What Is The BEST Most Reliable Husky Daul Sport Ever Made By The Italians

[P A Rider]

I am new to this site and want to add a dual sport to my bike room . So I need help figuring out what one to get ?

 

[ncgrecon]

I have a 2009 TE310 and I love it. Gearing is 13/52. Not real road friendly with the gearing but can be easily changed to make it more comfortable.

I'm guessing your from PA. Where do you live/ride at.

 

[OlderHuskyRider]

I have a 2010 TE 450 with almost 17,000 miles on it, gearing is 13/43, I can go 65 at 6000 RPMs, slip the clutch alot in the singletrack, damn fun bike, tough as nails....

 

[Norman Foley]

TE250, 310, 450 and 510's were all enduro bikes with plates and street equipment from the Factory. TE410E, TE610E and then the later TE610's were real DS bikes. The E models '00-'04 were slightly more street biased, than the '06 up TE610. They all have a great wide ratio 6 speed tranny, that puts a KTM LC4 from the same era to shame. I have an '03 TE610E, since new and it's a really good DS bike and has been very reliable.

 

[New511Guy]

What are you going to do with it? "Best" depends on what kind of bike (engine size: cc's), new or used, what you're going to do with it, what other bikes you've owned (for comparison) what you're other options you're considering. List those things off and some people on this site will give you really valuable feedback.

 

[Huskynoobee]

I imagine you will get a variety of responses. Some have been fortunate to have owned many, some of us very few. They all seem to have their inherent problems. Try to look for a well taken care of sorted out bike once you've done some research here on CH. However you do really need to decide what your version of DS is.

There are three levels. Barely legal plated dirt bikes that are not real great on tarmac, then the 630/610 bikes are more of a heavy duty bike with good road manners and decent dirt ability.

THEN, you have the Terra, a more road friendly adventure-ish ride ready for hard luggage and some more tame dirt duty.

 

[P A Rider]

Thank You Everyone for getting back to me . I am an older dirt biker with 4 newer dirt bikes including a Sherco 290 X ride that is legal but really a dirt bike . I will go off road with the bike but not trials riding kind of stuff . So this bike would be 60 % off road , but not hard core stuff just exploring kind of riding .

 

[reveille]

Sounds like a 511 would fit that bill nicely. With some tweaking of the oil system(Zipty racing) that bike is reliable.

 

[JonXX]

I have 54,000 beat-it-like-a-rented-mule miles on my 07 610. The only "problem" I've had with it was the cam chain at 19,000. I think that both answers your question, and would be a strong recommendation for what you want to do.

 

[Cosmokenney]

Thank You Everyone for getting back to me . I am an older dirt biker with 4 newer dirt bikes including a Sherco 290 X ride that is legal but really a dirt bike . I will go off road with the bike but not trials riding kind of stuff . So this bike would be 60 % off road , but not hard core stuff just exploring kind of riding .

Depends if you like wrenching AND if you'll have about $2000 left over after buying a $8000 Husky to "sort it out". If both of those apply then by all means get a TE 511. I have one and both love and hate it. It stalls all the time, and at the worst times. You have to change the oil after every two rides. In stock form, the crank case breather will blow oil all over the head and exhaust. You can't get it into neutral with the motor running -- that is unless you are trying to get into first gear from second while riding a steep uphill, then somehow, like magic you get neutral instead. But, it's light and feels lighter on the trail than it really is. The handling and the CTS suspension thingy are the real deal. The power is pretty impressive, and there are options to get even more.

If you don't like wrenching, and want a bike that runs like a champ out of the box, get a Kawasaki KLR 650. I have one of those, too, and I love that bike more than I hate it. It's a 2009, I picked it up for $4000. I change the oil every 2000 miles with Rotella T6. It can be used off road, but the TE 511 makes the KLR feel like a tank off road. But if you are doing 60% off road -- like fire roads or double-track... that has KLR written all over it. If you have $1000 left after spending $4000 on a KLR you can get a 705 big bore kit, free flowing exhaust, a JD Jet kit and some new springs for the suspension and have enough left over to supply beers to your friends when they come help install all that. And, my god, will it wake that bike up. But the point is, these aren't necessary. Spend the money if you need more performance, but the bike just runs without spending any extra money. That isn't the case with the Husky.

BTW, spend another few hundred and you can put crash bars and rear luggage racks with soft bags and a top case. Now you are dual sporting in style. I use this bike to go fly fishing in out of the way places. I carry wading boots, wading staff, fishing clothes, my chest pack that holds all of my fishing gear, two fly rods in tubes, lunch and dinner, a backpack with hydration pack full of enough water for a full day in 100+ temps, a set of dry clothes to change into after fishing, tools, gps, tubes, an electric pump, pepper spray, first aid kit, cable with lock so I can lock my riding jacket, pants and helmet to my bike and lock my bike to a tree ... hmm... what else, I forget.

Good luck trying to find luggage racks or soft bags for the TE.

Now I know a lot of people will read into this post and argue that I shouldn't have bought a plated "race bike" and expected it to run well, nor should you expect it to be able to carry stuff like a KLR. They'll tell you things like a TE runs bad because it's the EPA's fault, or its the CARB's fault. But there are a LOT of street legal bikes that meet EPA standards that run perfectly fine stock. And, to be fair, I didn't buy the TE expecting to use it like I do the KLR. I wanted a more trail worthy bike. And the only things I carry are tubes and tools and water while riding the TE. And it is trail worthy. And it is fun to ride on trails. So while I'm riding and forget about all the other stuff, I'm pretty darn happy with it.

You can get a brand new 2013 TE, btw, for about $4000 less than a comparable KTM. And I hear they don't run all that great either. Kind of puts things into perspective.

 

[James Patton]

I have had 2 KLR's. Great bike. Not a dirt bike. I keep a DRZ400 for dual sporting. I have the TE511 for riding
to the dirt to ride like a race bike, to ride where the KLR won't go and the DRZ performs very poorly.
The 511 has won desert races, won its class at famous off road races. It is what it is,
If your just riding fire roads, don't ride track days, don't ride technical stuff, not interested in top off road
performance, leave the TE alone, it does need some fixing to be it's best. The only real fixing I needed was PCV,
And an FMF exhaust $650.00. I did more, because I am a bike nut. My KLR's had suspension mods, the famous
doo hickey, a better seat, carb mods, etc...really reliable bike though. A DRZ 400, 650 is better,lighter etc in my
Opinion. I just love riding my TE to the harescrambles course and keeping up with the guys that trailered theirs,
that's the appeal, not for everybody.

 

[RideLI631]

Newer 08-09-10 450 or 510 te. If you works the kinks out of them when they are relatively new they will go for a longg time. I have an 09 with 13,000 and counting on the stock motor and still ripsss!

 

[Kyle Tarry]

Everybody is just going to answer with whatever Husky they own. That being said...

TE610/630. Everything else is basically a platable race bike. There is nothing wrong with that, but it's not what you're after.

A KLR is a completely, totally different kind of bike. I had one and absolutely hated it, but it all depends on what you expect and how you are going to use it. A KLR and any Husky should not be compared, if you're comparing them then you are using one of them wrong. It's like a wrench vs a screwdriver; different tools for different jobs. If you're using a screwdriver on a hex bolt, you're doing it wrong.

 

[reveille]

Being that you say your older (over 50?) keeping weight down will keep things enjoyable so that is why I mentioned the 449/511. The older 450/510 is suitable as well. The 610 is a great bike but at over 300lbs you could find yourself fighting the weight off road if you plan to spend 60% off road. Picking up that much weight a few times sure kills the fun. I had a DR650 and put that bike on a serious diet and was able to get it down to 330lbs but it was still a handful to trail ride. IMHO

 

[Kawagumby]

I own an 09 TE310 and an 08 yamaha WR250R dual sport. The Yamaha loves the road but not so much the freeway (but it will easily cruise at 70+ mph), it loves to explore and is very easy to ride. It doesn't tire you out like a TE310 on long rides. The TE310 loves dirt, but not any road very much. Both are fuel injected. The TE is very tall and is not fun to mount or dismount, the Yamaha is noticeably lower and has an adjustable rear link that can trim off another inch or so of height. I'm 5'10" and I don't have a problem with the yamaha height...but the TE310 seat height can be killer if you get crossed up on the wrong side of a sloped trail.

I use my Yamaha for back country roads and exploring and occasionally some serious dirt riding (I did modify the stock blah suspension - the rear shock absolutely needs to be revalved). Lots of aftermarket stuff for the Yamaha, tanks, gear, etc., lots of guys use them for adventure even though the engine only puts out about 26 HP. It has a great tranny spread with 5th and 6th both being overdriven. Big alternator, strong subframe, good mileage. The Yamaha replaced an 08 KLR650 and an 04 DRZ400s dual sport - it is much more fun and nicer everywhere IMO. You don't even need to check the valves for over 20K miles and the bikes are bulletproof - lots out there with no real known problems. It doesn't excel at anything but handles everything well while being fun to ride.

The biggest drawback of the WR250R is it's weight. I weighed my TE310 at 275 lbs with fuel, and the yamaha is about 30 lbs heavier, although it's low cg hides the weight well. Since the weight is carried low, picking it up is nothing like a big bore heavyweight bike.

BTW, I'm an old guy too, well over 60, bad back and all.

 

[P A Rider]

OK so I am use to lite 2 stroke bikes so I believe 275 loded up would be as heavy as I would want to go . I looked at the KTM500 looked very nice , checking out a Beta 520 in a few weeks , and for a husky I am thinking big engine 610 ? I am looking at dependability as very important , the Beta has oil for the engine / clutch separated , and it holds a lot of oil . Have not heard 1 thing yet bad about those bikes , I think the 610 husky has a decent record for reliability ?

 

[P A Rider]

The 610 can be bought used that is a big plus also easer wife sell !

 

[Norman Foley]

OK so I am use to lite 2 stroke bikes so I believe 275 loded up would be as heavy as I would want to go . I looked at the KTM500 looked very nice , checking out a Beta 520 in a few weeks , and for a husky I am thinking big engine 610 ? I am looking at dependability as very important , the Beta has oil for the engine / clutch separated , and it holds a lot of oil . Have not heard 1 thing yet bad about those bikes , I think the 610 husky has a decent record for reliability ?

610 is very reliable, as it has a massive bottom end. TE610 DS is lighter than a TE610E DS, but still over your 275 weight limit.

 

[Norman Foley]

The 610 can be bought used that is a big plus also easer wife sell !

Friend has a nice '09 TE610 for sale. Ithaca, NY

 

[P A Rider]

Does the E stand for Electric start ? Any big 4 stroke has to have Electric start !