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Husqvarna TR650 Terra

Joined
Jan 1, 2005
Messages
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Location
Buda, TX
First Name
Rich
Last Name
Gibbens
Husqvarna has released a new adventure bike -the TR650 Terra.

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This bike appears to be squarely aimed at the KLR650 / DR650 market. Husky is marketing the Terra as a dual purpose bike capable of "light dirt" duty.

Here are some of the published specs:
- 404 lbs ready to ride
- 58 horsepower
- wide ratio 5 speed transmission
- (the engine is a modified version of the BMW G650GS engine)
- 21 inch front wheel, 18 inch rear wheel, spoked
- 3.5 gallon gas tank, 55+ miles per gallon should provide 200 mile range
- 7.5 inches of suspension travel
- 46mm inverted front forks (non-adjustable)
- steel frame, subframe, and swingarm
- Husky say options will include skid plate, windscreen, soft bags, heated grips, low seat, ABS

- $6999.00 MSRP

The first shipment of bikes have arrived in the US and initial ride reports are starting to be posted. Here are some excerpts from the first report posted on Cafe Husky.

"Got it. Initial impressions are pretty darn nice bike for 7K. I like that is seems simplified and not over engineered... Some nice features and looks very well built. Rode it a few miles, super smooth EFI, like perfect. Very smooth motor and seems to have lots of grunt. Clutch is cable but the pull is very EZ and shifting is smooth. Feels very natural and EZ to hop on and ride, nothing out of place of funky. ...sturdy steel kick stand with NO fall over in your garage onto your car feature. Fit and finish are very nice... Overall I am pretty impressed. Yes, you can see where they cut corners, thats why it is not 10K. Oh, will do 60 mph EZ in third. LONG geared. Bet it does 100 no problem...

OK, got a solid 60 miles on it last night, all street... I am here to say, much like my TE511 and the unknown Husky engineers took a good bike in the BMW and made a fantastic (IMHO) mount from it...This bike hits the nail on the head IMHO.

Motor:

This to me is the highlight of the package. Smooth, strong, powerful, EZ, ultra flexible, reliable brick. Makes super smooth power in a very linear fashion building power from the first rev to the last with no hump or valleys. You spend most the time between 3500-5000 and with that can go 30 -70 in the same gear. Canyon carving is extremely EZ, no shifting needed as it pulls pretty hard from very low RPM and keeps building power to redline. Well I'm guessing there as i never reved it past like 65K in respect of the new motor and really no need at this time. The engine is brilliant IMHO. On my way home I was thinking if someone blindfolded me and put me on this bike and i did not look down I would think i was on a Aprilia 550 V-twin or SV 650. I have ridden both and this bike on the road feels much like that. Feels very V-twin like and sounds like it too. The lots of bottom end and smooth thrust makes it feel this way and the twin pipes add to it.

When i met buddy Adam with the V-strom we were looking the bike over. His first comments were that the bike was far better looking than he thought it would be and it looked more dirt than the pix. We discussed the EFI and mufflers and that they have removable inserts and there might be EFI tuners out there etc. We hopped on our bikes a took off. About 5 or so miles into the twisties and my ear to ear grin was hurting my face so I let Adam take it for a rip. I followed don his V-strom, a bike i have ridden many times. My first impression riding the V-strom is it feels 80 pounds heavier and all of that seems high placed (tall tank and fairing). Next impression was I was pretty sure the TR650 faster even not using the last 2000 RPM. I figured I'd let Adam report before saying anything. We stop and Adam is all abuzz. "I freaking LOVE this bike", "I would not touch the motor, mufflers, EFI, it runs perfect and is way faster than my V-strom"... Well OK, that confirms my feelings too. His next words were " I'm selling the V-strom and ATK and getting one of these" Nice. He said getting on it "I should not ride this as I will want to sell my V-strom" guess he was right. The TR650 feels a good bit faster, way lighter, way better looking and has far better brakes.

Fantastic motor, i can hardly wait to get a few more miles on her and ring it's neck. As some of the quick ride reports i the mags have said you can feel a good rush of power coming in at about 6K and they say it revs to redline pulling hard. I did not go there but really looking forward to it. you could ride this bike all day long on the road using one gear and 3500-5000 RPM.

Transmission:

WIDE. The bike is slightly tall on final gearing. It is loping along at 70mph 3800 rpm at 60 in top gear. You could ride the highways in 4th EZ and that gives you more passing power. 3rd will take you to 65 plus.

60 mile feelings:

This bike is a home run. Fantastic street / commuting bike and should be a great off road. Like it far better than the V-strom. Great smoooooth motor and very neutral bike add up to a very EZ bike to ride and enjoy. Don't ride on if you don't want one."


"OK, got 203 miles on it now. I'm just going to come right out and say it... I love this bike. I predict it is going to get rave reviews and sell very well. The motor is awesome and seems to get better with every mile. Got 64.4 mpg on my first 103 miles...Bike continues to be fantastic on the street and feels like a V-twin to me. Gobs of power and can pass cars from 65 mph EZ. Just like a real street bike. As I said, the motor is terrific right out of the box. FAST and smooth. Clutch is super EZ, shifts nice, quiet. Brakes are breaking in and are very good and strong. This is a great canyon carving machine. Handles light and is fast.

Hit the dirt...

Finally got it on gravel and dirt and the bike hides it's weight and girth better than I had hoped. On the gravel it rules, motor is a flat track king, handles nice, could do hours of gravel at 40 plus mph all day long. Found myself ripping along at 64 mph on one gravel section and did not even realize it. I can't think of a better bike for gravel. Found some sandy two track, worked fine. Found some old road grades in the woods all grown over and the bike is FUN on that to. Steers far lighter than it should (most likely due to the under seat tank) and bike feels relatively light on its feet. I am a fairly accomplished off road rider and have ridden many bikes big and small and i found this bike quite acceptable off road. Better than i originally thought it would work due to how good it works on the street. I'm impressed. Not a 610/630 in the dirt but not as far off as you might think. In fact I envisioned a version of this bike stripped and with real suspension being a great bike for open off road like you would use a XR650 for.

Guys, this bike is the goods. No BS, it is a GREAT road bike and good dirt bike. I think they absolutely hit the mark with this bike. I can't believe anyone could ride it and not think so. I'm going to go out on a limb and predict this bike gets rave reviews in the next few months and sells very well. I'm not generating hype, ride the bike and tell me I'm wrong.
"

Here is the link to the thread at Cafe Husky for those who want to read all the discussion: http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/where-is-the-650-forum-tr650-in-the-house.27986/


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i like it. if i was being completely honest with myself this bike would be all i need for both my "off road" and on road riding.
 
That is one sweet looking bike. My last Husky was a '82 430 WR after a '80 250 XC both bought brand new many moons ago.
 
I was going to suggest it was aimed at the BMW 650 Xchallenge, then I remembered that Husky is now a part of BMW. The X seems to be dropped from what I can tell. I guess it is a replacement for that model.

Nice bike, can't wait to see one in person. Looking forward to riding along with the happy owner on my pack mule KLR.
 
Where the Husky dealers in the Waco/Temple/Austin area? I spoke with in Austin on a TE310 several yrs ago. They didn't seem focused on the brand very much.
 
I don't know, it seems to reflect the BMW lineage more than I hoped. Okay, I just saw something VERY disappointing. The bikes frame uses the engine as a "stressed member". IMO, NO self-respecting motorcycle claiming off-road pretensions should use the old stressed member frames. My old '81 Honda XL500S used that technology and there is a reason why HONDA went "BACK" to cradle style frames by 1984-85. Because the weakness of the design wasn't worth the proposed weight savings.
 
I was going to suggest it was aimed at the BMW 650 Xchallenge, then I remembered that Husky is now a part of BMW. The X seems to be dropped from what I can tell. I guess it is a replacement for that model.

Nice bike, can't wait to see one in person. Looking forward to riding along with the happy owner on my pack mule KLR.

I have not done and inventory of the two, but there is a lot of the G650X in this bike. IT has the same Rotax 652, only uprated by a few horsepower. In these photos it even seems to be wearing the Metzeler Saharas that were stock on the XChallenge. The frame doesn't seem to be as sophistocated, but that's hard to tell. The Heavier than the Challenge and travel is a little short. They appear to have fixed the range problem. Finally the price is more in line. Man, I hope they fixed the seat.

All in all I'm pretty excited about this bike and the merger. I hope that Husky finally gets the resources to do what they do best and the added benefit of some additional R&D ideas from the BMW factory.

The X has been gone from the BMW lineup for some years now, although they continued with the G450X. (It looks like that was dropped as well.) I suspect that change was in part influenced in the change in formula in Rally Raid, the only kind of off road racing BMW ever seemed interested in. Of course the bullet proof Rotax 652 keeps showing up in BMW models too.

One final thought, the only way to get 60+ mpg out of a 652 is to try and stay even with a Ural. :rider::lol2:

m
 
That Ural ref is funny Meriden. Good one! And take a look at the brake pedal, looks very Dollar Store. That may be an insult to the Dollar Store org. Other than that and the frame thing it is about the finest looking bike I have seen lately. Thats a lot of weight before accessories though, too much for me.
 
I am assuming this one has a better maintenance cycle? That's the only thing keeping me off the smaller KTM/Husky bikes. I like not having to do an oil change every night on a long trip :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Okay, I just saw something VERY disappointing. The bikes frame uses the engine as a "stressed member". IMO, NO self-respecting motorcycle claiming off-road pretensions should use the old stressed member frames.

How about one of the best big bore dual sports out there? KTM 690 Enduro R uses that type of frame also. I'm sure there are others also. Some old ideas were actually very sound but just not executed properly at the time. You could find fuel injection back in the 30's but it took modern electronics to make it practical and common place 50 years later.

_
 
That Ural ref is funny Meriden. Good one! And take a look at the brake pedal, looks very Dollar Store. That may be an insult to the Dollar Store org. Other than that and the frame thing it is about the finest looking bike I have seen lately. Thats a lot of weight before accessories though, too much for me.

The Ural comment is from direct experience. 90 miles to reserve light riding with the Huskys and XRRs, 126 miles knocking along the trails with a Ural. Love that Ural though. I'm going to get one someday.


I am assuming this one has a better maintenance cycle? That's the only thing keeping me off the smaller KTM/Husky bikes. I like not having to do an oil change every night on a long trip :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


The maintenance cycle on the 652 as used in the Challenge is fairly long.
I'm reading the technical manual and it has first service at 10k (kilometers) and all future service at 20k intervals, except forks which are 30K. Sounds too long to me, but that's what is says.
 
I saw and sat on one at Plano BMW/Husky/Zero yesterday and was pretty impressed. $500 more than the 650KLR, about $1K less than the 650GS Sendero....very competitive. Sachs front and rear suspension, nice. Can't comment on ride or other technical details, but seems like a serious entry in the value dual sport/purpose arena. With a 28" inseam I was on tippy toes but comfortable. There probably going to sell plenty of these bikes. Can't wait to see what the aftermarket cooks up....
 
I saw and sat on one at Plano BMW/Husky/Zero yesterday and was pretty impressed. $500 more than the 650KLR, about $1K less than the 650GS Sendero....very competitive. Sachs front and rear suspension, nice. Can't comment on ride or other technical details, but seems like a serious entry in the value dual sport/purpose arena. With a 28" inseam I was on tippy toes but comfortable. There probably going to sell plenty of these bikes. Can't wait to see what the aftermarket cooks up....

$500, that's a give me. The Husky is lighter and has almost twice the horsepower. Admited, HP isn't everything but...

Hopefully Touratech will not be the only aftermarket provider.
 
The TR650 on display at the Intermot show. Note the skid plate and hand guards in addition to the luggage - I assume these are Husky provided since Husky has reported they will have a number of optional accessories for this bike.

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I don't care for hard bags off road, they can cause you grief with your ankle and foot stuck between them and a hard place. But I really like the looks of this machine. What is that thing a ma jig on the front number plate?
 
The latest report from Motosportz over at Cafe Husky:

"So 652 mile report. Did 205 more miles on a loop on back roads to the coast and back yesterday. Can get the fuel mileage to drop to 59 mpg if you hammer it over a mountain range all hair on fire. :D Fun. Gets about 65 miles per regular non hooligan riding. Fuel light came on at 150 miles and according to the manual it has three liters left or .79 gallon and at say 60 mpg thats still 47 more miles so this bike should be good for about 200 max typical riding.

Bike runs better every mile. Brakes seems stronger too. Suspension is getting better. Loosened the ramped collar for preload to full soft and went up 5 clicks rebound rear and in the rear is a good bit better. Buddy with the V-strom ride it again, first thing he said was the suspension feels better. Then raved on and on how awesome the bike is and how he needs to sell his V-strom ASAP.

BTW the TR650 is officially faster then a V-stom 650. We came out of one of those roundabouts and Adam on his V-strom hammered it, I saw this and him looking in the review like he was going to leave me and it was on. He started about 10 bike lengths ahead and got on it slightly before me. I caught, passed and was leaving him when we rolled off at about 100 mph. He was full of excuses. So, about 15 miles down the road we had both just topped off our tanks and were on a remote back road with a long straight stretch that was slightly uphill. We lined them up and let them rip. The Husky comes off the line much quicker and has trouble keeping the front end down. Once i got control I rolled it on and walked away from him. Not blew him away but for sure was leaving him. By the end of it he was getting small in my mirror. The motor in the Tr650 rocks.

S0...

- the TR650 is a GREAT street bike. Versatile, fast, handles fantastic, good brakes, great overall feel.
- the seat is very usable as is. 2, 200 mile plus days back to back, no issues.
- It seems to run better and better all the time. Brakes getting stronger, etc
- Tires are very nice
- suspension is loosening up and feeling better. The less preload and more rebound really helped to.
- Range should be about 180-200 miles per tank.

Oh, I do have an issue. The trip meter was freaking me out Saturday, could not tell why it kept changing and was not right. Weill i figured out everytime i shut the bike off for a break and then get back on it resets itself to 32.9 miles ??? ***? The ODO works fine and keeps accurate info but the trip resets to 32.9 miles every time. Weird.

Another note is the bike has a 525 chain, this is fine but it looked like my pile of husky sprockets (520 width) would fit until I found this out. Oh well.

Oh, I read all this complaining about this is not a real husky just a rebranded BMW this and BMW that. My take on it is although is bikes motor is loosely based on a previous design and the bike does take some design ideas from BMW offerings like the under seat tank (brilliant IMHO) When you look at it, and look at it next to the BMW version it is clear this is an all new bike. As good as it is I am not shy to call it a husky at all, in fact darn proud to do so. The bike itself, other than the wheels seems to share NOTHING with previous models and takes the similar design elements to the next level. Other than the motor sharing some basic castings much is different there too. This is no toss some plastics on an old bike and call it a Husky. This is a well conceived ground up effort. they took the best stuff they learned from on the BMW 650's and took it to the next level IMHO. The motor has many different castings, higher spec components, more compression, probably more cam, more exhaust etc and took a good motor and made it fantastic. the rest of the bike should be considered all new. New frame, new plastic, new suspension, new new new. Really other than the wheels I don't see anything crossing over. Husky took a good bike and completely redesigned it and updated it. Love the under seat tank and believe putting all that weight under your butt instead of above your lap and up front makes a big difference and making it so it fill conventional is brilliant. The Airbox which is a pain to service on the BMW is completely redesigned and EZ to maintain now. The electronics are all well laid out and look very car like in there placement and cleanliness. The fit and finish on the plastics and control's and seat and everything is amazing. This bike is very well designed and amazing well built especially considering the entry level pricing.

Husky hit a home run here. :thumbsup:
"

And a closer look at that thing on the front number plate of the bike at Intermot.
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Tom from Touratech-USA posted this in Cafe Husky about the new TR650 Terra:

"Hello, this is Tom from TOURATECH-USA. I just joined CH today.

Here are some other pics of the bike in Adventure form, by TOURATECH. This is going to be a GREAT single-cyl adventure bike.

It is not the motor from the BMW F650GS, it's the second version. The TR650 motor is from a newer bike than the F650GS, the BMW G650X-Challenge which was made only in 2007. It's more modern, has more power, and is used in new 2012 BMW G650GS. The TR650 could have different cams/compression from the BMW and may have other updates over the past 5 years but the castings look the same. It's a reliable, long-running motor.

We're anxious to build up a TR650 for Adventure riding.
"
 
I guess I am a bit behind, last I knew the grand old Swedes were taken over by Cagiva. I have two Huskys, a 1972 WR 125 and a 1980 CR 125. May they live on forever. I also have a KTM EXC250. All serious dirt bikes.
My street bike is a 2006 V-Strom 650.
But, reading this thread, how can this Husky be compared to a V-Strom 650?
The Husky is a dirt bike that is street legal, the Strom is a street bike that has SOME off road abilities. I know the Wee is an awesome bike and I bet the Husky is too. BUT, they aren't in the same catagory.:rider::eat::sun::rider:
rick
 
The back road drag race was only a test of acceleration and quickness to 100 mile per hour. It is not exactly a full on comparison of capabilities. You are right to say that the Husky and the Suzuki are in different classes.
 
A few thoughts for you:

Husky is marketing the Terra as an adventure bike - street legal but capable of light off-road capabilities - not as a dirt bike that is street legal. Husky's TE line (TE610, 630, 511, etc) are its "dirt bikes that are street legal" class of bikes. The TR is a different class of bike - 100 lbs heavier, significantly less suspension travel, etc - than the TE bikes. I'd suggest the TR is probably going to prove to be noticeably less capable in the dirt than "dirt bikes that are street legal" like my TE610 or the KTM 500.

The term "adventure bike" is not very well defined so each manufacturer has it's own particular take on what an adventure bike is. For example, Suzuki emphasized the "street" part with the Wee as a 80/20 street/dirt bike while Kawasaki tried for a 50/50 balance with the KLR650. It seems to me that the TR is intended to be a 60/40 or 70/30 street/dirt adventure bike.
 
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