+1 on that. Do not have the 650 but you can tell they are different personalities just by looking at them. For those concerned with longevity, get the 650 to take over Highway and commuting duty and keep the 630 for what it was intended for- dirt. My dealer and I were discussing the new bikes, and he flat out told me to keep my 630's (SM + TE) and not to sell them. Mine are definite keepers
"My dealer and I were discussing the new bikes, and he flat out told me to keep my 630's (SM + TE) and not to sell them. Mine are definite keepers" After completeing the 20.000km inspection, the new BMW/Husky dealer who´s just opened here told me the same. And he tried to get hold of the last 630 stock on the same day. There was only one low mileage 630 left.
Thanks for the feedback Ken. As a fellow 630 owner I'm interested in your opinion as to how much better the 650 is on the road, say for longer runs at 70mph. Am also interested in how tough a stuff it can handle off road. I've only got the one bike, which is well sorted with Arrow pipes, JD, Seat Concepts seat etc & can't imagine that the improvement on road would be that significant, and certainly not worth the much reduced off road ability. Regards, Russ
Russ, the 630 is fine on the road at 70 although the bar tingle is definitely more than on the 650. The Terra is very smooth and I will be taking it out for multi-week trips, where as the 630 will be for trail rides (several thousand miles) that are more off-road oriented. The 650 feels more stable at high speed, as it should, with less suspension travel, more weight, better road tires, etc. Some of the members here, such as Johgil and CJBrown, have really put their 630's thru their paces out west, such as Death Valley, where I have not pushed mine too hard yet in that regard. I will be trying to catch up with them next year out there. The 630 is a powerful middle weight and when the trail gets steep and rough, I will more than likely be on my Yamaha WR250R as it is much lighter and closer to a "dirt bike". I'm just fortunate to have all three. The only things holding me back from racking up really long miles on the 630 is the issue with the clutch spring cups and the cam chain service intervals. I really, really, don't understand why the cam chain needs to be replaced so often according the the manufacturers recommendations. How can it be doing that much more work compared to other bikes in the same displacement range. Is the chain just weak? It can't be spinning that much more than other machines. Regardless, I'll just ride it and do the necessary work when needed. I just rode the Forever West ride, about 2500 miles, across Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, and the bike never missed a beat whether on slow rough roads or on the highway. Just beautiful. There were spots on that ride, which is fairly easy, that would have had me endoing on the 650 at the speeds we were riding where the 630 just soaked it up with no complaints. The extra weight and low suspension travel, as well as the less capable forks, etc., mean riding the 650 with more disgression. I won't be asking it to do the same things as my other dual sports. And vice versa! I just wanted the 650 to take me far afield on the highway and give me the opportunity to explore when I get there. Burr Trail, White Rim Trail, portions of the TAT, Forest Roads and some jeep trails. This summer I will spend July in Colorado, taking all three bikes, and will try to use them appropriately. I'm also considering doing the ALCAN 5000 in 2014, and that would be on the 650. Hope that helps.
True! I found the cam chain being replaced at 20.000 kms during its first official service stop a bit disconcerting too.
Thanks Ken, appreciate the real-world feedback. Boy you really rack up the miles, much more than I have the time for I'm afraid. I'm envious! Yes, the one bike isn't really working for me and I've been toying with the idea of a second. The 630 is too heavy for the really tight stuff, so thinking of something like a 350EXC & a longer-legged off road capable bike like an 800GS. But that'd leave me with a very tough decision about selling the 630, as I simply love it and would miss it greatly on open fire trail type riding, where it's awesome fun. I am curious as to why people are going for the 650, when it weights much the same as an 800 twin. I'd have thought the twin would be a far better option for long distance touring & be as capable as the 650 off road. Perhaps it's a cost thing, i.e. the 650 is great bang for the buck. Anyway, enjoy your stable. Regards, Russ PS The Webb stand arrived safely & is going on this weekend. Thanks again Ken!
Here's a fellow that has quite a few miles on his. The videos a little long but at one point he goes into detail about engine failure due to the cam chain. He openly states that it was his fault for not replacing it as the service manual states. May or may not be a point of interest to you. BTW he just posted this video a month ago but he's owned the bike since '07.
Good info, but that's a 610, which is known to have more cam chain issues than the 630 we've been talking about. The 630's don't wear cam chains nearly as fast as the 610, but they still don't last like a Jap bike.
Why off topic??? I was only aware of the cam chain issue when I went in for the bike´s first service. And why is the 610/630 so prone to cam chain wear?
610 is more prone than the 630, I don't think anybody's put their finger on the big red X yet as to why though. 12,000 miles isn't TOO unreasonable for a cam chain, heck an Aprilia SXV would have already had two scheduled engine rebuilds at that point... Also, what's with the exhaust in that video? it looks aftermarket/homebuilt and is tucked up real tight. Bandwidth is too slow to watch it at the moment here at work...
Interesting to hear comparos on the 630 vs 650. I still like my 630. It works for what I bought it for. And it still pretty much looks like new, less than 4K miles on it. The Tiger is racking up miles, more in the first three months than the husky got in a year. Now THATS a hiway machine!
Mine is one of first TE630 (I think), dated May, 13th, 2010 (I do remember that day better than my marriage). She has (we use to give bikes female attribute) something more than 10.000 Km on her, no engine issue and only standard maintainance. I'm also using her for commuting, as soon as I can; pretty perfect for me with her new Saharas.
Hi guys....just got my engine back today from its tear down /inspection/overhaul .I have not quite 28,000k's on the motor .Here is what Robbie at Lang's offroad found . Cam chain ...worn out and replaced , rings ...still in very good condition ...but replaced . Crank bearings and bearings in the gear box where showing a bit of wear so they replaced also .My clutch looked good and nothing needed changing . Overall the engine was in great shape ....I believe the 630 is a keeper for sure KP
Interesting to note that your bike did not experience any of the so called clutch basket spring symptoms many fear..
I here you, and I did ask about it and... Robbie just told me ...normal wear ,nothing out of order and keep riding.If anything was even a little wrong , Rob would have replaced it without hesitation. KP
Great news Kevin. We don't plan on replacing ours for a long time. We have 9,000 and 6,000 on them and will just have Rob do a check up on things this winter. Randy
Just got in from my shake down ride. No problems and the bike is running perfect! We will have to get out for a ride in the spring sometime Randy
I replaced my cam chain and the folks at advrider said it wasn't necessary to replace the tensioner and I have to say I agree with them. I like Nerb1 but I think he is mistaken as to the cause of his cam chain failure, the tensioner is a very simple mechanism. Here is the thread I am referring to at advrider.com: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/cam-chain-tensioner-help.1117439/
I'd appreciate some feedback as to how the 630s are holding up as they get older & rack up higher mileage. Mine has just had a top end rebuild to fix damage caused when the clutch basket broke, with the invoice for the work done attached. While the bike was being repaired I bought a new 701, which I'm not really loving. Whilst it definitely has infectious power, its gearing is poor & suspension harsh - beats me up on any expressway sections. I think the 630 is a nicer all round bike - still plenty of go, a bit softer, great gearing & more relaxed & comfortable. I was intending to do the logical thing and sell the 630, as it's 5.5 years old with 28000kms, & keep the 701 (3000kms), but am now having second thoughts as the 630 is going like a rocket & feels so sweet. Am seriously considering selling the 701 instead, which seems crazy. My only concerns are longevity and parts availability. What sort of relatively trouble free miles do you think I could expect from the rebuilt motor? I have owned the bike from new & it has been well maintained. I don't want to keep both, as they're basically the same class of bike - would prefer the second bike to be something more dirt focused, such as a 501.
