Where is the 650 forum? (TR650 in the house...)

Went to Bills Motorcycle here in Salem this morning to see the new Strada. Impressive IMO I like the mag wheels with the air valve machined into one spoke so it protrudes at 90 degree angle to the wheel and the ABS. Having tubeless tires and a switchable on/off ABS is a plus to me. The tires are also Metzlers Tourance which should give great mileage on this bike. I guess it time to sell the 2007 KTM 990, any takers. :-)

I'm pulling the trigger on a 650! Just can't stand it anymore and I think this bike will do just fine for any road trip I want to do. Selling my pristine R1200RT to do the deal and it should be about an even swap, or better. My dealer sez that heated grips and soft bags with racks are available from Husky, but no prices. Probably astronomical on the bags, but we'll see. 'Going to try to hold the farkles down on this bike, but BigDog's cross bar add on will be a definite. I'd like fat bars, but need a cross bar, and the add on bar adapters as on my 630 are not cheap. Hope the little windscreen is helpful, and I'll need an outlet for heated gear. 'Seldom need that on the RT because of the good wind protection. Ahhh, now there will be three dual sports in my garage. Hope they all get some love!

I'll email you and get on the list for that skid plate. It looks very herky! I'm wondering what it looks like mounted on the bike and how it protects the stuff hanging off the side of the engine. Almost positive that I'll want to raise the bars a bit, but if I add heated grips, steel bars will work better. Hand protectors are a must add on too.

Looking at the European site I think now that the "soft bags" that the dealer mentioned might be the large soft tail bag that is offered. If so, I will be doing BigDogs trick to add Wolfman racks and bags. I plan on spending next summer on this bike, maybe two or three months worth, and bags are a necessity. Did you mention that you are working on a different windscreen?

I am in the Strada camp too. I think for a adv. bike no tubes and tkc,s etc. are the way to go. A 21 in frt really has no advantage on a mild d/s and not having to carry tubes a BIG plus... I get about 3500 miles out of a rear tkc on my gs so I should get that on the strada as well, which beats most tires in the 18 - 21 combo that i have tried.

No------mine works like it's suppose to---------the only time it did reset was when I disconnected the battery and it reset to zero.

So glad you all enjoyed the video------I think it gives you a feel for the bike.

BigDog

Hey Kenneth, I am/was close to buying a 630 before I started reading the info on the 650. Since you have a 630 in the garage what has made you want a 650? Sounds like the 650 is more road worthy, is that why? Seems to me the 630 can do everything the 650 can. Although my initial look at Bill's demo bike was it may be a better platform for hauling gear on a longer trip. Potentially better for riding two up as well. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Do you want the long version, or the short? I needed a second dual sport for a trip with my son, who has been overseas for 3.5 years, and is expected to be gone again soon. As I had a 250, I decided to get the 630. This does not make economic sense, but it's what I decided to do as sometimes you only get one shot at these things as your children grow up and you age.

The 630 and 650 are very different bikes. The 630 really is a big dirt oriented dual sport, with long travel suspension and reasonable weight. Pull a few bits and pieces off, go with a single exhaust and light battery, and the weight gets close to the "good" zone. Plenty of power, and just mild vibration at the bars, but I don't think I would want to hold onto them on the highway all day long, for days at a time. Then, there is more maintenance than I would like if you plan on riding it long miles. I plan on trailering it to the start of my rides. I'll use the 630 for things like Death Valley, Forever West, etc., which are not overly technical. Parts of DV can get difficult though. My WRR will be for more technical rides.

Now for the 650 Terra. It will be my highway bike, replacing my BMW R1200RT. I find that I just like the dual sport ride better, and when I get somewhere interesting I'll be able to take some back roads and easy trails with the Terra. Big miles, and weeks in the saddle at one time shouldn't fase that bike. The Terra will be my Adventure "Touring" bike, the WRR my Adventure bike, and the 630 somewhere in between. I really should sell the 630, but I have so much into it now that I'd never get it back, plus I really like the ride it gives me when the country is open. It's great in the sand and deep gravel, but I sure wish it turned like the WRR. One bike just can't do it all.

Hope my rambling helps.

That does help. I appreciate the feedback. Looks like I need to talk my wife into multiple bikes! No one bike does it all, I'll just have to decide which will suit my needs the best. I was impressed with the 650 when seeing it in person. I found the fun factor really high (and it's sexy to boot) with the 630. I just need to go ride the 650 demo.

Well, I just pulled the trigger on the 650 and will be driving 9 hours tonite to get my new bike tomorrow. Sunday is ride day, and I'll be back with it by then. Hope it is all eveyone sez it is! Now, if rush hour traffic will just clear out a bit I'll be on the road just as soon as I get the trailer hooked up.

Let us know your impression of the bike!
I can't stand the wait, and the presence of white stuff and below freezing temps has me sad.

Where did you buy it? I live in San Antonio. The closest Husky dealer to me...(one with bikes) is in Plano.

I had my name on one at Napalm in Austin, but found one on the floor in Lubbock. They just have one, but more on the way. They said that dealers are calling around to try to get other dealers to turn them loose. No deal. These things are going like hot cakes. Napalm has 4 on the way, with two sold. They won't last long! Hope the first year model is more or less trouble free, and I think they will be since the motor is long since proven. It's going to be a long nite and a long tomorrow; 1200 miles of driving!

I was just up at European Cycle Sports in Plano, TX. Brand new Husky Dealer...they had one on the floor last week...probably gone now...but wow that would be a 4 hour drive one way for you...just in case...there number is 972-881-0774. Ask for Shawn. Have a good road trip...it's going to be worth it!! As far as first year...from all I have read and the guys on this forum...this bike is a winner...!!

Picked up a new Strada today at Bills Husky in Salem. Went down yesterday and test drove the Terra demo, but am mostly a road guy so got the Strada. 95 mile ride home, sweet bike. Did some twisties, about 15mi of gravel, some city, some country. Bike is really well balanced. Didn't think about it much, it 'just works.' I'm 6'4" 280 lbs, couple hours in the saddle and I didn't walk way with anything hurting. The bars are about 1-2" low when I'm standing, so I may do risers.

Was really impressed with the bike overall, very smooth, good power and I'm keeping it under 5k. Extremely smooth, found myself going 60-70 without issue. Overall found it very well planted. A couple of stumbles around idle, that may be me, may be the bike, we will see.

Lon at Bill's was great, easy transaction, great shop. I'm a BMW guy, new to the Husky think, but all good so far. Some pics from the ride home...

So i have an '06 TE610 converted to motard (same as Kelly had). Could the Terra be coverted in the same fashion?

Am hoping the hub are the same as well as the calipers (so can use a relocation bracket for larger rotor).
Can the dash be reconfigured for 17 inch wheels?

I spent all day at an OHV park with my tr650. Other that feeling totally naked without a skid plate it went very well. In fact far better than I expected. It's heavy but you really don't notice most of the time. The only time I was surprised was when I climbed a very long very steep hill, climbing the hill was no problem at all staying in the right power range was a little more tricky. As has been stated here many times 2nd has a lot of range when I gunned it halfway up I got a lot more than I wanted it felt like I did a "phase shift" to the top... I think it probably looked pretty good to the observer but for me I had to stop and let my nerves catch up.
There is a lot of street talk about the tr650 but it is very capable off road. For those who are interested I pushed it a lot harder than I should (I was nice to the engine) and was very happy with the results. When you add it's pavement prowess you really can't beat this bike. Yes I am a biased owner.