Are the new Huskys more reliable than the Italian models?

[MotoXImage]

I absolutely need a dependable bike. Since my 2011 TE310 broke
a valve spring at low rpms I'm having serious doubts about it. I don't push it rpm wise I'm wondering just how dependable it really is. Ironically, on the ride I was thinking about how reliable it's been.

 

[troy deck]

EVERY THING BREAKS SOMETHING FROM TIME TO TIME BUT A 2T NEVER BROKE A VALVE SPRING JUST SAYIN LOL

 

[Trenchcoat85]

I would say that the big blocks were pretty reliable- more so than the modern huskys. Your blackhead and my redhead xlites- I'm not so sure... they seem fairly high-strung (btw, I think you have the titanium valves. Husky went to stainless steel in the redheads, IIRC. anyone?). OTOH, I have 5000 trouble-free single track miles on mine.

I think the newer bikes built on the 350 platform are solid; but not as solid as the early generation bikes.

My opinion is based on a pretty small sample.

 

[MotoXImage]

EVERY THING BREAKS SOMETHING FROM TIME TO TIME BUT A 2T NEVER BROKE A VALVE SPRING JUST SAYIN LOL

My 90 YZ 250 actually had the power valve spring break 1 hr into a 6 hr race. That was the pipiest ride I've even had.

 

[MotoXImage]

I think you have the titanium valves. Husky went to stainless steel in the redheads, IIRC. anyone?). OTOH, I have 5000 trouble-free single track miles on mine.

My opinion is based on a pretty small sample.

Titanium valves makes sense, I didn't know about them being titanium but noticed how light the valve felt when I pulled it out.

 

[juicypips]

No a modern husky is a ktm.
If you are after bullet proof and trouble free riding,
Buy a Suzuki drz 400 get the suspension sorted and rest on the days your buddy'sare maintaining their performance machines

 

[MotoXImage]

No a modern husky is a ktm.

Just to clarify, your saying the Blackhead/ Redhead and older models are more reliable than the New Husky & KTM dual sport models?

 

[rancher1]

I would say they are about the same.

 

[hakkalugi]

Ever ride a DRZ400? Feels like your riding a cast iron furnace. They handle horribly & the 400 motor isnt very impressive. Me and a buddy traded for a little bit on a ride over the summer. No wonder the poor guy can't ever keep up!

Could have just been a faulty spring, it happens. Doesnt seem to be a very common issue on those bikes & if the bike was previously reliable I would fix it & keep runnin it. A new bike is nice though for peace of mind that it is indeed a new bike.

 

[Teambowles]

Imo I'd say the new bikes are better. Owned 449 and 511 now own a fc450 and yes a much better bike but different animal street legal vs dirt. I hate to say it but if you really want dependable and worry free I think the Japanese bikes are still better over ktm/husky. I just wish the jap bikes made more street legal dirt bikes like ktm/husky. Bang for your buck and reliable trouble free riding is what we all want.

 

[MotoXImage]

I get it about Japanese bikes. I realize that by building an underperforming engine you will have less stress on components. I know that there is a tradeoff on performance and reliability. After more searching I found that Tinken of ZipTy recommended these mods to increase reliability.

"Tinken" Four basic things really transform the 250/310 engine.

1. Improved clutch mod which tightens up the clutch, removes chatter.
2. Crank oil relief mod, think Niagara Falls in your rod bearing.
3. Valve/spring kit, Husky .
4. ThinW40/stainless filters, higher flow of oil for the whole engine

 

[juicypips]

Just to clarify, your saying the Blackhead/ Redhead and older models are more reliable than the New Husky & KTM dual sport models?

No just stating that they're ktm now and they have more owners reviews out there to guide you.

Yes i've ridden a drz400 that's why I said get suspension sorted.
Yup big an wollowy but never need valve checks and have big oil change intervals reliable as an anvil.

Which I thought was the alternative answer to another reliable bike.

 

[EUROJulian]

I absolutely need a dependable bike. Since my 2011 TE310 broke
a valve spring at low rpms I'm having serious doubts about it. I don't push it rpm wise I'm wondering just how dependable it really is. Ironically, on the ride I was thinking about how reliable it's been.

This post is flawed as is. How many hours on the motor? Did malfunction happened before schedule spring check, have check been done. What are power up modifications and etc...

It is quite natural that members are seeking help with bike problems on any board. This often leads to negative selection where it seems people talking mostly abut problems. Understanding that I absolutely urge you not to post disgruntled. It harms the brand, community and resale value.

What I take home from this thread is to replace valve springs at next valve adjustment. It is easy to do without need for head removal with proper tools and compressor. Normall stuff on high performance motor.

 

[HuskySnake]

Imo I'd say the new bikes are better. Owned 449 and 511 now own a fc450 and yes a much better bike but different animal street legal vs dirt. I hate to say it but if you really want dependable and worry free I think the Japanese bikes are still better over ktm/husky. I just wish the jap bikes made more street legal dirt bikes like ktm/husky. Bang for your buck and reliable trouble free riding is what we all want.

Reliability vs performance is a question all bike buyers ask them selves when looking for this type of bike. Yes, the DRZ is a great bike but many forget that it was discontinued in Europe ages ago, and grabbing a used one isn't easy, or cheap! If it was possible to buy new DRZ's, or an upgraded model with fuel injection, many would buy them.
Also worth mentioning, DRZ's aren't performance machines. I would rather compair the DRZ to an oversized moped than to a Husky/Berg or KTM.
After only owning one Husky(TE511 2011), i would say i'm impressed. Living in a country where one day its +15C and sun, the next day -5C and 15cm snow, and using the bike every day for commuting (all year round), i've had little to no problems. The're not perfect machines, but the essentials are there, it always starts, and always gets me home, which is what counts. I expected more fuss and problems.
People complain about the maintenance, 'bu huu', it takes 30 min to do an oil change... The trade off for the performance, really can't complain. The problem is like earlier mentioned, so few japanese options in the offroad/Enduro segment available.
Want a reliable machine? Buy the Honda CRF250m, but then again, it's more of a moped than a bike, which is the main issue now days. Honda, make a low weight 500cc version that meets emission regulations and maybe, it would be considered an option to buy.

 

[Teambowles]

I don't see any bashing here. He's asking a question about reliability issues. With the new ktm/husqvarna being very similar with more support and working together yea imo they're better. As far as resale and harming the husky community and brand that's just bs. All bikes have some quirk or issue we all know that. The red heads were very quirky but sexy as hell and I think we all know they're short comings. Japanese bikes aren't perfect either but $11,000 for a new husky/ktm vs $8000 is a big difference. The drz is a fun bike, but agreed not exactly a performance machine but reliable as hell. And as I said before if the Japanese bike makers made a similar platform street legal performance I think they would sell the hell out of them. We put over 5000 miles on each of our 449 and 511 and after sorting them out they ran very well. It's just a matter of preference on bike choice, they're all very good.

 

[MotoXImage]

I don't see any bashing here. He's asking a question about reliability issues. With the new ktm/husqvarna being very similar with more support and working together yea imo they're better. We put over 5000 miles on each of our 449 and 511 and after sorting them out they ran very well. It's just a matter of preference on bike choice, they're all very good.

I'm a former employee of a shop that sells, KTM, Husky, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda. I'm confident that their recommendation is the straight scoop. All recommendations from racers, parts and service employees feel that the new Husky's are great performing bikes and have increased reliability over the previous generation bikes. In fact they were enthusiastic about the new bikes.

For my summer riding an FE 250 would be great here in the mountains. In the desert I still prefer tight trails as opposed to wide open stuff so an FE 350 would be an easy pick since it handles like the 250 but has power similar to a 450. I might be persuaded to get an FE 450 for durability insurance but the extra weight and fuel consumption with the same size tank are probably not worth the reliability difference which is probably minor if not the same other than routine ring, clutch and normal wear and tear parts being more on the smaller steed. A KTM is tempting for the dealer network advantage but thats about the only advantage for my wants and needs. As much as I'd hate to sell "Balto" I think the pain would disappear quickly while riding into the sunset on a new FE 350. Who would blame me?

 

[268fords]

I'm a former employee of a shop that sells, KTM, Husky, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda. I'm confident that their recommendation is the straight scoop. All recommendations from racers, parts and service employees feel that the new Husky's are great performing bikes and have increased reliability over the previous generation bikes. In fact they were enthusiastic about the new bikes.

For my summer riding an FE 250 would be great here in the mountains. In the desert I still prefer tight trails as opposed to wide open stuff so an FE 350 would be an easy pick since it handles like the 250 but has power similar to a 450. I might be persuaded to get an FE 450 for durability insurance but the extra weight and fuel consumption with the same size tank are probably not worth the reliability difference which is probably minor if not the same other than routine ring, clutch and normal wear and tear parts being more on the smaller steed. A KTM is tempting for the dealer network advantage but thats about the only advantage for my wants and needs. As much as I'd hate to sell "Balto" I think the pain would disappear quickly while riding into the sunset on a new FE 350. Who would blame me?

This can be another flawed post. The people who sell you the bike are going to say they are the better bike. Most shops don't know anything about the previous Huskys unfortunately. Very few shops sold Italian husqvarnas, let alone actually saw one. I bought mine from a Yamaha shop in 09' and nobody there knew anything about the bike. They knew about huskys from the 70's, and that was it. There will always be a lemon in the bunch that is nothing like everyone else's machines. In this day and age, every manufacturer makes an excellent bike.

 

[EUROJulian]

I don't see any bashing here. He's asking a question about reliability issues. With the new ktm/husqvarna being very similar with more support and working together yea imo they're better. As far as resale and harming the husky community and brand that's just bs.....

I respect your vision imparment, its cool. I suppose everything can be explained in exhausring details but I don't think I want to get into it, just couple of points.
Resale value, I just paid 2500 us dolars for my 2011 TE250 with 600 miles that retailed 8k. Ouch.... for depreciation. I do not complain about that particular thing, common wine helped me to get great bike for no money, but there are plenty of OO out there that might.
What I do not appreciate personally is the induced thought that I am riding POS in the back country that may break at any moment.
The other day I warched video on the tube "TE250 engine blow up", yep it blew up but I am pretty sure the was no oil in that engine.... hear the warning people: your engine will blow up without oil.... Similarly here, we still do not have details on the posters unreliable bike: hour count, power ads and maintenance details.

 

[MotoXImage]

This can be another flawed post. The people who sell you the bike are going to say they are the better bike. Most shops don't know anything about the previous Huskys unfortunately. Very few shops sold Italian husqvarnas, let alone actually saw one. I bought mine from a Yamaha shop in 09' and nobody there knew anything about the bike. They knew about huskys from the 70's, and that was it. There will always be a lemon in the bunch that is nothing like everyone else's machines. In this day and age, every manufacturer makes an excellent bike.

Ok, flawed post? I'm no rookie. I was a national top selling m/c sales person and am known in the industry. The shop you call into question is Malcolm Smith Motorsports. Hm, do you know who my old boss is? There is nothing flawed about any of my posts. I'm not the one who bought a bike from a shop that knew nothing about it. The flaw is that you have assumed something based on your own previous experience. Did you not read that I worked at this shop? Is it hard to understand that a shop that carries 6 motorcycle lines is not a hillbilly shop? Geez

 

[268fords]

Ok, flawed post? I'm no rookie. I was a national top selling m/c sales person and am known in the industry. The shop you call into question is Malcolm Smith Motorsports. Hm, do you know who my old boss is? There is nothing flawed about any of my posts. I'm not the one who bought a bike from a shop that knew nothing about it. The flaw is that you have assumed something based on your own previous experience. Did you not read that I worked at this shop? Is it hard to understand that a shop that carries 6 motorcycle lines is not a hillbilly shop? Geez

Easy tiger. I didn't call your shop into question at all. I said "most shops". I know exactly who your boss is. I've been to your shop before. I'm not assuming this on my past experience. And in your post, you don't mention what shop you worked at. And when I purchased my husky, Motoxotica stickers were on it. After meeting with Dan, I was directed to this site when it was new. Coffee(Dean) had made this site possible because there was hardly any info out there on husqvarna motorcycles. The only info in magazines, were completely biased towards these bikes.