TE reliability/maintenance

[MtB]

I am close to getting rid of my Kawa Z1000 for a Husky TE 610 or 630 SM as my street ride. I have done my research, know I want one, but I can't find a straight answer anywhere to the whole reliability & maintenance question. 69 out of my 70 bikes so far were made in Japan, and I have gotten used to their reliability, low maintenance requirements, and easily achievable high miles. I am not a noob, know that steel valves are less hassles than titanium, the more you change the oil etc. etc.....but

What's the scoop?
What would I need to do to get a reliable 30-40K Km out of a Husky?

 

[zeddy]

I think the 610/630 is a completely different animal than my 450, way less high strung.
If you dont get an answer here, try cafehusky.com

Good luck

 

[The Pope]

Other than a problem with a clogged fuel filter my te 610 has been great. I chacked the valves once and regular oil changes - that's about it. In my opinion a great reliable bike!

 

[MtB]

There was an 08 450SM on Craigs List, but I chickened out (next time I may not be so lucky ??!).
That is reassuring Pope, how many Km on your bike?

 

[franhoser]

i had 07TE610. even had the sm setup on it for a while before i sold the rims. As an SM, it was deadly. First or second gear, you can take off from any bike or car.

As far as reliabilty, I had mine to 15k mostly dirt riding and never had any problems. It's not a high compression engine, but it still puts out 50-60hp. Kind of best of both worlds. I'd buy another one again.

 

[Big Boar]

I am close to getting rid of my Kawa Z1000 for a Husky TE 610 or 630 SM as my street ride.

The new SM630 is supposed to have 20% more power, 72 hp, but they also come with 10% more weight. The SM610 weighs 314 lbs while the dry weight of the 2010 Husqvarna SM 630 is 348.3 lbs/158 Kg.
The 630 clutch has hydraulic control and the left engine casing has been redesigned. Only time will tell as to how reliable the 630 is. I will be looking at one when the motor proves it's reliability through forums like this one.

Big

 

[gasgaskid]

I love my 08 sm 610, only had it a season, 8150 km, other than a screwy speedo ( just installed a new trailtech vapour, 130$)) no problems. I had to rebuild the seat, (150$) replace the front and rear springs (225$) revalve the rear shock (125$) buy the adjustable fork compression units that came stock on earlier Huskys (150$) maybe a revalve for the front forks if you go offroad. I am very happy with the used Leo-Vince I got off Franhoser, but if you get the new 630 you will be looking at a whole new pipe and muffler (800-1000$?) I know that I wouldn't want to get a bike that was any heavier. The only problem they seem to have is with the cam-chain. It seems to only last about 20,000 km, some not even that. Not an expensive fix if you can do the work yourself. The new 630 has a much shorter cam-chain and gear setup, shouldn't be a problem. For the street I am very happy with it, but if i were to ride dirt or a dualsport i think i would look at a new Husaberg.

 

[TroUtman_888]

I have an 08 fuel injected. It's a good bike. I replaced my 650L with it. More HP and lighter etc. But if I had it all over to do - I would get an 07 without the efi. Easier to add an aftermarket tank to. Easier to get aftermarket anything. There's not alot available for the 08/09's (for instance they finally came out with aftermarket larger tanks, but the Sahara is over $700.) I think because BMW bought them out around this time and has invested all the money in the 630 making the efi TE610's in "in between" bike. And personally I have not noticed any improved performance with efi vs carburated. my 2 cents