1990 te510

posted this on the older single cam forum but seems to be a bit of a ghost town anyhow i have come across a 1990 te510 that has been fully rebuilt new rod, piston, bearings etc bike looks to be in very good condition, i may be a able to swap for my 2001 gg200 which again has been fully rebuilt app 100 hrs bottom end 50 top.
the gg200 goes great very manouverable and smooth power.
just want to know from people that have ridden this model 510 if its reliable and nice to ride and a worthwhile cause, i really don't want to see the husky go to someone whoes going to trash it.

The 510 will be a pig in the tight stuff compared to the Gas Gas 200. If you ride MX or wide open tracks etc than the 510 rocks. The 1990 was very much a Cagiva with the great Husky motor. The Swedish influence was fading by then. It should be a nice bike even still.

thanks pez, be more of a firetrail bike, are these things reliable? got a 2007 wr144 and 84 wr430 so this would be a trail finder and be used to go out and find some new trails, just want a quiet bush tourer thats easy to ride and wont leave me stranded.

It's a 24 yr old bike. I wouldn't take it anywhere where if it broke down you would be in trouble. The biggest issue with these four strokes is learning how to start them. The SEM Ignitions are prone to fail due to the heat and age. Modern replacement stators are available as are the CDI/HV units. Make sure it has spark before you buy it. Learn how to start it and enjoy a great motor.

thanks again pez, i have read elsewhere the ignitions can be an achilles heal but where i ride i am always in phone range, i will do the swap if the guys still interested.

The issue with any bike, such as the one you are contemplating buying is not that it is a 24 year old bike or a 40 or even a 5 year old bike. It has to do with the state of tune and ones ability to ensure it is in top mechanical condition. Too many times you see someone out riding an older bike such as a Husky, and the guy has problems with it. And it's simply down to the guy is a hack mechanic, out riding a clap trap bike with all sorts of bodges, or worn out parts, etc. Yet, this is the sort of thing that ads to the negative reputation these bikes and others get. I've owned and ridden various old vintage Husky's and Italian exotic street bikes where I was the oddball, the odd man out and the majority of others would question rising such an old or rare bike. Of course, all my bikes were in top running condition. No bodges, no cobbled together components. Anything broken or wore out would be fixed. And things adjusted properly. Otherwise I wouldn't be out riding it. That's just me, but I think if you look over the bike, check it out good, and if you buy it, fix properly any area that is questionable, and maintain it properly you won't have any problems. I don't buy the notion that just because somethings old that means you have to worry or not go far on it. Half the fun for me is being able to ride it like any bike and scoff at the naysayers!

totally agree, maintenance is the key to reliability thats why i always buy bikes cheap with known issues or buy from enthusiasts rather than the cheap skate thrashes that abuse the crap out of the bikes and then sell them off, maybe its just snobbery but if a bike is being sold in a less than standard suburb i usually give it a wide birth.the owner of the 510 is mature and works away but the chances of selling the bike for what he wants are very slim as the age will put alot of people off, so hence the swap more chance of off loading the newer gasgas than the husky.

I have had an 1988 te510 since 1997 and got a 1999 te410 not too far from new perhaps in 2002. Both can be frustrating to start hot. Even watching pro moto x when there were perhaps one third two strokes in the main event the guys that fell over and stalled generally kicked until exhausted. I suppose with hot start button and perhaps the new fuel injection things are different now. The 1999 wasn't too bad eventually if I would not attempt to start it for two minutes but otherwise it was worse. This is following the instructions of the previous owner. Perhaps tinkering with the jets and such would improve it.

I have to ask why would it need a rod kit? There must be nice ones that were so frustrating to start the owners just got ktm 300 and it sat. Make your own assumption about parts availability in the future, BMW has a better reputation in this regard than KTM and we all know about the ownership change. I suspect the frame on a 1990 is much improved like the 1999 over the sweedish ones with real pockets to support the swingarm pivot. There is still no head mount just front and rear like the bikes of this section at least the ones I have.

I will note that threre is no real oil pump on these it kind of uses splash and a reed valve with crankcase pressure to get the oil up top. I don't ride mine hard (often and or long) but I have yet to wear out the lower end. I have had to replace the cam chain a few times.

thaks fran, the bike was totally rebuilt all bearings replaced etc, starting hot will be something i will have to get used to, got to hear from the guy and hopefully do the swap.

I have owned a 1987 510 TX since 1988 and love it. I struggled with starting it for the first 2 years and then switched the stock Del Orto carb for a 38mm Mikuni flat slide and my starting problem vanished for good!! It now starts with 2 or 3 kicks max when hot, cold or anywhere in between. I have ridden the wheels off of it and have never had any big problems with it. I have gone thru the motor 2 times only because of wear, not because anything has gone BOOM! Just run a quality 4 stroke motorcycle oil and change it often. I run Spectro synthetic in mine.

Hi I have an 87 TE and the Dellorto is not cutting it. I want to do the Mikuni Swap. Is it the TM3885 with 47mm dia intake and could you at least give me your jetting so I have some kind of start vs 2stroke jetting. does the Mikuni return to idle immediately? Thank You

I have no clue if it is the exact model you refer to. I just know I bought it new from White Bros. when they were still in business and it bolted right on with no modifications necessary. It returns to idle, runs well and, wait for it... IT ACTUALLY STARTS!!! My base jetting for sea level with premium grade pump gas is:
230- main jet
40- pilot
389P8- needle jet, (nozzle)
1.0- air correction jet
6FJ41- needle w/clip on bottom groove, (richest setting)
4.0 slide
air screw 1 3/4 turns out

This jetting seems to work well for most any elevation I have encountered. The few times I have run race fuel I had to raise the clip 1 or 2 positions and drop the main 1 or 2 sizes.

Thank you very much RW. I have been trying everything with this Dell and I do not like the feel when shutting off the throttle or the inconsistent starting. I appreciate the real world info from a longtime owner.
Marc