carcas
Husqvarna
C Class
So I'm looking for a new bike and hoping that you can help me!
A quick bit of background: I'm 22 and have been riding for 14 years. I'm 6'2" and weigh around 160lbs; I've been riding a 1996 XR 250 and am looking to get something newer and with a bit more power
I ride open desert type stuff more often than anything else, though I prefer single track in the woods -- trying to get my friends to appreciate it as much as I do and then maybe I'll get away from some of the heat!
Now that I've given a bit of background that reads like a combination of personals ad and rehab introduction, here are my concerns!
I've been looking at the TE510 primarily and have read about both the 450 and 510 -- the 250 I've been riding is a bit of a pig. It weighs roughly the same as the 510 and obviously has less power. Some people seem to find that the 510 feels a bit unwieldy but I'm doubting that will be the case; I will test ride both as soon as I can, though, in case I find it's difficult to manage. Would you have any suggestions or stories that might help sway me one way or the other?
My biggest concern is whether to get a new(er) bike with EFI or a carb. Reading through this forum and a bit through TT, I've come across more than a few posts complaining about the EFI on these bikes or detailing expensive mods that are "necessary" to make them ride well. My current bike is carbureted and I don't have a problem rejetting from time to time. If its battery dies I can still get home! I can get around 100miles on a tank, which is good because I like day-long rides.
Can someone ease my mind about the EFI bikes?
I'm just worried about having to spend a ton of time taking it to shops so someone else can remap it, dead batteries, etc. And the limited availability of high capacity tanks (please prove me wrong!) isn't exactly helping... again, 100mi+ on a tank is pretty important; I like riding fast but I'm not always on the throttle, so it may not be too difficult to pull off but I'd like some wiggle room.
Sorry for the wall of text first post and thanks for any advice! I just want to make sure I put my money in the right place, it took a while to build up the "spare change!"
- Jason
A quick bit of background: I'm 22 and have been riding for 14 years. I'm 6'2" and weigh around 160lbs; I've been riding a 1996 XR 250 and am looking to get something newer and with a bit more power

Now that I've given a bit of background that reads like a combination of personals ad and rehab introduction, here are my concerns!
I've been looking at the TE510 primarily and have read about both the 450 and 510 -- the 250 I've been riding is a bit of a pig. It weighs roughly the same as the 510 and obviously has less power. Some people seem to find that the 510 feels a bit unwieldy but I'm doubting that will be the case; I will test ride both as soon as I can, though, in case I find it's difficult to manage. Would you have any suggestions or stories that might help sway me one way or the other?
My biggest concern is whether to get a new(er) bike with EFI or a carb. Reading through this forum and a bit through TT, I've come across more than a few posts complaining about the EFI on these bikes or detailing expensive mods that are "necessary" to make them ride well. My current bike is carbureted and I don't have a problem rejetting from time to time. If its battery dies I can still get home! I can get around 100miles on a tank, which is good because I like day-long rides.
Can someone ease my mind about the EFI bikes?

Sorry for the wall of text first post and thanks for any advice! I just want to make sure I put my money in the right place, it took a while to build up the "spare change!"
- Jason