CYCLE TORQUE TEST: Y2000 HUSQVARNA TE610E

Test by Miles Davis. Photos by Nigel Paterson
(Web Conversion by Glenn Alderton)

Husqvarna is famed for its competition machinery, so it's no surprise to find its big-bore dual sport is very capable in the rough stuff...

In this year's Australian Safari the TE 610 E placed first in the M2 class (over 400cc modified production) and took a very healthy third overall, showing exactly what it is capable of in very extreme conditions.

There is a lot to be said for the versatility of the adventure touring bikes in Australia with our wideopen spaces and crap roads. Compared to some bikes in its class, the TE-E is light, well suspended and capable in the dirt.

'The power... is
smooth and
balanced for a
big single'

The Bike

This is the second year that Husky imports has offered the big electric start dual sport machine to the Aussie market, but the first time it has been fitted with the long distance 17 litre tank (up from nine). Hans Appelgren, the man behind Husky imports told Cycle Torque, "The change to the larger tank was brought around by dealer request. In the past sales had been lost due to the limited range of the smaller tank".

The brakes and suspension are excellent for a dual purpose machine

Although the TE-E is based closely on the higher performance (kick-start) TE enduro model there are some serious differences that make each bike more suitable for their specific requirements. The motor on the TE-E has tighter tolerances and a much more thorough oil pump/filtration system (two pumps and two filters) for increased longevity and reduced service intervals. The compression ratio is lower, allowing the use of regular unleaded petrol, a must for a machine which will regularly find itself in the sticks. These changes result is a drop in the legendary grunt of the enduro weapon but see it gain smoother power, increased reliability and less frequent servicing. Some upgrades on the new model include improved starting thanks to advancing the auto-decompression mechanism so less compression builds up before ignition, and the gear ratio on the starter has been altered to make the motor spin more quickly.

The suspension has also been upgraded. The 45mm forks now have compression and rebound damping adjustment capabilities, and the Sachs rear shock has rebound damping and preload adjustments, giving a much wider range of tuning. Bikes like this can be ridden over an extremely wide range of surfaces and being able to tune the suspension in seconds is a real plus in getting the most out of the machine. A softer seat foam is now used for more comfort whilst in the saddle, but the design was causing some wrinkles in the cover. It didn't seem to be a comfort issue but more of an aesthetic eyesore. Nice standard features are the stylish Acerbis hand-guards, great at keeping that cold winter morning air off your hands and the anti-vibration footpeg rubbers that increase highway comfort, especially in lighter footwear.

The Ride

The joys of electric start! On a machine like this there will be times when you don't have the full heavy duty boots on and can't it hurt to kick over a big bike with  soft-soled shoes?

The bike came supplied with a set of Trelleborg off-road tyres so the on-road test was limited to getting to the dirt. With the standard Metzler interrmediate Karuh tyres the TE-E would have been a much nicer proposition to wander down the south coast somewhere. Hans mentioned that most adventure bikes come standard with rubber rated at somewhere around 70 percent road and 30 percent dirt where the Metzelers are more of a true 50/50 tyre capable of riding more than a basic gravel road. On the road with knobbies the 610 felt quite comfortable at a casual pace.  The size and mass of the bike (140kg dry) give a solid feel to the road but not something you would want to ride in the wet or over longer distances.

The motor feels quite smooth and balanced for a big single. There is not an over abundance of power as this bike complies fully with ADR specs and felt a bit restricted. There are ways to extract more power, talk to your Husky dealer. The power is smooth and steady and makes the TE-E a real pleasure to cruise around on without feeling like it will get away from you, if you need to get around slower traffic you will have to use all the revs to build speed quickly.

Practical rear footpegs and helmet holder are nice touches

The gears shift positively although the action is not featherlight, the wide ratio gearing allows for healthy highway speeds: cruising at 130kmh the motor isn't even revving. Riding with a pillion is fine for shorter distances but not very practical for longer trips if the pillion is not a jockey; the seat's too small. The rack fitted on the rear guard behind the seat makes for a great grab bar for the pillion but can dig into their back side if they slide back over bumps or under acceleration.

With between five to 10 litres of fuel in the tank the TE610E resembles a true off road machine. However, your riding style needs to adjust slightly to compensate for the 140-150kg weight (with fuel/oil etc); for an enduro bike the TE-E is on the heavy side, but for an adventure bike it's lightweight.

Get onto some fast flowing smooth fire trails and the TE-E feels most at home. Especially with a set of hard terrain knobbies, this is where the Husky will leave most other adventure bikes in its wake. The power is smooth, the suspension is soft and supple and the brakes are great. Lofting the front wheel over small obstacles is as easy as leaning back and giving it a squirt, although you might want to use the clutch or downshift if it looks serious.

It is definitely worth taking note that with a full tank of juice the bike will handle like a truck in technical terrain, there is just too much weight (fuel) over the front wheel to get through any bumpy terrain at any kind of a pace, especially with the ultra soft stock suspension. For what the TE610E is designed for, its handling is impressive in rougher terrain. I got to put the bike through its paces in some big sand dunes, and with less air in the knobbies, the results were again surprisingly good. The motor puts out great power at the back wheel, the handling was respectable, and two wheel drifting over the harder packed sand felt very controlled even with both feet on the pegs. With all that weight over the front, you could disconnect the front brake; engine braking with a little rear brake gave the most controlled results.

Slides and wheelies are easy on the TE610E compared with most adventure bikes

Even playing a bit of silly buggers gave decent results:

'...suspension is soft and supple and the brakes are great...'

second, third and sometimes fourth gear wheelies were happening from time to time, (as you do). In Husky's traditional yellow white and blue the TE-E looks sharp, and the twin alloy silencers look ominous from behind.

The Last Word

I can't imagine taking a Honda Dominator or the BMW F 650 through the same terrain as I took the Husky. It is a matter of what you are looking for in a machine, and what the machine is designed to do. For mainly on-road use there are better options but for a fabulous off-road bike that can do more, the Husqvarna TE610E delivers the goods. It fits in the lower middle of the range in terms of price, as adventure style bikes start at around $8500 and go up to around $15,000. Or more, like the Cagiva Gran Canyon at $17,500. The TE-E is $10450 + ORC, making it a lot of bike for the buck.

>> Bike Specs

Report courtesy of

October 2000 issue.  (www.cycletorque.com.au)