getting rid of TE310

[fasteer]

I have a job, wife & son, so I'm lucky if I get away for 10 to 15 days a year of riding.
The 2011 TE310 died on Friday in the first 1/2 hour of what was to be a 3-day ride.
Fuel pump - as has been noted by others in the forum.
It's the second time the TE has failed on the trails and will be the last; I'm getting rid of it.

(The DRZ was a heavy old girl, but never made me walk in 4 years and 10 times as many miles as the TE.)

What should I replace it with?
Factory dual-sport about 300-cc, light with good power & suspension... seems to be a pretty limited number of choices !

 

[henson802]

I hear good things about the KTM 350 (enduro, street legal) if you got the money for it , 9.5k I think.

 

[Woodsrider101]

If you want proven 4 stroke durability, get a Honda XR400 or XR250. They are cheap to buy and super easy maintenance. Or get a Husqvarna WR250 or KTM250XCW 2 stroke, they are also very reliable and easy maintenance also. The new four strokes with the fuel injection seem unreliable in all brands. And very costly to repair. My 2 cents for what its worth.

 

[SAM511]

I have a job, wife & son, so I'm lucky if I get away for 10 to 15 days a year of riding.
The 2011 TE310 died on Friday in the first 1/2 hour of what was to be a 3-day ride.
Fuel pump - as has been noted by others in the forum.
It's the second time the TE has failed on the trails and will be the last; I'm getting rid of it.

(The DRZ was a heavy old girl, but never made me walk in 4 years and 10 times as many miles as the TE.)

What should I replace it with?
Factory dual-sport about 300-cc, light with good power & suspension... seems to be a pretty limited number of choices !

If you are not wanting Husky, I would purchase either a KTM 350EXC or HUSABERG FE390.

 

[dave lindsey]

I don't blame you one bit....Ive never been stranded by any dirt bike...mine (10TE310) started having fuel pump issues...or maybe it was the fuel filter...not sure...followed Older Husky Rider's lead and got the after market pump and filter..havent has any issues since...Im leaning towards getting a wr300. Still carbed, lighter...Im starting to wonder about the FI...and the above post was accurate...in saying its all brands...there must be a reason for this??? Cars dont have problems with the FI...my street bike never had any problems with the FI...dont know what the answer is...when you hear about people carring batteries and FI pumps in the backpacks...to go ride...screw that...just sayin.

 

[glangston]

Beta 350 RS

CARBED, 39mm

Although I have 2 efi bikes that have not failed, I share your concern.

Build Your Own Bike seems to be a good option...just depends on your needs.

 

[PALMER84ONE]

Beta 350 RS

CARBED, 39mm

Although I have 2 efi bikes that have not failed, I share your concern.

Build Your Own Bike seems to be a good option...just depends on your needs.

Your an instigator! Not as bad as me but still, an instigator.
My EFI has left me stranded out in a ravine and I was towed out by a KTM Carb bike. My primary bike will now be my carburetor bike when adventuring far. Fasteer, I feel your frustration.

 

[7point62]

They laughed at me when I bought an old Husky with a carb. They laughed even harder when they found out the carb was a Mikuni. No bother - I grew up with GSXRs and Mikuni pumpers. We are lucky in the UK 'cos we have a Mikuni dealer called Allens that supply hard to find parts (and priceless knowledge). My '04 starts straight away (hot or cold), it pulls like a train and it wheelies off the throttle whether I want it to or not. It's true that I don't have to deal with massive elevation changes here, but neither do I have to worry about it breaking and having to pay $100's to get it fixed (and the long push home). FI is great when it works, but FI on road plated bikes is a pos - (lean in most places and rich where it has to pass a noise test) and fixing it takes far more than a couple of jets, a needle and a morning on a quiet road...

I also have to say (and this may prove unpopular!) that XRs are only reliable because they don't make enough power in stock trim to wear themselves out. My (moderately tweaked) XR600R expired messily numerous times - guilty parties include the stator, the CDI, ignition coil, kickstart ring gear, clutch basket, 4th gear countershaft pinion (bang!!!), small end, two kickstarts and the choke flap on the stock carb (snapped in half and went straight through the engine). The paint and plate was also pretty average. It was a great bike on the wide open stuff though - forgiving and felt lighter, narrower and better suspended than it actually was. The wide rato gearbox also meant that dicking around with final drive ratios was seldom needed. Pity it never actually got to the finish...
Palmer - your new acquisition syndrome is infectious and the new toy looks good - hope it works out great for you mate!

 

[Tessier]

My DRZ left me stranded more times then I have fingers to count. That POS would punch through clutch covers like I was running through girlfriends at the time. I'd dump the cash on carbon covers to guard it and a rock would punch them both out just to piss me off! Then finally she decided to puke her coolant and oil out in the middle of a race. I should have just left it on the trail.

My point is that everyone has bike that just never ran right for them. The next guy who buy's your bike might have great luck with it since you sorted it out for him. My general though is that if your not feeling it, it's gonna take a lot of time to build confidence to the point where your comfortable trusting it so ya dump it and move onto something else. BTW When I bought my TE the KTM was 3K more. That's allot of spare parts! Best of luck!

 

[7point62]

...My point is that everyone has bike that just never ran right for them...

This is the truth. When I sold my pos XR I was brutally honest about it to the guys who came to pick it up (and handed over good money for it). Subsequently a mutual friend would tell me (every weekend) about how my old XR was an absolute missile and never missed a beat...

There are very few models of bikes these days that are absolute pups - most of the time it is just a run of bad luck - but the Husky fuel pump issues shook my confidence with the newer bikes.

 

[PALMER84ONE]

EFI bikes just don't give enough confidence to ride alone and way out in the boonies. I mean, I really love my 08 TE450 with 6,800 on it and over 300 hours. The pump has never failed but in the back of my mind the fear is always there. I didn't like the 2011 449/511, with non-conventional fuel tank so I found the 09 in AZ. That bike has given me a knife to the side with the "C" clip falling off the oil pump gear. Why would that happen I ask myself, (poor assembly) IMHO. I love my 08 SM610, just don't ride it enough to justify keeping it. IDK, I might just keep them all. Having the 08 SM EFI and only riding tarmac is no problem.
Thanks 7point62 I will love the new RS520 for sure, can't wait to break it in, everyone I talk to tells me at 600+ miles they just seem to open up.

 

[southy]

My DRZ left me stranded more times then I have fingers to count. That POS would punch through clutch covers like I was running through girlfriends at the time. I'd dump the cash on carbon covers to guard it and a rock would punch them both out just to piss me off! Then finally she decided to puke her coolant and oil out in the middle of a race. I should have just left it on the trail.

My point is that everyone has bike that just never ran right for them. The next guy who buy's your bike might have great luck with it since you sorted it out for him. My general though is that if your not feeling it, it's gonna take a lot of time to build confidence to the point where your comfortable trusting it so ya dump it and move onto something else. BTW When I bought my TE the KTM was 3K more. That's allot of spare parts! Best of luck!

Punching holes in side cases is not really a reliability issue but more a crash damage issue. I put aluminium guards on mine and they coped a beating without any damage to side covers. When my 610 left me stranded a couple weeks back because the FI wouldn't run with a flat battery I was wishing I had my carbed DRZ back.

 

[R_Little]

My '10 TE250 is finially running good....did take more messing with than anyother bike I've owned and I still would not dare race it of take it far off road.

I gotta say if you can deal with limited power and don't race, the Yamaha WR250r is a good little DS bike.

Does 70mph on the highway too.

 

[Weantright]

Beta 350 RS

CARBED, 39mm

Although I have 2 efi bikes that have not failed, I share your concern.

Build Your Own Bike seems to be a good option...just depends on your needs.

This would be the DS bike to buy that is equal to the 310. KTM still has hit and miss issues with the EFI. If you race then get your TE sorted because it's the best race bike out there at the monent.

 

[husky72082]

Isn't the fuel pump a KTM part anyways?
http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/2011-te310-fuel-pump-assy-pics-and-p-ns.25761/

So going FI KTM won't solve anything.

I'm a computer guy, and my experience with electronics is that a faulty part will usually fail within the first six months. If it last 6 months of heavy use, it will last 5-10yrs no problem. This is why when you go to Bestbuy etc, they always push their extended warrantys. Why, because if if is gonna fail, the majority of the time will be in the first year, when the manufacturer must pick up the tab.

Once I upgraded my ECU and injector to the TXC 2012, I have been very happy with the bike. If my fuel pump fails, I will replace it with that $40 chinese model on ebay that several people have had success with. Overall the bike is pretty awesome on mountain single track. I ride with 2 ktm 300 2t, ktm 450 4t, crf450 and a xr200. When it gets real knarly the 310 always pulls ahead. All the KTMs have overheated and the crf is just not even in the same class, always way behind. The only one that never has problems is the guy on the cr80 expert with the xr200 motor.

 

[glangston]

This would be the DS bike to buy that is equal to the 310. KTM still has hit and miss issues with the EFI. If you race then get your TE sorted because it's the best race bike out there at the monent.

Fair to state the Beta is more $$$, but it has a 12 mo. Warranty, which is attractive for a dirt bike. Of course Husky has similar warranties in places like Aust. but just trying to make fair comparisons of price/value here in the US.

 

[Fast1]

let a ANY dirt bike sit with ethynol fuel in the tank for extended periods of time and it will leave you stranded.

 

[Weantright]

Fair to state the Beta is more $$$, but it has a 12 mo. Warranty, which is attractive for a dirt bike. Of course Husky has similar warranties in places like Aust. but just trying to make fair comparisons of price/value here in the US.

Locally here the Beta is $500 cheaper than a KTM and $1000 more expensive than a Husky.

 

[husky72082]

let a ANY dirt bike sit with ethynol fuel in the tank for extended periods of time and it will leave you stranded.

I second this! When I pulled my 4 port injector after 100 miles, 3 of the 4 holes were clogged. I now only use non-oxygenated clear gas 88 octane mixed 4 - 1 with 111 leaded race gas.

 

[Motosportz]

If you are not wanting Husky, I would purchase either a KTM 350EXC or HUSABERG FE390.

Both very good bikes, both have similar EFI pump issues too.

replace the pump with the $100 one and keep riding.