. I welcome bikes of all sizes and colours.
Blasphemy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for a religious deity/Husqvarna or the irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things Husqvarna.[1] Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy,[2] while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy.
So my local dealership was gracious enough to let me take out a Strada, as the Terra wasn't prepped and here's my take. - Seating position is nice. - Clutch pull is great! - Seat is a little tall, but once you are on it, you don't really notice. - This thing turns on a dime! - Seat was okay, not great, not horrible. - Power right off of the line was pretty weak, but then the revs pick up and it wants to go! - The kick stand folding up issue is pretty annoying Am I sold . . not yet. I'm really used to having more power and I don't know if this will fit the bill. Tim
Me too, although in my case I am eminently unqualified to discuss other bikes. As far as the 'wheelie' aspects: I let the clutch out slightly too fast at a stoplight and the front end came right up. But again, I've no idea how it compares to other bikes.
"what caused me to choose the Husky 650?" The test ride! I just fell in love with the single that pulls like a twin...but still chuggs like a single. It just feels right...I have owned a bunch a bikes...this one practicaly SCREAMED..at me ..take me home! Even my wife like it... The husky logo on the exhaust. Was icing on the cake....had to have one..
I wanted something that would be good for day to day stuff and still be capable of doing some longer tours that include some gentle green lanes..I Love the Husky styling and having previously owned a 610sm I knew I would like it..test rode the Strada which felt quite strong and punchy, so I bought the Terra..Pick it up when it stops snowing in the UK...probably another week or so to wait, then I will find out if it was the right choice for me..............
Guys, The test ride was a clincher too....I've been wanting ti get an off road able bike as a lot of my riding buddies have D/S bikes too. I did enjoy the test ride even though it was cold as hades frozen a foot thick.... I had considered all of the alternatives XR, DR,even a KLRbut by the time I invested in brake lines and suspension upgrades on one of those others I was at the Terra...I got an opportunity to go for my first ride off road this past weekend, fire trails, tank trails {dont ask} and some pipe lines and some very unimproved roads.....I had a blast ....don't plan to get rid of any of my other bikes, still love street riding....but I can't wait for Spring...and some accessories to make my Terra more off road ready Rod
I've been riding my Tenere like it was a dirt bike, guess what, it's not. Try picking up 600 lbs a couple of times each ride. I test rode the TR 650 and that's all it took. I know it's not a dirt bike either, but picking up 400 lbs will be a lot easier.
You might want to put some knobbies on your bike if you are going to ride stuff like that. It won't matter whether you are riding a TR or an XT, she's still going to have a nap.
Well, at least it wasn't on the rad side.... Having one of these as well, cannot agree more. Why try riding a Winnebago in the woods? Makes no sense, certainly not now... :-)
I was holding out for the 660 Tenere to come to the US for a couple years. Then the Terra came out and that was that!
What is the deal with this anyway? The EU seems to always get the cool bikes long before we do, or if a super cool bike is discontinued here, they keep them on line over there. The TE630 is still available at the EU. I am very surprised and greatful the TR650's made it over here on the first year (maybe the last) of production.....oh, and I bought my Terra because it was the first street bike I could buy with a Husky logo on it.
That is really strange... Yamaha is especially know for that, who knows why. Its not only Tenere, but they also got this sweet thing left to EU only: XT660R is a really good bike. With some tune-ups its a real competitor to Terra/Strada. And the aftermarket is huge here !! On the other hand, there are bikes that may not be sold in the EU, due to strict emission control. No more DR650s, XR650s, DRZ400s, KLR650s to be bought new here for several years now. Unfortunately not. Only some 2012 left-overs. I asked Husky importer directly and they told me there's only one SMS630 available in Poland and a bunch of TE630s across Europe plus some at the factory. They offered to import one for me directly from Italy anyway
I guess it was all about timing. Since someone wanted my 08 510 more than I last spring. And took it from my carport without asking. I was shopping for another Husky commuter. Really was leaning towards the TE630 or another TE511. But pretty well a given with the price of the TR.
