2013 Husqvarna 650 Terra

[CCer]

Originally Posted by johngil

Nice job, Dale. Hope to ride with you again soon. Maybe on the 630, or maybe even a Terra. Who knows?

Thanks John, looking forward to one of your epic rides, no matter the bike you're on.

[johngil]

Dale is a great rider and I value his opinion here. He also immediately offered me up a test ride on his new scoot.
I'm not going to take him up on that, but will be anxious to hear how things progress for him with this bike.
He has other more suitable dirt options, as I do, so I think our expectations of what the bike is for and what it does well are similar.

Gotta love ADV for some real world opinions.

[Phreaky Phil]

How is the fuel consumption working out. My 07 Dakar would get 26kmpl touring 2up. That's around or better than 60mpg.
One would hope the Husky is getting the same or better. ?

[rickypanecatyl]

Originally Posted by LukasM

So who owns or has ridden both 690 and Terra enough to make a comparison between the engines?

I always liked the idea of an "adventurized" X-Challenge but the tractor engine put me to sleep knowing what a powerful single like a 690 or my FE570 feels like...

I'm curious as well! I'll be in Washington state Friday the 9th of November for a couple weeks and then traveling down the coast to California/Mexico on my '11 690. If anyone with a Terra wants to swap back and forth to get a feel for the 690 give me a pm. Maybe we could even do a mini-shootout!

[Gryphon12]

Ok, with the same basic engine with the same transmission ratios and producing 20% more HP and you think the fuel economy will be the same or better? Really? Essentially a free power upgrade? I expect a 20% drop, and given the trade-off, that's ok.

[johngil]

I would take my 630 almost anywhere off road. Maybe a few rare exceptions depending on my menstrual cycle, but true enough.
The reality is that I don't really want to ride pavement the way I have it set up.
While very similar in purpose, I wouldn't feel foolish owning a 650 and a 630 at the same time.

[Phreaky Phil]

Originally Posted by Gryphon12

Ok, with the same basic engine with the same transmission ratios and producing 20% more HP and you think the fuel economy will be the same or better? Really? Essentially a free power upgrade? I expect a 20% drop, and given the trade-off, that's ok.

Yes I do expect it to be as good. The bike is lighter than a Dakar and it only uses the power it needs to propel itself at the same given speed so may use less throttle than the Dakar for the same speed, so may use even less fuel ! BMW 800 GS's are apparently very frugal on gas And will do similar mpg to the 650's. For me the fuel economy is one of the engines great features, it allows you to carry less fuel to go same distance as other bikes. ( therefore you dont need as bigger tank) On a trip around the South Island on New Zealand a riding buddy on his Dakar was only using 2/3 of the fuel as my R80GS.

[Flashback]

Originally Posted by CCer

Turning off onto the road, the bike suddenly changes personality and gains weight, feeling a lot like the 800 and not at all like the 570. Last weekend I had come down this road on the 570 in the opposite direction with Tuff Enuff and my memory is of a somewhat-maintained, pleasant fire road. Now I'm having to stand up to absorb the ruts and undulations of the road, I have to watch my speed so I don't over-cook the corners, and don't feel all that much in control. In fairness no one would expect the 650 to come anywhere close to the 570, but the difference is stark, more than I thought it would be. I had had this small germ of a thought in my mind that maybe the 650 was all I needed and the 570 could be sold to get the bike count back to 2, but that ain't gonna happen.

I really like this bike. It's not too big, not too small, ... I don't think I've bonded this well with one since the 76 XT500.

Well, if you've read this far and don't own one you're obviously obsessed with getting information about the bike. Just be done with it and go buy one.

Dale

Nice fair assessment.

I've been through the F800GS pair down too. The F800GS was every bit as much a pig as it weighed and by the time I sold it I had wished I hadn't bought it at all and gone with a bigger 1200GS for street riding because when you got the F800GS airborne landings always hurt and good god does it crash hard with very $$$ expensive repair bills. My F650GS single was a great highway bike but lacked the off-highway abilities that match how I ride.

The 650 single engine is the bomb though and I'm always keeping an eye out to see if that engine will ever make it into a proper long-distance dirt hauler like the 650 Dakar again.

You have confirmed my suspicions about the 650 Terra frame...tall bike, not enough suspension. Heavy street/commuter bike good for tooling around urban areas but still won't handle my hooliganism off road. There is the X-Challenge for those who want the 650 engine in a proper off-road oriented bike. Then there are also the 570/640/630 dual sport side of the road and the littler 250s and 400s etc.

I have to say though, for pairing down to a single bike the DR650 has done me wonderfully at 370 lbs fully fueled and loaded. 44 hp stock, closer to 50hp with some carb mods. Second gear power on wheelies are a breeze, just sit back and hit the gas. Hauls all my gear on iron butt days, can travel comfortably @ 80+ on the highways, gets 50+ gas mileage, and that's all on knobs so that I can quickly hop off onto the single track of the TAT and other cross-country trail systems.

I put 30,000 miles on my F800GS in just over 1.5 years of riding. Dumped it for the DR650 and put more than 20,000 miles on the DR650 in just over a year (on the stock seat...yes I have an iron butt). A good several thousand miles of that riding has been on real off-road like riding the jeep trails across the peaks of the Blue Ridge and the Hattfield/McCoy trails on the western side of the Appalachians.

The more weight that a bike carries the better suspension that is needed to make it work off-road. So if the suspension isn't there, neither are the off-road capabilities. Weight counts and so does suspension. Can't get around physics.

[CCer]

Originally Posted by Flashback

Nice fair assessment.

I've been through the F800GS pair down too. The F800GS was every bit as much a pig as it weighed and by the time I sold it I had wished I hadn't bought it at all and gone with a bigger 1200GS for street riding because when you got the F800GS airborne landings always hurt and good god does it crash hard with very $$$ expensive repair bills. My F650GS single was a great highway bike but lacked the off-highway abilities that match how I ride.

The 650 single engine is the bomb though and I'm always keeping an eye out to see if that engine will ever make it into a proper long-distance dirt hauler like the 650 Dakar again.

You have confirmed my suspicions about the 650 Terra frame...tall bike, not enough suspension. Heavy street/commuter bike good for tooling around urban areas but still won't handle my hooliganism off road. There is the X-Challenge for those who want the 650 engine in a proper off-road oriented bike. Then there are also the 570/640/630 dual sport side of the road and the littler 250s and 400s etc.

I have to say though, for pairing down to a single bike the DR650 has done me wonderfully at 370 lbs fully fueled and loaded. 44 hp stock, closer to 50hp with some carb mods. Second gear power on wheelies are a breeze, just sit back and hit the gas. Hauls all my gear on iron butt days, can travel comfortably @ 80+ on the highways, gets 50+ gas mileage, and that's all on knobs so that I can quickly hop off onto the single track of the TAT and other cross-country trail systems.

I put 30,000 miles on my F800GS in just over 1.5 years of riding. Dumped it for the DR650 and put more than 20,000 miles on the DR650 in just over a year (on the stock seat...yes I have an iron butt). A good several thousand miles of that riding has been on real off-road like riding the jeep trails across the peaks of the Blue Ridge and the Hattfield/McCoy trails on the western side of the Appalachians.

The more weight that a bike carries the better suspension that is needed to make it work off-road. So if the suspension isn't there, neither are the off-road capabilities. Weight counts and so does suspension. Can't get around physics.

Good post. I guess the definition of the single do-all bike depends on what's important to you. Just like you're leaning toward dirt prowess, others want the street basis, and that's where the Terra shines. It's, as many have already said, a great street bike, in part because of its weight. And as others have also said, it should be a great lightweight adventure bike. If I was forced to pick one bike from my three, this is the keeper.

[CCer]

Originally Posted by Phreaky Phil

How is the fuel consumption working out. My 07 Dakar would get 26kmpl touring 2up. That's around or better than 60mpg.
One would hope the Husky is getting the same or better. ?

Just checked the computer which has been reported as accurate by those who've checked, 401 miles / 7.14 gallons used = 56 mpg. The one tank I checked calculated at just over 60 which I thought sounded to good to true. Excellent either way for me.

[Thinc2]

Originally Posted by Flashback

Nice fair assessment.

I've been through the F800GS pair down too. The F800GS was every bit as much a pig as it weighed and by the time I sold it I had wished I hadn't bought it at all and gone with a bigger 1200GS for street riding because when you got the F800GS airborne landings always hurt and good god does it crash hard with very $$$ expensive repair bills. My F650GS single was a great highway bike but lacked the off-highway abilities that match how I ride.

The 650 single engine is the bomb though and I'm always keeping an eye out to see if that engine will ever make it into a proper long-distance dirt hauler like the 650 Dakar again.

You have confirmed my suspicions about the 650 Terra frame...tall bike, not enough suspension. Heavy street/commuter bike good for tooling around urban areas but still won't handle my hooliganism off road. There is the X-Challenge for those who want the 650 engine in a proper off-road oriented bike. Then there are also the 570/640/630 dual sport side of the road and the littler 250s and 400s etc.

I have to say though, for pairing down to a single bike the DR650 has done me wonderfully at 370 lbs fully fueled and loaded. 44 hp stock, closer to 50hp with some carb mods. Second gear power on wheelies are a breeze, just sit back and hit the gas. Hauls all my gear on iron butt days, can travel comfortably @ 80+ on the highways, gets 50+ gas mileage, and that's all on knobs so that I can quickly hop off onto the single track of the TAT and other cross-country trail systems.

I put 30,000 miles on my F800GS in just over 1.5 years of riding. Dumped it for the DR650 and put more than 20,000 miles on the DR650 in just over a year (on the stock seat...yes I have an iron butt). A good several thousand miles of that riding has been on real off-road like riding the jeep trails across the peaks of the Blue Ridge and the Hattfield/McCoy trails on the western side of the Appalachians.

The more weight that a bike carries the better suspension that is needed to make it work off-road. So if the suspension isn't there, neither are the off-road capabilities. Weight counts and so does suspension. Can't get around physics.

I didn't even realize the DR650 was still sold...

After looking at the specs, I like the DR a lot...

[LukasM]

Originally Posted by Thinc2

I didn't even realize the DR650 was still sold...

After looking at the specs, I like the DR a lot...

The current DR is basically unchanged since 1995 and they stopped selling it in Europe more than 10 years ago. They are not going to bring it back ever, simply not possible with a carbureted air cooled engine with a 20 year old design for emission reasons. Unless you restrict it to 5-10 HP or so, which is how KTM does it to get to their dirt bikes (4- and 2-strokes!) street legal.

[ducnut]

^^^ I was up at Hall's, last Thursday. They said you'd fashioned some kind of winshield.

I was thinking that any kind of leftover windshield could be fashioned to work. In looking at the bike, I figured on using plastic spacers and longer bolts, over the original piece. Mask off a general shape on a leftover shield and jigsaw away. I did that, on the Cal-Sci on my 1050. I dressed the edges with sandpaper and a buffer.

BTW, the Husky accessory windshield looks woefully inadequate.

[modeselector]

Originally Posted by BigDogAdventures.com

[SIZE="2"][B]
OK----now I want a little windshield.
No telling when Husky will make me one---but they say one is coming.
So---you see the original which is no bigger than the headllight shroud.
And you see that $5 wastebasket behind it-------HHHhhhMMMmmmm.. ????????

Good thinking BigDog~another plus is that it DOES flex some in the event of a

[Ogre_fl]