klr vs husky sm 610 (long)
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:46 am
Now for the report you've been anxiously awaiting!. My son just purchased a
new Husqvarna 610 SM. Thats the super motard version of their 610 dual sport
enduro. As hard as I pushed the KLR the final vote went to the 610. This
bike is just plain awesome!. For those of you (us) who like the "sm" look,
this is your bike. Forget about the Suzuki, its a paltry 400cc. You'll be
winding it out on the freeway like a minibike. The 610 is happily spinning
along at 70MPH with no problems.
Obviously a more race oriented company, many parts are simply added on or
clamped as an afterthought (like the crappy fuel evaporative control
system), but they are easily removed with no evidence of their ever being
there. The plastic is pretty nice but the headlight is very tiny. The little
grill on the headlight is cheesy and the rear fender looks like it could
easily be snapped off its mounting. The plastic fuel tank is pretty small at
just a couple of gallons but the covers look very nice. The passenger foot
pegs are bolted on and they look like an afterthought. I think they are. I
don't see a lot of 2-up riding on the skinney seat. Remembert, this is a
race bred bike. The entire bike smacks of quality. Unlike the reported
"cheap" feel and look of some KLR appointments, the Husky is very classy.
Well worth the $7400 pricetag. That's 2 grand more than the KLR, but its got
some serious hardware attached to that beautifully welded frame. The forks
look like a sumo wrestler's thighs. Inverted "Mar"-something or anothers,
Brembo brakes that will do stoppies if you aren't careful, race bred rear
shock and spring. Fat spoked wheels that look like they came off a SCA
sports car, Pirelli Diablo radial tires-and so on.
The speed/tach gage is a little, tiny LCD digital readout with bars. This
seems to be the trend in these supermotard bikes. I really don't like it.
When I ride I find myself looking at the position of the gage needles rather
than the actual numbers. With a digital readout you have to read the
numbers. Plus you have to push buttons to get the right settings every time
you start it. Its like a treadmill readout, you have choices at the touch of
a button. The gage is located below my field of view. I didn't like this,
but I suppose you get used to some things.
The seat is the proverbial "padded banana". Not all that uncomfortable but
then not that bad. Its much better than the Suzuki DR. I can't see 500 miles
days! For you "iron butt" riders, you may want to consider "rubber butt"
because the seat feels like iron.
The carb is sort of wierd. Its a Kehein but it has an accelerator pump and 2
chokes, one for cold start and one for hot start. You need to use them both
at the appropriate time. I find this setup sort of goofy. If you don't like
the location of the KLR choke wou really won't like the Husky. They are both
on the carb, located very near each other. You really have to get used to
this bike. So far the idle is very unstable. It wants to idle at 2000 RPM.
When we set it lower it re-sets itself to the higher number. So far I've
dialled it down 4 times, and it just pulls itself back up to 2000. The
dealer was no help.
So how does it ride? I got to take the demo bike out and beat it, I mean
ride it, a bit. After getting off my KLR and right on the Husky it ffelt
much lighter. At 313 pounds, it is. The muffler sounds like a Supertrap, but
it isn't. Really barks. Just touch the throttle and it snaps to a higher
RPM. I took off at what I thought was a moderate pace, letting the clutch
out and twisting the throttle gently in the dealer's lot and promptly pulled
a mild wheelie! This thing has Torque, with a capital "T". Reportedly it
will hold a wheelies in gears 1 through 3 with no effort. I believe it. On
the road the vibration is about the same as the KLR. Maybe a little harsher,
but not much. Everything is so tight. Remember, the bike was brand new. The
throttle response is just as good on the road as in the lot. Just roll a
little and you're there. About 53 horses really gets the work done. HIgh
speed acceleration is not neck snapping. Its really similar to the KLR.
Faster, but not sport bike land. Handling is pretty much what you'd expect.
Actually I was a bit disappointed. My KLR has street tires on it, Dunlop
607's and the handling felt almost the same. I can flick the KLR very nicely
through the cones and the Husky was very comparable. I can only imagine what
the KRL would do with low profile radial 17 inch tires.
To sum up this rather long report, style and looks; SM 610 over KLR;
-handling, KLR-equal, engine-SM 610 a bit over KLR, comfort; KLR a bit over
SM 610, fit and finish SM 610 over KLR, but the 08 may change this; Riding,
KLR over SM 610, dealer support; don't know, I don't go to my dealer for
anything but parts, web support; KLR over Husky; "gotta have one" factor
Husky over KLR.
Overall if style is your thing this may be your bike. If you're a "gotta
have" guy or gal, go for Husky. For total performance I"m sure the 610 will
outperform the KLR. But then the $2000 should buy something. My choice will
be the KLR. Its a little more "together" than the SM. The Husky feels like a
racer, but then it really is. The bike is just a little too edgy for me.
We haven't gotten to the parts thing yet and we've already found the on line
support is rather thin. Dealer support is about non-existant. Our local
dealer also sells Harley. That should pretty much expalin things in that
department.
Husqvarna motorcycle is now owned by Cagiva, the Italian company who also
owns MV Augusta. Their influence shows. The bike is a real "machine" in
every sense of the word. Loaded with character. Unlike the KLR which is more
market driven, more intent on satisfying a broader range of customers and
selling in big numbers, the Husky will probably appeal to a small segment.
Much like the other European bikes. Its a lot cheaper than the BMW G bike
and much better looking, to me. The budding supermotard market should really
eat this thing up. Its a great bike. Ducati's new "Hyper motard" is expected
to really open up that market as is Aprilia's proposed supermotard. Maybe an
"SM-KLR" is in the offing? I doubt it, but then again did we really think
we'd get a new KLR in 08?
Have fun boys and girls and ride often; ride safe!
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