Hello, So I'm shopping around for a 610/630, my goal with this bike will be 4-5 day camping trips through the Nevada wilderness and eventually working up to the various BDRs and TAT. I've been doing a ton of research on these pages as well as others (ADV, TT) to learn as much as I can about both the 610/630. What are some of the things I should be on the lookout for? I'm well aware of the subfram (or lack there of) as well as the cam chain issues and melting taillights. Is there anything else I should be especially vigilant when looking at these bikes? There is 06' 610 near me that has 24K miles on it. It's on it's 3rd owner and I'm wondering how much I should be concerned about the mileage? Ideally I'll be adding the the odometer quite a bit, should this be a concern. Thanks for any help you can provide, I look forward to owning a 610/630 in the next few months. -Oran
You should be able to score a 610/630 with fewer miles than 24k. Some folks have done more mileage e.g. http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/how-many-miles-post-your-odo.34055/ but it does depend a lot on how well its been maintained. The 06 is a carb model, do you care about carb vs efi? Two things to check for are counter sprocket wear, and the springs/washers in the clutch. (At that distance I would also be concerned about the bearings, suspension, chain, rear sprocket, valves, and probably a bunch of other things too).
Have a good ear out for rod knock. If you can detect an rpm dependent "knock/rattle" under very light load/part throttle that goes away when you close the throttle, don't assume it's valves or cam chain, it might need a bottom end rebuild. Personally I'd look for something with lower mileage.
Thanks gents. There are some more options out there, this one just happens to be the closest to my house. I've got a Beta 350 that has EFI, but I don't really mind carb models. Especially if I end up out in the wilderness and I've got to do some sort of "field repair." I haven't read too many horrible EFI stories coming from the Husky's though so in the end I'm indifferent. I do like to tinker though
One advantage of scoring a 630 is that the SWM 650 looks to be a clone of it, so that should help with parts supply for quite a while. On the 610 you will keep seeing messages about various parts being out of stock in different places - it can be a bit of a hunt around, but usually not impossible.
I'm leaning towards the 630. Honestly, the 690 Enduro keeps popping up also. At this point I'm not sure, I go back and forth. Ultimately I know that which ever I choose I'll make it work for what I want. Sifting throught the internet BS is the hardest part, as I'm sure you're all aware. Again JonDirt thanks for your input.
Same OscarFox that PM'd me on Adv? You know mine's the one you want Actually a number of 610/630's come up for sale every once in a while in the Bay Area, best of luck with your search, which ever bike you pick up. Motoxotica locally, BMP in Oregon, Halls in Indiana are all still really good about parts. Aftermarket farkles are hurting a bit but there are still a few companies out there making some accessories for these bikes. Hopefully SWM bikes will give aftermarket vendors more incentive. Welcome to Cafe Husky.
Yup, that's me. Just waiting on my harley to get sold. Then I can go from casual search to beginning the actual buying process. Thanks
Go the 630 . I had a 610 for 4 years and was going to buy a 690 as i was a little concerned about future husky parts . The negatives on the 690 compared to 610/630 for me where .. Price, height, gearbox tighter ratio gearbox , vibes in bars at 100kph. But it is a lovely very fast machine with plenty of good aftermarket bits. I found a low k stock 630 thats suits me better and i built it up to be more of an adventure bike then my 610 was .
I agree, same negatives for me. After reading through the forums I've got a good idea on what I'm getting myself into with these 630s. While I'll admit I'm no mechanical guru, I actually think it would be a lot of fun to own this bike, even if there may be a steep learning curve in the maintenance side. I'm not afraid I've getting my hands dirty and wrenching, even though I'll probably mess things up here and there. In my opinion it will just make me more intimately familiar with the bike, and I don't see that as a negative.
