First Husky forum post

By simon, 19 March, 2005
Forum Topics
Husqvarna

Since i've just bought the Husky TE510, I thought I'd better add a husqvarna forum section!

Jaydee Motorcycles did a fantastic job preparing the bike for me, and its just done 150km so far, so time for that first warranty service.

Something that you may not know, is that you can get the warranty service done by any qualified mechanic/shop if you are a bit away from your Husky dealer.

I've only had one hiccup with the bike, and that is wearing through the shock protection flap that covers the swingarm. I guess the combination of the large standard rear tyre, going to the 15 tooth sprocket, and a bit too much right hand action caused the tyre to expand at speed and rub it through. :-(

I put a temporary fix on today (plastic from an ice cream container), and kept it below 80 without causing any more wear.

I'm ditching the standard tyre with the service anyway, and replacing it with the Kenda trackmaster, which i'm quite a fan of, and it will be a much smaller tyre, 110, maybe 120 where standard is 140 which is huge!

I changed the oil myself at around 75km's, and there was a fair amount of metal on the magnetic drain plug, and the oil was quite dark, so I think its probably better to do that early rather than later. Especially when the engine is new.

thought i'd throw in my 2 bobs worth. i have also just purchased a te510. she's now got about 350kms on her and getting better each ride. the power of this bike is great. some people are saying why would you bother with a 510.
i think that it depends on your riding style. this bike is can be ridden fast or slow without any drama..so whats the big problem!!!
are these people still stuck in a time vortex believing big bikes still bite hard ie cr500's and kx500's GET WITH THE TIMES!!!!
The weight of the 450 and 510 are the same. so it beats me. she is such a big old pussycat when ridden at lowish rpm and you short shift the gearbox. so now you want to go fast. simply add right hand and HANG ON.
the handling is superb. i have only adjusted the front fork compression damping settings to remove some harshness.
a couple of problems though. the airbox design is ridiculous. absolutely no waterproofing. had to make some rubber flaps.
and that new rear disc chews through pads in the mud like you wouldnt believe. i'm getting a new drilled disc under warranty.
dont be scared of the cc's guys. far as i acn make out its a myth. definitely not a beginners bike. but neither is a 450!!!!

I am considering one of those babies (TE450/510) for desert adventure in the Sahara. I have tried most other bikes (DRZ,KTM,Honda,Yamaha) and fancy a change...but what about reliability? Could anyone one direct me to some info?

Dan
Pembrokeshire Rally Club (Wales)
http://kiriol.free.fr/rallye

Rod Smith

19 years 8 months ago

A full two year warranty on a dirt bike says something about their reliability.

I have a 2004 TE450 that seems to get better each time I ride it.

I have always been a Honda fan, but if you close your eyes you would think you were sitting on a Honda. Something about the ergos.

The only small thing I'd like to improve on is the low speed torque. I need to use the clutch a fair bit in the slower knotty stuff or expect to stall it often. I am looking for a flywheel weight to see if it will solve this problem. raising the Idle speed in these situations has made it a lot better but is not the ideal solution.

if u want a reall dirt bike get a yamaha or honda, or a ktm huskivarnas are cheap and wiegh as much as an elephant. p.s. never try and race one u will be shocked by the results

Saint998

18 years 12 months ago

First posting so firstly, hi to everyone.

I rode a BMW 650GS and Dakar at the BMW off road school in wales and had great fun. Both bikes however are qyite heavy and the P2W ratio is not great either.

I have been recommended a Husky 610 by many people as a much more capable bike but the chap that tunes my Ducati said, and i quote: "their engines are too highly strung, and are not reliable because of this". He said that he has to do frequent engine rebuilds on new huskies.

Anyone have a recent model 610E ? any comments feedback welcome. My other options for a road capable Trail bike are a CCM i guess.

JORD

18 years 11 months ago

have you ever riden a husky or just your xr80, i have riden most late modle dirt bikes day in day out, as i am a bike mechanic, the husky TE450 has more power and a better spread than both the crf,x or r 450 and yamaha wr/yzf, (our fully computerised dyno proves it). the crf power can only be described as soft and boring, over anything but the smoothest of ground it bucks and deflects to the point of being un ridable, not to mention umreliable, poor frame design has left the crf with cracking problems in the join of the rear vertical frame spars about 6inchs above the pegs, also bad piston design (short skirt) with very short stroke they wont last many kays before they need a barrel, along with their odd valve train design which everyone knows doesnt last long. the wrf is a good trail bike but thats where it ends, the are quite top heavy when leaned over in tight corners, the suspension valving has big spikes mid stroke with a big wall to stop you dead. the husky isnt faultless but proves much more reliable combined with a 24 month warranty, the husky suspension work good out of the crate,(every bike can be improved for individuals). TMs steer better than all 3 but there aint better engines than the husky TE510, ktms are to unstable to ride faster than walking pace, and lack balls in the power department, 4-5bhp down on the husky. ie, TE450 quicker than 525EXC. this is fact, there is no way around it.

bullshit a yz450f would whoop a husky unless ur talking about indura dont know how to speell it im talking about motocross so u might of misunderstood me, and i dont have a xr 80 so i have a yz125r racebike so its not a little bike, and built for one purpose racing, and about that power ur right the husky probibly has got some torqe under neath it but how much does it wiegh I GARENTE U THAT THATH YZ450F IS LATER THAN THAT husky one, so it does not need as much power and it has a aluminum frame i dont think husky that, ok lets see here ill give u a chance name one pro rider that RACES motocross on a husky ricky no reed no magraph no bubba no. exzacly u cant name one pro rider who rides husky and races motocross and gets in the top 30. for trail riding husky is ok but there fucking huge and bulky i race at this one track called omc and i have NEVER seen a husky racing why is that? hahaahahah what did i tell u husky sucks at motocross, go back to ur trail riding, if u were right witch on some stuff u r answer one ? for me how come there not used in motocross what cause there so good?

wtf is wrong with you.. the discusion is about huskys, not yamahas.. and why are aluminium frames so good.. its taken honda 4 generations to get them right. and also why are you motocross, when every one else is talken about ENDURO bikes. of course the yamaha is lighter but is it of as higher quality, no, does it have a 12month for motocross and 24 month for enduro warrenty, no. the yamahas are great machines, but the huskys out class them with handling, power and gasp weight.. the wrf is so top heavy that its extremly hard to ride in the tight going with out droping it at least once. and next year husky is bringing in the new 250 motocrosser, looks like fun. my current bikes a rmx250 but im thinken maybe a te450 is next.

i am a huge yamaha fan but if i could get one cheap enough id deffinitly buy a husky. made in swedan not fucking japan

twista

18 years 2 months ago

I`ve been looking at all the replies & thoughts expressed here about Husky`s, I`ve had a few different makes & models and I can only say the Husky is absolutley brilliant. I`ve just picked up an 07 450, sure some of the comments are right, they are tall, a little heavier than some but 60+ world titles doesn`t come easy in the world of off-road racing. They do well because that`s what they specialise in. Wait until they actually FOCUS on MX & other areas. The 07 is just brilliant - smooth, fast,predictable,a hill climb master & laughs at logs, put them in grasstrack / thumpernats and just point to the finish line - it`ll take you there. Reliability in Husky`s has been blown out of shape for years, this goes way back & the engines have been bullet proof for years, I don`t think I`ve ever seen valves stretch or seats recess, cam chains snap,gearboxes lock up or conrods twist. If your after a serious Enduro weapon the Husky is it. I`ve put my bikes through hell over the years and the Husky has stood above all others & required very little maintenance & repair to back up the next time it`s ridden. Like any modern bike, change the oil, clean the filter regularly & they`ll go great. Ride what you like but keep a close eye on the Husky`s - there is going to be more & more showing up, you only have to look at all the reviews to see they are serious & are becoming much more mainstream than in the years gone by. Although the warranty is being praised all over the place, remember like any - as soon as they are used in competition, it`s void. The distributor also confirmed that to get warranty, the scheduled services MUST BE PERFORMED by a Husky dealer. That`s a definate & their is no way around it. But the warranty is still the best offered & shows they are confident in their product.

Dazza 41

16 years 9 months ago

Yep , thats right i used to ride with the red wings , in fact I have owned many hondas from my first xr 80 ,through to 250,350's 400 and most recently a 650 r ,in fact my son and daughter have xr 70s in the shed . But that's where it stops for me . The valve munching over revving , over rated CRF range is just damn unreliable , who wants to do a full top end rebuild after 50 hours of riding and spend anpther 1500-2k on something that should dhave been right out of factory  .(proof that marketing works in swaying voters) Honda lost the plot with these machines which are best suited to factory riders with a camper full of spares . I was looking to replace the big 650 with something a liitle lighter and easy to handle through single track and snot the 510 Husky was the answer , desite the ridiculous dealer service charges this machine is sweeeeet , coupled with a steering damper and some other set up mods its just damn nice , I often wonder how KTMs riders dont get confused over who's bike is theirs on rides with large numbers , as far as Yamahas are concerened there a good bike , their just like aresholes cause every one has one.  I dont like to paint every one with the same brush but whats the go with Yamahas and the noise? , its seems that every twit that owns one tries as hard as they can to make them loud as they can . I ride single track loops 60-80ks every sat and sunday  through the watagans and after owning an 07 510 now with 4000ks or so  I would be looking European again when time comes to replace her . You can daisy sniff or ride up the front  your choice is with the throtlle . AS for your comments sir you are  just a poor uniffromed soul, this is the V8 supercar of the dirt bike world .