2008 smr 510 vs 2010 sm 610 - cant decide

[Prowler13]

Hey there. I am a nivi ce rider looking to buy a supermoto. This is my first big bike and do not not have allot of experience. Only some with maxi scooters and friends 450 mx bikes. 30+ years so I am not a kid and can control myself and the gas. Looking to her a Husky because Ktm does not have allot of sumo facory bikes in the used market where I live, only allot of non converted enduro/ mx bikes, plus Huskys are allot better looking . Looking for a street tard only, a weekend toy if you will, also my only bike and dont plan to ever put in on a track.
Basically I found 2 bikes.....a 2008 510 smr with 3500 km on the clock. Not really ridden hard and well maintained. And a 610 2010 with 4500 km on the clock. Bith bikes are pretty much stock. I am interested in the differences in them...I know about the maintenance and that doesn bother me, but rather in hov they drive. I test drove the 510....the power is awesome, brakes too....but I felt it was too twitchie on the gas and that it had really hard shifts. The power was not intimidatng but more the fact that it always wanted me to push it flat out...no cruising on the gas, not even for 200 m . Just all out and constantley changing gear or nothing. It was also light, really light . The seat was hard, but the problem was more that it was flat and I was sliding back and forth a little bit. For street riding I felt a novice could not use the bike and not be annoyed with it....or was I wrong and would get used to it soon. Also the power up kit was not done and maybe thats why its nervous in caracter? Now I want to check the 610 but its really far away from me and want to know a few things beforehand. Is the seat more comfortable, is the power more manegeable, can it be ridden on some flat sections( more that 500 m ), is it more friendly around the city, is it better for a novice or just different, is the weight difference really that noticeable, etc....basically I want to know reasons not to buy the 510 . The looks and everything about it was awesome, like it mich more that on the 610....the riding I could not really judge since i am.a newb. Also some more experienced riders around me say this is too much and tahat I shoul go for a 660 xtx or a mt 03. Not really into those. A experinced rider friend went with meto test the 510 and could not really see the point of the bike other than for track use only....he said he would never ride it on the street. Is this the common consensus?

 

[Prowler13]

First of all, sorry about the spelling in the op. I wrote it on my mobile and was not really paying attention. Second of all, no one has an opinion?! I am sure there are some people who rode both bikes amd know the key points in which they differ....or just someone who has / just rode a 610 can just tell me the basic caracter of the bike . Please help me understand better if this is the bike for me .

 

[Theo]

I own a 2008 610, fuel injected. It has about 10k miles, including about 2k on tracks, usually with jumps on the asphlat, sometimes on the dirt, too.
I didn't answer your questions because I've never ridden a 510.
I tried a KTM SMR 450 (slowly) on the track, but they say that it's different from bikes like the 510.
IMO, the 610:
-compared to lighter, race-oriented bike, is pretty less performant on tarmac but still quite exciting, while in the dirt it's way less performant and way less exciting. In the dirt it feels heavy and you don't get used to it. On the tarmac, it feels nimble.
-Has much engine brake and its engine has an irregular power delivery at very low rpms. Both the things made me feel awkward, when I was a newbie. In order to solve the former problem, you have to make the clutch slipping while you downshift if you want to slide, or, if you don't, you have to rev match by blipping the throttle. Then the engine brake will become useful. For the latter, developing some sensitiveness on the throttle helps. Someone says that with an uncorked pipe both these features tend to go away.
-Has good brakes. The gradualness is not very good, but the power is and, with an high-boiling point DOT 4 brake fluid, I'd never expereinced fading on tracks, so probably they will resist on the road, too, even if you ride with a fast pace on a downslope.
-Is not comfortable if you commute; it vibrates and, at more than 70 mph, the wind bothers you, unless you lean forward to have a more aerodynamic position. On the other hand, if you ride fast on a twisty road, you'll not notice it because you won't keep your butt in the same position all the time and because you'll be too busy in having fun (and hopefully in paying attention) to feel the discomfort. After all, I doubt that the other supermotos are more comfortable. When I was a beginner, I had your same problem: I slided on that flat seat, then I got used to it and I don't have that problem any more; I can't tell you exactly what I do to prevent it from happening: I guess I've instinctively learnt how to stay firm.
-Consumes pretty little; on the road, my usual trip was 100 miles long: 55 on higway-like roads to reach the corners on the mountains and come back and the rest on twisty roads. The fuel consumption was about 13 miles/liter.
-Is not much reliable. Many people on this forum say it is, but, according to my experience, it's not. I don't consider it reliable enough to be used for commuting to work, because for most of us being late at work means having troubles and mine had too many little problems, for my tastes. What if it breaks down at 7:30 AM? Nothing serious happened to mine, but some issues were not negligible either. Problems like severed clutch cables, shattered Woodruff keys of the crankshaft, failing clutch cushioning system... . Now I use it only on tracks and it needs much less maintenance than the usual 450s I see there. On the other hand, it's not as reliable as bikes like a Honda Hornet. It looks like a compromise, to me. And, actually, in some way maybe it's less reliable then the usual 450 Japanese racing bikes, because they may require piston replacement 5 times more often, but if you maintain them properly, they won't break, someone says. A 610's not likely to seize, even if you use the same piston for dozens of k miles, but it has those little problmes... fuel pump suddenly failing, the ones I wrote above... . You won't spend much money in repairs, especially if you'll fix it on your own, but you could feel frunstrated sometimes. Other parts of the bike seem to be sturdy to me, like the steering and linkeage bearings.

 

[Prowler13]

So, basically the seat issue remains. Guess Ill learn to live with that. It looked like the 610 had a bit of a low place in the middle of the seat to keep you in place, but maybe not so. The 510 is revvie and with a snappy throttle. Its off,10% then the bike sort of forces you to go to full power . Low down there is grunt but its more in the middle and up, or thats my impression. Bear in mind that I am a noob, and the bike was tested in font of the owner . The bike will be a weekend toy, so not a serious commuter and thats why the maintenance is not really an issue. The irregular power down low seems like it could be a problem for a novice like me...1 wrong twist of the throttle may get me in trouble...or its not really that much of an issue? The shifts are hard or more soft? The only comparison I had was with an xtx 660 and that was sort of a lazy bike, but smooth and easy shifts. The 510 was not forgiving of the wrong revs and it let you know of that. Also is the 610 stable at cruising speed and will it go with a steady pace...the 510 was always pushing for more and seemed unstable at more that 90 kmh.

 

[268fords]

The seat flat out sucks! Seat concepts is supposed to be the way to go. Do you have any dealer nearby that might have Ibeat? Does it still have the stock pipe with the cat built in? Lambda sensor in? Being choked up with the stock equipment makes the bike un-ridable.

 

[Prowler13]

The bike has the stock pipe, lambda sensor and cat still in. The power up was never done. No dealer here unfortunatelly, but I found a 510 owner near by who is willing to do the de cat for me....he did it on his bike, a sort of a diy job, but he said its fine since I cant get a factory power up anywhere. So you think thant why the bike was so jumpy....it had the lots power and didnt stall, but it was nervous and I couldnt imagine taking it in town traffic. Sort of either full power or nothing on the throttle. What do you mean by unrideable? The things that bothered me or something else?

 

[norma stitz]

My smr511 was a little jumpy and hard to ride before a major massage of the fueling system was performed. Now, with the power commander V installed, it's much easier to ride and gives a more enjoyable experience, with a good boost in performance as well. Most bikes take some setup at first, and fueling issues from factory are a common complaint. Back in 95' I bought a new Ducati that the dealer said was up rideable from factory. I chose to find out for myself, and they were right after all. Rejetted it and never looked back. Same is true today.

 

[norma stitz]

"Un rideable" not up rideable. Re: your friends opinion about riding on street. This is a common opinion from people who don't ride dirt type bikes. It's an opinion not shared by me! I love the shape and form and fun factor of a dirt type bike on the street! Light, flick able, easy to maintain, cheap to maintain, and fun! Something very comforting about a bike you can drop and not feel the need to cry like a baby.
Down sides are comfort and fuel range. Again, setup can help here.

 

[Theo]

So, basically the seat issue remains. Guess Ill learn to live with that. It looked like the 610 had a bit of a low place in the middle of the seat to keep you in place, but maybe not so.

Yes, that low place doesn't work much. Someone install this or similar products, sometimes made by theirselves, under the seat cover: http://race-replace.com/index.php?id_product=373&controller=product&id_lang=1
and then they get a result like this:

The irregular power down low seems like it could be a problem for a novice like me...1 wrong twist of the throttle may get me in trouble...or its not really that much of an issue?

It happens at very low rpms, so it's annoying when commuting. If you use the bike for fun it shouldn't be a big problem.

The shifts are hard or more soft?

I have a 610 and a YZ 250. With the YZ I don't use the clutch while shifting: I just close the throttle for a moment and I can shift easily and smoothly. On the 610, I always use the clutch and, if I don't, the shift lever just doesn't move, unless I rev match. If I use the clutch, there's no problem.

Also is the 610 stable at cruising speed and will it go with a steady pace...the 510 was always pushing for more and seemed unstable at more that 90 kmh.

The power delivery (except at very low rpms, you know) is easy to control. If you want to keep a steady pace, you'll manage to do that easily. The only problem is that I've heard many people saying that you shouldn't keep the same speed for a long time on thumpers, because it's harmful to the engine. By the way, has someone else heard that?

 

[norma stitz]

Most engines don't really want the same rpm to be maintained for a long time but if you're catering to the bikes desires that much then you are missing out on the scenery imo. Anyways bikes rarely see that long at one rpm. It's not like it's a boat that may see 75% of life at one specific rpm. I wouldn't worry about it. Ride em how you want and fix what breaks.