,
I measured the unbent side of the bar and determined that the closest Renthal match is the CR bend, used as OE on Honda CRFs. If you find one bar on the shelf at a dealer, it’s probably this one. It is about 4mm taller and has 4mm less sweep than the stock TE610 bar. I ordered the bar in grey to match the tank and shrouds, and also picked up a set of Renthal’s dual-compound Kevlar resin grips and a tube of Renthal grip glue.
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| It turned out that, due to the thinner wall of the Renthal bar, the M14 bar-end inserts I made to mount the hand guards on the stock bars wouldn’t work, so I ordered 5/8-11 aluminum handlebar inserts from Bulletproof Designs instead. I tapped the bars and installed the inserts with red Loctite. |
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| Renthal’s CR bend handlebar and Kevlar grips on the TE610. The Kevlar resin is the softest, most cushioned and grippiest grip material Renthal makes, but Renthal says the Kevlar resin lasts three times as long as its standard soft compound grips. We haven’t had a chance to wear them out yet, but can fully endorse the level of glove to bar traction they provide, allowing a relaxed grasp of the bars to limit fatigue on rough terrain. The Renthal grip glue worked well, too. I followed the directions about not messing with the grips until it was dry and then added some safety wire. |
Looking where we want to go
What could be better than hitting the open dirt with a fully sorted, reliable and fast bike? This big Italian pig isn’t exactly a singletrack dance partner, but it will take you up or down any trail. Its torque and gearing will tractor up climbs like a Lamborghini, and it has the suspension of a real off-road machine, not a dirt-road touring bike. With its wide-ratio six speed, it can cruise on the highway without eating itself and is geared to do more than 100 mph.
The work outlined in the six articles on Project TE610 has taken 14 months of free time. It’s been a journey into the depths of OCD at times, but OCD has gotten results. This series has addressed all the standard TE610 failure modes that make sense to deal with at low mileage, and uncovered a few that were not well documented previously. Where attention to detail and craftsmanship were possible, the fabrication and overall fit and finish of improvements on this machine is the best I’ve seen. This bike doesn’t have all the popular accessories yet, but in terms of a sound platform for development, it is among the best TE610s around. Your how-to guide is here on Moto IQ.
There are a few things to add. The TE610’s dim, 25/30W enduro headlight already lives in a box in the back of my garage. As miles stack up, we may throw on a set of panniers for overnighters and a high-capacity fuel tank for extended range. We will likely pay some more attention to the suspension.
But for now, it is time to ride.
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Sources
4 comments
Hello,
Nice review…
I am from the Philippines
I am planning to buy a 2006 Dual Purpose TE and SM 610 here in my country.
Just want to consult you on what to check on the bike before me buying it?
In 2021, it’s coming up on 10 years since I bought this bike. At that time, BMW owned Husky and the TE630 was the new model with EFI, but basically the same. KTM bought the brand, but sold the factory and tooling and has moved forward with its own models.
Today, the TE610 wouldn’t be my first choice. I still have this one, but I worry about future parts availability. The SWM Superdual X is very similar, basically a lightly-freshened continuation of the TE630. I haven’t kept up on details and don’t know how much interchangeability there is between that model and this, especially for hard parts that may be needed to rebuild the engine at some point. If I was starting over today, I’d probably be looking at a KTM/Husky 500 or 690/701, depending on whether I wanted more of a long-distance or trail-worthy focus. For a little less performance but likely greater reliability and lower long-term running costs, the street-legal Honda Honda CRF450RL is very interesting. At an even lower price and performance point, I’ve thought about picking up a Kawasaki KLX300R for an around-town commuter. It’s so understressed and proven, it should last forever if you keep up with maintenance.
If you are certain the TE610 is for you, go over all the installations of this project series here on MotoIQ and look at all the things that had to be fixed or were done to prevent future problems. Check all those on the bike you’re looking at buying, as most of the common problem areas were addressed. Beyond that, all the things you’d check on any 10- to 15-year-old motorcycle. There are also some good forums out there with a lot of Husky-specific knowledge available.
Don’t assume you’ll just be able to get it and run it like a Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki or Yamaha. I had to go through this TE610 top to bottom and fix a bunch of stuff, and this bike had just 742 miles on it when I bought it, just enough to show where some problems would develop in the future. (I hope that’s right, it’s been awhile and I didn’t go back and look at the ODO pics.) I was able to save a lot of money because I have decent skills myself as well as a good friend who is a capable fabricator with a complete shop. A TE610 that’s been in service for a decade or longer is likely to chew up a lot of time and money to make it properly functional and reliable; you may end up rebuilding most of it or at least have higher running costs in the end.
I just had to take a second look when I saw the name “Dan Barnes” on here. Holy blast from the past. Great to see you, man
I bought one in November of 2020.. After 45 years on everything from Cr500s and Ktm 300s, to Dr 650’s, fjr 1300s, and so many bikes in between I can say that this bike is a pleasure. Its suspension, power, and handeling I have found to be far above that of the avergae Japanese 650 dual sport. The deal for me on my particular bike is that I had video of the history of the bike since new.. It has been to Baja, other sites in Mexico and then all over the country and the owner took videos of it all along the way over the last 15 years.
He bought iet brand new, and rebuilt the motor completely bottom to top about 2500 miles ago with all reciepts and photo documentation. I was given many boxes of spare parts and new parts to keep up with any maintenance requirements. This bike is a Gem in terms of what it offers compared to the competition. The onlything that woudl be better in the dirt are current offerings from europe and probably the 450L but on the road with decent maintenance intervals and oil capacity and a nicely spaced 6th gear I feel the old husky takes the win except against a 690 or 701.. Just a great bike!
I liked the idea about the clamps on the plastic in the airbox, good idea!