The most interesting thing about the dual-purpose market is how the manufacturers design bikes that are supposed to be all things to all people. It's an impossible task when you think about it: to design a bike that everyone will find a use for. But the surprise is that these long-haul machines are as good as they are.
Husky's 610 (it's actually 577cc so the marketing boys are exaggerating again), is not a big seller in Australia and never has been, but is a goer in Europe where it's used more on the road than the dirt. In the US not so long ago it was Cycle News'Dual Purpose Bike of the Year, and has also won the production class in the Australian Safari, in fact it finished third overall in the hands of Tony Treovort, and that's a damn fine effort for a production bike.
The 610 has been around for a long time and the latest version has been comprehensively updated. The overall quality of the componentry has been improved, says Husqvarna. The engine has a new CDI unit, and has been tuned to give beefy performance with good fuel consumption. The seat has been changed again (but is still too hard). The fork is a 45mm Marzocchi and the shock a Sachs. The only external adjustments are fork and shock rebound, basically the same setup the Husky had when I last rode it in 1998.
THE LONG RUN
This feature is called a quick fang but we actually took our time evaluating the 610. Hans Appelgren (then of Husky Imports – Paul Feeney is the new distributor) and I rode from Sydney to Bathurst to watch practice for the big V8 Supercar endurance race in October, so I got plenty of time to suss out the big girl.
The big donk has plenty of poke to cover long distances in a short time and the bike has enough genuine rough terrain capability to take you off the bitumen whenever you feel like it. But the motor is the first thing that strikes you about this bike. It's quiet, for starters, and vibrates very little, thanks to the counter-rotating balance shaft behind the cylinder. Drive is achieved through a six-speed transmission and a clutch with a light action. Cush-drive in the clutch and the rear hub nullifies any snatch you might feel through all those reciprocating masses, and with short throws between gears, the box shifts very nicely.
The instruments are easy to see while you're on the move and the controls are excellent, but that's hardly surprising; Huskies have always had nice switchgear, levers and so forth. There's no fuel gauge as such but there is a warning light that lets you know you've chewed through the primary fuel load and are now flying on the two-litre reserve.
But even then there's no reason to panic. One of best features of this bike is how little juice it guzzles. Actually, given the Husky's weight and that you're running big, fat dual-purpose tyres, it's bloody amazing. Our fuel consumption at highway speeds between Sydney and Bathurst and back, over the Blue Mountains was an impressive 19km/litre (or in the old currency, 50.7mpg). Back in 1998, the 610 had a puny 9.5-litre tank and a range of about 150km. That's all changed. From the current 17-litre tank, you'll travel about 320 kilometres before you start scanning the horizon for the next pump-a-rama.
One reason this bike gets great fuel consumption is the terrific motor. The other is that the Husky is geared high, reflecting the role the Europeans have for it as a highway tourer. Showroom gearing is 15-45, and although that helps reduce fuel consumption, in my opinion that's too high for a bike like this. The engine has enough grunt to pull that gearing but you have to downshift certainly one, maybe two gears if you want to blow off granny's hatchback on a dirty big hill. The Husky would accelerate faster, make more use of the engine's inherent torque and be a more pleasant bike to ride if you move the ratios a little closer together with 14-45 sprocketing.
(Here's a tip, boys: if you're gearing's wrong, it's cheaper to replace the smaller front sprocket than the larger rear sprocket — if that's possible; there is a limit to how big a countershaft sprocket a bike will accept. Here's another tip: fitting a larger sprocket will necessitate chain adjustment. When you're doing that, make sure the chain's not too tight. That can do Godawful damage to transmission internals.)
HEAVYWEIGHT PERFORMER
The Husky comes with an odd tyre choice, or at least a combination we've never seen. Someone at the factory must have thought this the ideal setup for Australian conditions but, jeez, I dunno. The front tyre is a 90/90-21 Metzler Karoo and the rear a 140/80-18 Pirelli MT21. The Karoo is not my favourite tyre. On bitumen it's okay but on dirt it's horrible. A better choice would be Pirelli's MT21 Rallycross on the rear and Trelleborg's Megagrip on the front. Hans Appelgren can set that up for you; he's the Trelleborg importer.
The 610 has quite a bit of opposition in this class, and from some unusual contenders. As I said when I appraised the Honda Transalp recently, it's a wonder more blokes don't consider dual-purpose bikes rather than more road oriented machines, because you can do a lot more. You can go off-road on a Transalp, sort of, but if you need genuine off-road ability, you really want more ground clearance, more suspension travel, fair dinkum dirt bike ergonomics and body panels that won't snap when you look at 'em. A true dual-purpose bike, the Husky TE610E will appeal to blokes who need a tough, fuel efficient tourer that won't kark it off-road. With a little familiarisation, the 610 feels lighter than its fuelled 160kg, and if you pick your lines carefully, you'll get through anything you're likely to encounter on the average trail.
One gripe we had when we last tested a 610 concerned poor airbox sealing, which let water in during deep water crossings. That was fixed in subsequent models by fitting a splash shield. Our remaining gripe is one we had in 1998. The Husky's seat has been altered three times but I think it's still uncomfortable and shows too much resemblance to an MX seat, hardly appropriate on a long distance bike like this one. The best way to fix that tough seat is with a lamb's wool seat cover, but man, do they look goony.
WHAT BAZZ LIKED:
WHAT BAZZ DIDN'T LIKE:
QUICK SPEX: HUSQVARNA TE610E: ENGINE:
Type: Single-cylinder, four-stroke;
Bore x stroke: 90x76.4mm;
Displacement: 577cc;
Compression ratio: 9:1;
Carburettor: 40mm Dell 'Orto;
Start: Electric.
TRANSMISSION:
Type: Six-speed;
Final drive: Chain/15-45 gearing.
CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR:
Frame: Single down-tube, full cradle;
Front suspension: 45mm Marzocchi fork;
Rear suspension: Sachs shock;
Adjustment: Fork and shock rebound only;
Front brake: 260mm disc/Brembo caliper;
Rear brake: 220mm disc/Brembo caliper.
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES:
Wet weight (all fluids but no fuel): 146kg;
Seat height: 890mm;
Fuel capacity: 17-litres (two-litres reserve).
OTHER STUFF:
Test bike supplied by: Husky Motorcycle Imports;
Colour: Blue and yellow;
RRP: $11,395.