Kykdaar
Grey Hound
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 7,610
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Wingate Park - Pretoria
- Bike
- Zundapp (all models)
Unfortunately, Honda in their great wisdom decreed that you can not get one anymore as of 2008 in the USA (Honda RSA stopped importing them long before that in 2004).
So, no more new XR 650R’s can be had and Honda has not yet seen it fit to introduce a replacement, preferring to stick to screaming valve-popping 450’s instead.
What to do then when you have some money in your pocket and you are looking for a new 650 dual sport bike with its roots firmly in the off-road department which can equal, and even better, the legendary XR 650R?
It seems that Husqvarna provides the solution with its TE 610. A true on-off road bike, it trumps the XR in nearly every department whilst introducing such much-needed improvements like electric start and EFI – things that the XR sorely lacked.
The areas were the TE loses out to the XR – e.g. ground clearance and dry weight – is probably indicative of the different roles of the bikes; the XR is by design an enduro bike (made road legal) whilst the TE has been purposefully designed as an on-offroad bike.
Yet, the TE has better suspension, better suspension travel and better brakes than the XR.
Here are some key specs – TE stated first and then the XR figures in brackets after the “-“.
Model Type: On-Off road – (Off road: Enduro)
KW: 39 @ 7000 rpm – (43 @ 6750 rpm)
Torque: 52Nm @ 6500– (67Nm @ 5500)
Starter: Electric – (kick-start)
Fuel: Fuel injected – (carburettor)
Gears: 6 – (5)
Brakes: Brembo – (OEM)
Front suspension: Marzocchi inverted fork; 46mm – (Kabaya telescopic fork; 46mm)
Front suspension travel: 300mm – (284.5mm)
Rear suspension: Sachs – (Prolink/Kabaya)
Rear suspension travel: 320mm – (307.3mm)
Ground clearance: 295mm – (304mm)
Dry weight: 140.5 kg – (126.6kg)
Fuel capacity: 12.5 litre – (9.8 litre)
Tank: lockable – (plastic cap)
Instrumentation: digital – (traditional)
Ignition key: yes – (no)
So, no more new XR 650R’s can be had and Honda has not yet seen it fit to introduce a replacement, preferring to stick to screaming valve-popping 450’s instead.
What to do then when you have some money in your pocket and you are looking for a new 650 dual sport bike with its roots firmly in the off-road department which can equal, and even better, the legendary XR 650R?
It seems that Husqvarna provides the solution with its TE 610. A true on-off road bike, it trumps the XR in nearly every department whilst introducing such much-needed improvements like electric start and EFI – things that the XR sorely lacked.
The areas were the TE loses out to the XR – e.g. ground clearance and dry weight – is probably indicative of the different roles of the bikes; the XR is by design an enduro bike (made road legal) whilst the TE has been purposefully designed as an on-offroad bike.
Yet, the TE has better suspension, better suspension travel and better brakes than the XR.
Here are some key specs – TE stated first and then the XR figures in brackets after the “-“.
Model Type: On-Off road – (Off road: Enduro)
KW: 39 @ 7000 rpm – (43 @ 6750 rpm)
Torque: 52Nm @ 6500– (67Nm @ 5500)
Starter: Electric – (kick-start)
Fuel: Fuel injected – (carburettor)
Gears: 6 – (5)
Brakes: Brembo – (OEM)
Front suspension: Marzocchi inverted fork; 46mm – (Kabaya telescopic fork; 46mm)
Front suspension travel: 300mm – (284.5mm)
Rear suspension: Sachs – (Prolink/Kabaya)
Rear suspension travel: 320mm – (307.3mm)
Ground clearance: 295mm – (304mm)
Dry weight: 140.5 kg – (126.6kg)
Fuel capacity: 12.5 litre – (9.8 litre)
Tank: lockable – (plastic cap)
Instrumentation: digital – (traditional)
Ignition key: yes – (no)
