Husqvarna Te610
HUSQVARNA TE610
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Return of the Lost Thumper
HuSKY THUMPER OWNERS ARE A TOUGH BREED: THEY ENDURE SACRIfices for their loyalty. Their tribulations began with hard-starting, oil-incinerating 510s, then progressed to poorly suspended-but thankfully liquid-cooled-first-generation 6l0s. Along the way, Husqvarna's founders sold out to Cagiva, and the resultant transfer of production from Sweden to Italy caused a temporary interruption in service. And while Husqvarna eventually was able to reclaim its rightful place in motorcycling's hierarchy, Cagiva's recent financial woes and a less-than-enthusiastic U.S. importer all but killed stateside sales. The supply of bikes-and, perhaps more important to the Husky faithful, parts-ground to a standstill.
But now, thanks to the influx of cash allowed by Cagiva's partial sale of Ducati, Husky is back in business, alive and well. There's a new American importer, Cagiva USA. Inc., spearheaded by Larry Ferracci, son of famed Ducati tuner Eraldo Ferracci, whom Cagiva's Castiglioni brothers have long lobbied to act as their U.S. importer. And the revitalized company is serious about getting things right; recent experience indicates that the parts situation has been rectified, and dealers are up to speed.
This comes as good news to the Cycle World staff, because we, too, are long-suffering Husky addicts. In 1992, we picked the 610 WXC as the Enduro Bike of the Year. And more recently, in `94, we ranked the 610 second in a trailriding-biased off-road comparison-factor in racing condi tions and it would have won. Unfortunately, we've been waiting for anoth er testbike since...
Now, we have one. Circumventing the usual channels, Husky shipped a brand-spanking-new TE6 10 straight to California. Though visually similar to the earlier 610s, the `98 model,sports a new frame with a split cradle replacing the single beam of years past. Suspension-wise, the fork is now an Italian 50mm Marzocchi, and the shock is a German Sachs-Boge. Inside the motor, a new camshaft pushes on sturdier rocker arms. Transmission ratios in the six-speed gearbox remain the same, but the gear couplings are tougher. A new CDI power unit finishes the official list of updates.
Looking at the bike, though, a few more differences are apparent. While the TE is an off-road-only model, it comes with all the lights, switches and wiring needed to convert it to dual-purpose use-it even has an ignition key. The only missing ingredients are turnsignals and a speedometer face marked in miles per hour instead of kilometers. Additionally, the plastic is thicker and stronger. And, as has been the trend with every new generation of Husky Thumper, there's been a weight increase: Our `98 testbike weighed-in at 279 pounds without gas, a 9-pound gain com pared to its `94 counterpart.
Swing a leg over the TE61O and you start to realize why these bikes have such a strong following. The gas tank has a slim profile, the seat has the right-density foam, and the handlebars, footpegs, shift lever and brake pedal all are positioned right where they're supposed to be. The seating position is very comfortable.
Then, you ride it, and the engine speaks to you in torquefilled grunts. It lacks that snappy, instant-rev quality of Yamaha's YZ400F, or even a Husaberg, but nothing can match the Husky's smooth, off-idle pull. In fact, as long as the throttle is cracked open even the slightest amount, the engine won't stall. It builds rpm slowly and power quickly. Short-shifting is most rewarding, but you can rev it out and it won't complain. And it's deceivingly fast: Because it isn't turning the hyper-rpm normally associated with high speed, you don't feel as though you're going as fast as you are.
Jetting is spot-on, and not at all sensitive to altitude or temperature changes. The 2.4-gallon fuel tank is good for 65 miles-plus on the trail. Starting is generally first-kick, and when it isn't, it's because the idle knob or fuel-mixture screw isn't set properly. An easy fix. Still, there were some riders who just couldn't get the hang of booting the Husky to life, especially encounter with a left-side kick. if this was their first
Bonus points go to the transmission, with a cog for every occasion. Shifting was exceedingly notchy early in the bike's life, but things loosened up over time and became acceptable. Clutch pull is light and engagement solid, and clutch-plate durability is above average.
Riding the TE61O, you'll never forget you're aboard a big Thumper. It's a bulldozer on tight trails and would rather go over (or through!) an obstacle than around it. Good thing, then, that the chassis complements this behavior. The suspension isn't mushy or wallowy, and allows precise, racebike-like han dling and feedback without being overly stiff or jarring. You can tackle motocross bumps and jumps with only occasional bottoming, yet still be satisfied on the trails. The fork adjust ments confused us at first, because the spec sheet listed dual compression-damping adjusters, yet on our testbike these functioned as rebound adjusters. Perhaps something got lost in the translation? Anyway, we found the front end worked best with the as-delivered settings, whatever they were. We did some fiddling with the shock, only to find that adjustability is limited, and the numbers on the high-speed compression damping knob don't correspond with the detents. Fortunately, the shock didn't require much tuning, either.
In terms of handling, the Husky turns more slowly than most other dirtbikes, and the scarcity of steering swing (the tripleclamp hits the stops about 10 degrees sooner than normal) is irritating. Stability, however, is first-rate, in the best Husky tra dition. Ground clearance is similarly excellent: The footpegs don't snag on rocks and ruts, and the frame rails act like glides, yielding excellent case protection. The chain guide is a wimpy looking, little roller-holder, but it works and doesn't bend. The brakes are strong, though they require finesse.
In terms of garage-friendliness, it's obvious that people who work on bikes designed the TE61O. Maintenance chores are simple, and getting to things doesn't require dou ble-jointed fingers. This may be the last dirtbike that comes with grease fittings on the suspension linkage.
All is not bliss, however. Our testbike initially suffered from an ugly vibration traced to an out-of-round crank. Local Husky gurus Up-Tite Husqvama trued the crank and we were back out on the trail-only to have the shock shaft come unscrewed from the lower clevis! This, too, was cov ered under warranty and our 610 soldiered on with no addi tional dilemmas.
So, where does the TE6 10 fit into the current off-road land scape? Is it a serious desert/enduro weapon? An almost dualpurpose machine? We'd say it falls somewhere in between. The biggest change from past Husky Thumpers is that the TE61O has crossed the line to become a heavyweight four stroke. More like a Honda XR or KTM R/XC than a Husaberg, the Husky now requires more effort from the rider to initiate those quick-action maneuvers. Furthermore, contin uing evolution of high-tech four-strokes such as Yamaha's YZ/WRs has dated the Husky's power output.
Fortunately, at $6290, the TE's price doesn't inflict too much pain. What hurts is that this grand old marque no longer can lay claim to being the best big-bore Thumper on the market. Long-suffering Husqvarna addicts will have to be tough to handle that.
HUSQVARNA TE610
$6290
