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| The Honda XR650L is lighter and more off-road oriented. It differs from the DR650 and KLR650 in the range of aftermarket support available to put it on a diet and make more power, but I didn't really want to take on that magnitude of re-engineering. Photo courtesy American Honda Motor Co., Inc. |
Also, motorcycles are as much about emotion as function and none of the last three bikes are really sexy to look at. Generally reliable and affordable, certainly, but when you get up close, you don't think high performance machinery.
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The Suzuki DR-Z400S is extremely popular and lighter than the other bikes mentioned. However, it still weighs as much as some machines with larger engines, without making the power. Photo courtesy American Suzuki |
Aprilias, Husabergs and other exotics have ardent if microscopic followings, but they just feel too far removed from the KISS principle.
That process of elimination leaves just one choice: the Husqvarna TE610. In case you know the Husqvarna brand only by its chain saws or sewing machines, add “On Any Sunday” to your Netflix queue ASAP. After a ten-year-old Jeff Ward wheelies through the opening, much of the movie consists of Malcolm Smith kicking butt in the dirt on Husqvarnas. His friend Steve McQueen often tags along and puts in a not-too-shabby showing of his own.
The Swedish company sold its motorcycle business to Cagiva in 1987, which in turn sold it to BMW in 2007, which opened a new headquarters for Husqvarna in Varese in 2009. At this year's motorcycle shows, BMW management has declared its plan to do with Husky what it did with MINI: make it cool.
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| Project Husky hasn't seen much dirt yet, because it still doesn't have armor installed and is just too clean to beat up without it. Even though it's five years old, we've been shaking it down and finishing break-in miles. |
Though the design roots of the TE610's engine and tubular chromoly backbone frame go back well into the 1990s, for most purposes, TE610 production can be considered to start in 2006. That's when the TE and its supermotard sister, the SM610, were launched in the U.S. market with a substantial makeover, including fresh styling and a catalytic converter to meet emissions requirements. The 2006 TE610 is officially 308 lb, ready to ride but without fuel, which is close to what an XR650R would likely weigh with electric start and dual-sport equipment.
The Husky 610 engine was designed before the Yamaha YZ400F started winning races and every product team entrusted with a new four-stroke dirt bike decided that just because they can compete with two-strokes, they should. Comparing their specific outputs to that of, say, an AP1 S2000, it's not just the power per cc that challenges the new-generation four strokes. I believe it's a combination of typically much greater duty cycle and the lightening required to achieve the power to weight ratio of the engine itself that makes them maintenance pigs.
In contrast, the Husky is big and understressed, and carries plenty of oil. It's 576cc and about 52hp stock – as a four-cylinder, it would be a 208-hp 2.3L. As a result, it can travel a useful distance between oil changes and valve adjustments.
The TE610's fuel tank holds a little less than 3.5 gallons, which is better than most dirt bikes even with aftermarket “desert tanks”, if less than most touring bikes. There are aftermarket options for 5 and 6.6 gallons. The Husky has a wide-ratio, six-speed transmission that lets it go slow enough for careful trail riding in first, but also cruise comfortably at 80mph and easily top 100. It has a Brembo-supplied brake system that feels a lot better than some other dirt bike brakes. The forks are modern, 45mm upside-down units from Marzocchi giving 300mm of travel, and the shock is from Sachs, with 320mm wheel travel.
The TE610 has legit passenger accommodation (if you want it – our passenger foot pegs were already removed in the photo above) and a more solid outline of a luggage rack than either of the big Hondas. Its electrical system is rated for 230W, which will run upgraded lighting, an iPod and GPS or two, plus some electrically heated gear if that matters. Getting parts isn't as simple as for a mainstream brand, but it doesn't take any more commitment than doing things right on most car projects.
