Husky...would you buy a new one?

[motometal]

I have studied the bikes, and like them. What about parts cost/support and the future of the company?

For example, I looked in the Parts Unlimited catalog, if you search by brand Husqvarna, all sorts of links pop up like many parts are available. But for some reason if you look more closely, they are almost all for older, 90s models etc. What gives? I thought Husky was becoming if anything, more popular in recent years?

 

[dk240sx]

i was looking into the te450 and worried about parts but i found a place in Pa that can ship to me in Ny

 

[Dave.Smith]

With BMW as the new owner I wouldn't worry about future support.
Hall's Cycles in Springfield, IL has a great inventory of parts and knowledgable people selling said parts.
So, if Husky had a model I was interested in I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on one.

 

[CR Swade]

It was a real toss-up between the Husky 510 or the new KTM530 for me. My local dealer carries both, but they have more stocked for the KTM's so I went w/ it, but as far as performance and overall bike to bike comparison the Husky is a very competitive off-road bike. If the bike was at the point that KTM was in terms of resale I possibly would have gone the other way.

 

[cujet]

I have owned a couple of Husky's. One, I kept for way too many years (more than 10). Getting parts and support was never a problem. I think it is kind of odd that this question keeps popping up.

In fact, I find it easier to order Husky parts via the phone as compared to the big 4. Less hassle IMHO. Having owned 42 bikes, I do some serious parts ordering. Some of the bigger Husky parts houses have nearly everything in stock. Quite unlike the big 4.

In any case, as compared to my local big 4 dealer, Husky parts show up much more quickly. I know the day that the order was ACTUALLY placed! And, they ship to MY HOUSE, what a concept!

Now, If you asking about the bikes being any good, they are! I just recently sold my 2 stroke 360WXC. It turned out to be the best bike I have ever owned! It truly did it all. I recently rode a KTM525EXC, and it fell short of the Husky in some areas. The Husky was that good!

Chris

 

[timmae 360]

I also have a wr360 and it really is that good, however I think the time has come to get a new '08 injected TE510 to put in the shed, so yes I will buy another one, Downunder we get a 24month unlimited k's warranty (some conditions) and parts are easy to get, ship straight to my workshop. PArts from the big 4 are harder to get it seems, Yammi gearbox parts are a backorder problem even though they seem to blow up quite regularly :coocoo:
Go Husky :cool:

 

[dirt bike dave]

The difficulty in re-selling an 'exotic' would be a deterrent for me buying new. There's just not a big market. But I might be interested in buying a used one if I got a great deal.

 

[motometal]

After much studying, here are my thoughts::

Husky TE510
pros
lightweight 250 lbs dry
very racy bike, much like the 525
great motor, suspension and brakes

cons
close ratio transmission-not far from MX ratios
probably same passenger carrying issues as KTM
high performans engine has low oil capacity and may not hold up as well
resale value
lack of local dealer and aftermarket parts avail.

Husky TE610
pros
wide ratio trans
designed for more street use, a true dual sport bike
passenger pegs
great motor with more oil capacity and a history of reliability
cooling fan

cons
it's a heavier bike, around 303 dry
components are high quality but not current technology
resale value
lack of local dealer and aftermarket parts avail.
would need aftermarket pipe, $400

KTM 525EXC
pros
around 250 lbs dry
great all around performance and reliabilty
dealer network and aftermarket support
decent stock exhaust

cons
engine design somewhat dated
I don't like the PDS rear susp.
price
not set up for a passenger
may need a cush drive hub for street use $$$

I initially considered the LC4 KTMs but after noticing the almost every post about them mentiones vibration, no thanks. I wish I could ride one but figure that many people can't be wrong.


hmmmmm...

this bike is to replace my trusty XRL. It has been modified with just about everything short of serious head work. It runs pretty well but I'm ready to move up to more power and better suspension and lighter weight. Riding will be back roads/dirt roads with everything from interstate (not far) to tight singletrack mixed in. Maybe some motard action at the kart track. In addition, once a year or so I take a vacation where I put on 300-400 miles. This could be twisties on the pavement or fire roads.

I think the 510/525 would give more performance compared to the TE610 and hold up ok but I'm definitely pushing the limits of how much street/road use they are designed for. The bike would never be used as my primary off road bike, I still have other off-road only bikes for that.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I initially considered the LC4 KTMs but after noticing the almost every post about them mentiones vibration, no thanks. I wish I could ride one but figure that many people can't be wrong.

MM - Gomer rode an LC4 for a while. Send him a PM and ask him about the vibration.

Also, I think MCC has a Demo bike of the new 690 KTM single based on the newer LC4.

 

[CR Swade]

Keep in mind, the KTM525 is no more. The RFS engine has been officially retired. The new big bore from KTM is either the 505 SXF or the 530XCF, 530XCF-W or 530 EXC-R. The XCF-W and EXC model using a SOHC engine design, 6speed wide ratio tranny w/ kickstart and E-start vs the SXF and XCF which use 4 and 5 speed close ratio trannys respectively, E-start only and DOHC engines. All of them are using separate oil for the trannys

Early reports from test riders around the mags and guys taking early deliveries have given reports of these new KTM engines running ridiculously good. I've got a 530XCF-W that should be in any day now

 

[CR Swade]

Lastly, most everybody I know that D/S the RFS bikes or the Husky 510's don't use cush hubs. If you are spending the amount of time on the road to actually warrant needing a cush hub, the 610 would probably be the better bike. But for me, I wouldn't take that thing in the dirt unless I had to. The TE510 or KTM's do such a better job in the dirt, which is where we spend 90% of our time.

Parts are easy for both, bike performance is great for either one...resale is the deciding factor for me plain and simple. I just sold a 312SXF that was an 06 model. It took 2 days to sell and there was a line of guys waiting. I got full asking price and the buyer paid for delivery to MA on top of it...nearly 6K total.

If this was a Husky that I had for sale that was essentially a 2 year old small bore w/ the big bore kit, I'd be lucky to get $3000-3500 out of it AND I'd probably be waiting a heck of a lot longer than 2-3 days. They just don't resell well at all. My buddy just picked up one for $1900 w/ a bike carrier and another $500 in goodies plus a Scotts stabilizer, no joke. The bike is an 05 and the guy couldn't move it to save his life. I think the new 510 is a pretty hot bike, but I still think they are too hard to move later on.

 

[motometal]

The cush drive issue is a tough one. I think the main thing that is tough on them is lots of pavement and hard accelleration, like the kart track would probably be tough on it, at least eventually. For me the bike will spend at least 50% of it's time on some type of back road (dirt/gravel), but some highway and blacktop. Taking off from my house, it's gonna be around 4-5 miles before I get off the pavement. It's one of those things that probably won't be a problem but if it is, it's a big one.

If a cush drive is required, looks like $700-1000 but this may come down as the demand increases.

Swade, when you say most of your riding is in the dirt, do you mean technical/woods or is quite a bit of it open trails/fire roads?

Picking a good DS bike is always a challenge, since it is always a compromise...just a matter of priorities.

For extended sessions of serious, technical riding I just get out my CR250. That being said, I still need to be able to cross a stream, duck under a branch, navigate rocks etc on my DS, and for that reason, I think with the 510 by the time I geared it to handle the road, 1st gear would be way high. The 610 has a wide ratio trans, and the 525 is somewhere in between the two.

525 vs 530 If I get a KTM it will probably be a 525 if I can find one, due to price. This is pushing the limit of what I want to spend anyway, and the '08s are that much more expensive. Never thought I'd be actully looking at a $8000+ dirt bike, at least not yet. I found limited info on the 530 but what I did find gave me the impression that the design changes were not necesarilly for a significant increase in power...but I could be wrong, let us know how yours runs when you get it.

 

[CR Swade]

If you are doing a bunch of stop and go on pavement and some serious hard shifting, then yeah I would consider a cush hub a worthy investment. For normal connecting roads and extended highway runs where you just cruise...the stockers on either Husky or KTM will suffice.

Most of our riding is gnarly/technical and we tag the bikes to be able to connect to areas or do some fall D/S stuff or use the fire roads in AR or CO to connect from one system to another.

The 525 is such a proven machine, I wish KTM still offered it but the new design is quite a step forward for them. I am hearing of some pretty impressive outputs also from both the DOHC and SOHC engines.

I'll keep you posted

 

[motometal]

Just in case anyone runs into this thread in the process of bike shopping...I bought the TE610, have around 3700 miles on it so far, and love it! No major problems, the bike works great on and off road. I've put on aftermarket muffler, JD jet kit, heated grips, heated vest hook up, GPS mount, and rear rack. Also Barnett clutch cable, airbox mod, and bought a 17" SM front so that I can switch setups in a few minutes, at least to get away from that 21" front for extended road riding. Any other questions about the bike, PM me and i'll do my best to answer. :ride:

 

[jb_dallas]

I see that this is an old thread, but I am going to ask the question anyway. Where did all of you Husky owners get your parts, specifically? I just picked up a 2004 TE 250 for $800. The guy that sold it to me had always used the electric start. He ran out of battery power one day and kick started the bike for the first time. Somehow the gear entangled and cracked the case. He put some JB Weld on the crack and thought it was leaking from the repair. When I bought it, it leaked oil, but not from the repair. It appears to have been leaking out of the clutch cover. I bought a new O ring, used some gasket maker, and I think I have the leak fixed. I thought about taking the case off and having it professionally tig welded since it is aluminum. All I did was drain the tank and clean out the carb jets and it runs good. It is a great handling bike. I dont care about resale because I plan to keep it. So, back to my question...where is the best place is to buy parts? Thanks

 

[motometal]

Halls Cycles in Springfield, Illinois. They stock an impressive supply of parts and have great service. Also, on their website you can look up pricing in some cases.

You will probably not find "discount" parts suppliers for Huskys. If it's something that makes sense to buy used, you may be able to find it on ebay.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

http://www.upstatecycle.com/

Great people!

 

[cujet]

Having owned a few Husky's, I would purchase another without reservation. Halls has always been good with parts, and reliability has always been excellent.

 

[OZ_dirtrider]

I sold my 00' WR360 for finance a road racebike and then ended up buying a 96 WR360. Like cujet, l'm ridden Husky WR360 and 250's from 96 to 2008 and when l compare them to present 4 strokes, l'm bias because l love the lightness and ease of maintenance that a 2 banger gives me.
I'm from Australia and the market is dominated by the Big 4 and KTM so Husky parts are hard to find but if you ring around you can find them and they usually have what you want or can point you to an interchangable part from other eurobikes.
I've never had issues with husky bikes and presently looking at finding an 00+ Wr360 and possibly a new WR300.
PS.Did l tell you that l'm bias to 2 strokes :)

 

[MadKaw Mike]

I see that this is an old thread, but I am going to ask the question anyway. Where did all of you Husky owners get your parts, specifically? I just picked up a 2004 TE 250 for $800. The guy that sold it to me had always used the electric start. He ran out of battery power one day and kick started the bike for the first time. Somehow the gear entangled and cracked the case. He put some JB Weld on the crack and thought it was leaking from the repair. When I bought it, it leaked oil, but not from the repair. It appears to have been leaking out of the clutch cover. I bought a new O ring, used some gasket maker, and I think I have the leak fixed. I thought about taking the case off and having it professionally tig welded since it is aluminum. All I did was drain the tank and clean out the carb jets and it runs good. It is a great handling bike. I dont care about resale because I plan to keep it. So, back to my question...where is the best place is to buy parts? Thanks

There is a great list of U.S. dealers over at Huskytalk.com they also have a aftermarket parts suppliers list.

I buy all my parts from Hall's cycles. Great service, selection and internet ordering for aftermarket and oem parts. They are awesome with customer service also.