What Convinced You to Buy a Terra?

I just bought my TR650. My friend and I are riding from Wisconsin to Tierra del Fuego and were looking for 650cc class bikes. We had completely settled on KLRs when Husky introduced this bike. Other than fuel capacity, everything about the TR650 is better. It rides better and looks better for sure. Our big concern now that we have pulled the trigger is how we'll handle parts along the ride should any problems arise. Our dealer is super excited about our trip and seems to be willing to help us in any way he can.

wow that sounds like one hell of a trip how much time do you figure it will take and will that be a round trip or will you be flying back just curious. All I got to say is good luck.

Visegrip, We have scheduled four months for the trip. We're riding down to Tierra del Fuego and then back up to Buenos Aires from where we'll fly home, shipping the bikes. I'm super excited about. I took a leave of absence from work and am in the process of liquidating all of my possessions. If you know anybody who needs a canoe or some duck decoys, let me know.

I bought the TR as a replacement of my 2004 KLR, totaled in a T-bone crash 3 years ago. To be honest, I wans't sure if I wanted to get another bike or not because it was very near curtains for me in the crash. Regardless, once you're in love with bikes, it's impossible to stay away forever.

I had a unique perspective in deciding to buy the TR, because a friend of mine invited me to ride the Ouachitas maontains in western Arkansas/ eastern Oklahoma, on his XR650r and F800. I took him up on his offer, as it was a bit of a test to see if I wanted to get a new bike. We traded off bikes back and forth over the course of the weekend and rode on terrain that ran the gammut from crazy twisties to knarled up technically challenging goat trails that sane folk have no business on (who says we're sane anyway). Up unitl the trip I was leaning toward either a BMW F800 or the Sertao, primarily due to the ABS. After the wreck, I really wanted ABS.

As we rode the bikes on all the wildly varied terrain that I love to go on, it was great to contrast the F800 and XR. It became clear that the F800 was just not the bike for what I like to do. It was great in a lot of areas (gravel roads and highway), but just way too heavy for trails. It's top heavy nature reminded me of the KLR too much. I recall going down one rocus trail and struggling the entire way. When I got to the other side, sweaty, nerved out and exhausted, I was never so gald to see blacktop. I really didn't want to lay down a BMW that doens't belong to me! The XR on the other hand tore up the rough trails, but felt like a glorified BMX bicycle on the sweet Ouachita twisties, struggling to comfortably run 65 mph for long stretches. Another contrast I didn't expect was that I much preferred the F800 on gravel roads over the XR. Surprisingly, it was the weight! The F800's substansial weight planted the tires on the gravel and gave a lot more confidence than the XR, which was quite squirrely at speed. So, there's something to be said for weight in a positive context! However, confidence found can quickly become sanity lost when needing to pull the reins back on the F800 in a gravel pile! Physics prevails every time.

So, I began reviewing my options pretty hard after the trip. I ran across the TR, which I hadn't heard of till then, and fell in love with the looks immediatly. I had initial good impressions and some concerns. To me a great positive was the BMW ownership of Husky and it's influence in the design, primarily with the engine. The concerns for me were the comparatively small fuel tank (<KLR) and small suspension travel. I decided to take her out for a date and see if there was chemisrty.

The first thing I noticed was that pictures don't do it justice. The bike looks small in pics, but is pretty good size in person. I think it's a bit of an optical illusion due to proportions. If you look at the acceptable seat height (not too high) and the great ground clearance, you'll see that the distance between the top of the seat and the bottom of the engine is pretty short. This is greatly functional, but it makes the bike appear squaty. But it isn't.

I had the following impressions from the test ride and from owning it:
Pros:
> Smooth! Smoothest single I've ever ridden. No vibes. It really has to be experienced. Don't ride it if you don't want to lay down$
> EFI. I like riding in Colorado, and high altitude is a pblm with carburators.
> Suspension is firm. I like it and although not easy to adjust, it is adjusted well, if that makes sense. The KLR had scads of suspension, but when you stood the KLR up off it's kickstand, it would slump 3"..???... what does that leave, you guessed it, 7". The TR doesn't slump.
> Controllable power. Yeah, it has 58 ponies, but more importantly, it's controllable. If you look at the HP/Torque curve, you'll see the TR has low HP when the tach is low. For a DS rider this is great! The technical trails and sketchy stuff demands good control to stay up. The F800 is a rocket sled on wheels, and can get you in a bind in loose stuff. Sometimes you can breath on the throttle with the F800 and the back end vacates from beneath you!! Great on the street, but not desirable at all on a loose trail on the side of a 14,000' mountain in Colorado, with a 300' fall at the edge.
> Balance. The bike feels like a trials bike. It's only a little lighter than the KLR, but it just wants to stay up. The placement of the weight and CG is outstanding!
> Ground clearance. It's great, at over 11"
> Electrical is under the seat. Very accessible.
> Instrument cluster is clear with a nice readable tach!
> Gearing is oddly good. I used to keep reaching for a 6th gear that wasn't there on the KLR, but the TR, which is also a 5 speed box, has gearing spaced really well and I never find myself reaching for more. It crusises comfortably in 5th and due to the torque, the lower gears have great range on trails.
> Brakes. I mentioned that I wanted ABS. This was one I settled on. For standard brake design, however, the performance is very good. And yes, I tested it WELL before I bought it
> Firm seat. This is a bit of a catch 22. The seat is pretty good, and Husky understood that a firm saddle is better than a soft one for longer travel, but the ridge in the seat sorta wears out it's welcome against the back of my rather generous hind after 30 minutes.
> Fuel tank location. Just plain cool. Low CG. Nuff said.

Cons:
> Unexpected engine flameout. The thing dies every great once in a while. I was aware that some owners experienced this, but I thought... ahh.. prolly just a rare thing or early design issue that'll get corrected. The only time mine does it is when decellerating and not breathing on the throttle before pulling clutch. Other than that's it's fine. Plan on having Moss tool adjustment soon.
> Ergonomics of seat position, handlebars and CG. It's a little odd to be honest. Everyone gets bar risers to compensate and I will as well. Also, the bend in you knee is a pretty sharp angle due to the short distance between seat and pegs (mentioned earlier). It doesn't feel bad at all. In fact, it's very comfortable, but is a little different. The riding position feels too far forward. I think the risers will fix this.
> Potential concerns over sell to KTM. No one knows what will happen since the aquisition, but there are rumors of discontinuing the TR. This makes ya wonder about support and parts. Just saying.
> Rear section subframe and fender support. Some isues with rear fender fatique and breaks.
> No LED lights in signals. Call me OCD.
> No radiator protection. Now, I'm not going to include skid plate here and crash bars. Almost any adv bike needs aftermarket protection, but the radiator should have at least a protective screen. Th TR doesn't. However, it seems thick and rugged and has some form of protective coating on the fins.
> Fuel tank capacity. Needs another gallon. Nuff said.


So, there you have it. One thing I have noticed about this bike is that it does things on a typical ride that the venerable KLR struggled at. I really think that with a few mods, this bike could be an outstanding RTW bike. The only concern there would the the high octane requirement, but can be remedied with oct boost. Only time will tell where the new KTM ownership will take the design, if anywhere. But one thing is for certain, this bike hits a niche that is much needed. It's light enough for trails, but heavy enough to plant itself on gravel or superslab. Good looks, modern design, powerful controllable engine and brakes that work.

Could it be better? Certainly, no doubt about it! Is it the best? It is for me, for whats on the market at this time, but may not be for you. The search for "the best" begins first with defining what you like to do.




Mike

Great post Mike. Its good to read the gritty details behind a particular purchasing decision whether they have a similar history to the reader or give the reader an insite into a completely different story from their own. Thanks for taking the time to share it.

I love the Husqvarna 650 Terra! I test rode one a few weeks ago, but can't get over how small it looked under me in a picture my friend shot:

I'm 6'2, average build, and didn't feel like the bike was too small for me. But does it really fit me? Maybe some bar risers and stiffen up the suspension… ?

I rode dirt bikes all my life. Several years ago I started to ride street bikes such as a CBR 900R. Way too many ways to kill myself since I have that speed bug in me. So, sold the 900 and waited a couple of years without a bike since my daughter was brand new. She turned 5 and it was time to get another bike. I bought a KLR250 supermoto last summer. What a bummer. It got 70mpg, but what a buzz kill after riding two stroke dirt bikes and a super bike street. So, I wanted something to ride up to the woods from my house. Looked around and found the Terra. Instant love. I went out and immediately found it satisfying in all aspects. It is the best purchase that I've ever owned. Several years ago I never imagined myself on anything but a race ready CR 250. I used to make fun of those old guys. Not anymore..

TR 650 and a bigger tank, and today none bike can beat TERRA.. pricing, daily conmutter, fuel saving.. and most important thing, pasenger¨s confort.

The KTM 690 was a fun bike, but really lacked on-road. I commute 60 miles round trip a day, and I just couldn't see my self doing it on the KTM.

The Sertao was just seriously lacking for the price. It had lots of gadgets, but lacked in the power and suspension categories, which matter to me most.

The KLR was just a pig. A functional pig, but still a pig.

The DR650 was a great balance of reliability, performance, and price. It needs some farkles to make it good though. I was convinced that I'd buy a DR650.

Then I rode the Husky TR650, and I was hooked. It was everything the other bikes in the category weren't. But having convinced myself of the DR650, I was comparing used DR650 prices to new TR650 prices. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

So what made me buy the TR650? My wife told me to shut the hell up and buy the thing, or else she was going to do it for me. She sucks at negotiating, and she knows that I know that. She also knew that I'd run out and buy a motorcycle on a moment's notice just to keep her from negotiating the deal and having us pay more.

She was right. I was picking up my TR650 less than 48hrs from her threat. I love my wife.