Husky 610 rider feedback

[Rich Rohrich]

I'm looking for feedback back from 610 Husky riders . Any thoughts on the engine (good or bad) in terms of :
- Reliability over the long haul
- Clutch & trans smoothness etc.
- Power (what do you like & what would you change)
- Tuning with the Dellorto
- Mods you've done or think are necessary
- Have you had to crack the engine open

I'm not really too concerned with the chassis, mostly the drivetrain.

Thanks Euro dudes :)

 

[Farmer John]

Rich, don't know if this will help you, but I road raced one in a Harris chassis for 2 seasons.
Reliability: all I ever did was change the oil & adjust the valves. Person I sold it to went 2 more seasons before sending it to Mazzafaro's (sp) to freshen it up & get more power. Never ran right again.
Clutch & tranny: shifted firmly (like the leverage was wrong), but no problems
Power: very broad & smooth (still a feel I bench mark other motors to)
Delorto: hardest thing here was getting the jets, needles, & other parts. That aside it took asimilar mindset to a mikuni.
Mods: The only thing I would have liked to do is lighten the crank/rod/piston assembly, maybe investigate the overly firm shifter feel. The head was already ported when I got it.
Never had the engine any farther open than clutch & valve access.

btw it was 93 w/ close ratio trans.

 

[SFO]

Rich,
I had a 94 610WXE that I rode on the street for a year.
I bought it from a District 36 guy who bought it brand new and enduroed it for a year with zero problems.
The clutch dragged when I got it even though it was all "in spec".
I ended up replacing the complete drive and driven set and the problem stopped.
The motor sounded like a xr-750, ie coffe can full of marbles...
It never blew up though, it would like to blow the carburator off at idle.
It would also foul plugs.I just learned to carry a fresh plug and a screwdriver to put the carb back on.
The engine side of the driveline was tough as nails.
Street riding saw it eating countershaft sprockets(2) and drive side rear whl brgs(3).
It always shifted ok, at that time I was riding a ktm 2smoke so I wasn't too picky...
When Husky parts got unobtainable I bought a Husaberg.
The Husky was a good bike for me.
I ended up putting two transmissions in the Husaberg...
Dellorto's can be made to work, I ended up cutting the slide and playing with the idle circuit.
Jet prices where a little steep and I would have to make stuff I needed because I couldn't get what I wanted.
The motor spun pretty good and would run away and hide from an XR.
I would like to compare it to my 426 but it has been awhile...

 

[Max Factor]

I've had a '94 and '98 mdl TC 610 and my brother had a '96 (that lived with me anyways!)
I loved the bikes as a whole package, particularly the stump pulling power of the motors.
The models we had pulled very hard off the bottom and had decent over rev. Riding a 426 side by side was like riding a 2stk Vs 4 stk. The YZ could get the jump on the Husky out of turns and starts as it seemed to have more 'snap' but after a couple of bike lengths the Husky could reel a 426 in and walk away.
I had heard horror stories of the earlier 90's models having internal meltdowns (sorry, nothing more specific as they were rumors) But we never had any issues with the 3 of ours. I had 2 years hard woods riding and some open class MX on it and other than valve adjustments and frequent oil changes never missed a beat.
I changed the rings in it after 1 year of riding and was exremely impressed by the build quality and tolerances of the internals. It was extremely simple to work on as well.
I found they came jetted a little rich in the main and were sensitive to back firining on decceleration if you didn't have all the exhaust slip joints sealed.
The only failure I personally know of was after I'd sold my '94 model, the guy that bought it rang me a couple of weeks later and had snapped the cam chain. Also, my local Husky dealer raced them in our Tumper Nationals series and also told me that the cam chain and gear should be considered for change after a full race season.I didn't like the 4 spd gearbox in the '98 and on models (on the TC, the TE enduro version has a 6 speed like an KTM EXC but it had different cams and ignition)
Also, I believe the '99 models and on had a better lubrication system. The '01 models sound great with the lightened crankshaft to pick up revs quicker.

 

[smb_katoomer]

hey max factor, i see your from Detroit, where are all the good husky dealors around your area?

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Thanks for all the info guys :)