So after alot of research, I think I have found my next ride: 2011 TE 310. I have spent the last 5 years on a modded kdx200 and love to ride tight trees and tech trails (for any Alberta members, fallen timber is our favorite riding area). The bike is used with 1700km on it, powered up, rad guards, tubliss, 50t rear, and in generally clean shape. It was a trade in to the shop it was originally purchased at, so they have a bit of history with it. I have not ridden a 4t off road before, but from the sounds of it this bike should be a natural in the woods. I weigh 180lbs without gear and am 5'7, good intermediate rider, any help with clickers for my size and terrain would appreciated. I find out tomorrow if the paper work has gone thur...
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Hi everyone,
As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.
When he passed, I worked with his kids to gather the necessary credentials to keep this site running. Since then (and for however long they worked with Coffee), Woodschick and Dirtdame have been maintaining the site and covering the costs. Without their hard work and financial support, CafeHusky would have been lost.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working to migrate the site to a free cloud compute instance so that Woodschick and Dirtdame no longer have to fund it. At the same time, I’ve updated the site to a current version of XenForo (the discussion software it runs on). The previous version was outdated and no longer supported.
Unfortunately, the new software version doesn’t support importing the old site’s styles, so for now, you’ll see the XenForo default style. This may change over time.
Coffee didn’t document the work he did on the site, so I’ve been digging through the old setup to understand how everything was running. There may still be things I’ve missed. One known issue is that email functionality is not yet working on the new site, but I hope to resolve this over time.
Thanks for your patience and support!
Heres Hoping...
- Thread starter bmann
- Start date
Kawagumby
Husqvarna
AA Class
It will feel like a pig after riding a KDX. My TE310 09 is a great bike, but a well modded KDX will out hop, out wheelie, out-turn and out flick the TE by such a margin it is no contest..not to mention the fatigue is higher with the TE. My TE has the JD, modded suspension, Leo Vince pipe, etc. and it runs perfectly. But is over 30 lbs heavier up higher and has less punch right off bottom compared to my KDX's. (my KDX's have USD's, moded heads, striker carbs, aftermarket reeds, and FMF pipes..a 200 and a 220). Your TE is probably about 10 lbs or so lighter than mine.
I highly recommend you don't sell the KDX until you try the TE for the kind of terrain you describe.
I highly recommend you don't sell the KDX until you try the TE for the kind of terrain you describe.
So first rides this weekend and... I love it with one exception, it is a little too tall for me. In the really tech 90 degree switchback turns it would be nice to be able to dab, which I cannot at the present. So going to shave the seat first and see if that gets me low enough, if not then lower the suspension. In slightly less tech terrain, even with not being able to put my feet down this bike rips. In terms of weight, i did not find it bad at all (and I must of picked it up 15 times yesterday due to the height) and while moving it feels effortless. Took me a little while to readjust to the different clutch engagement points, and remember engine braking on the downhills. Its really too bad ktm is scraping this bike as I think its a knockout. Starter worked great all weekend, and did not find the throttle abrupt at all. Need to adjust my enrichner (fast idle, cold starter or what ever you want to call it) as it is not set up properly yet. Fork and shock felt fantastic in woods after slowing the rebound down for log hopping. With the exception of the height the 310 is better in every area then the kdx was (although maintenance will never be easier then the kdx). Will give the next ride report evaluating how the lower seat worked.
dratharr
Husqvarna
AA Class
I think the TE 310's really appeal to riders coming off of or that are continuing to ride 2-strokes, the high revving, and flickable nature of the bike really make it handle similar to a 2-stroke in many ways. I am still riding my 2-stroke but I really like my 2012 310, I have almost 100hrs on it now. To me mine just handles better than any 4-stroke I have ever rode/owned. Its not the fastest, nor the lightest, or the tightest turning, but it is the most lively forgiving ride IMHO.
So my wife did a great job in shaving around 2.5" off the seat and what a difference! I cleaned a climb today that I have never done before, no problem. Consistently keeping a much higher pace and feeling comfortable doing it. If your short like me (5'7 with maby a 30" inseam), I would shave the seat before adding a link or lowering the suspension. The seat is still fine to sit on, and I like the bit of a bum stop that prevents me from sliding off the back. I promise to post pics soon.
Mike Rotella
Husqvarna
A Class
Post the pics, heres mine.
Mike Rotella
Husqvarna
A Class
That looks cool.
dratharr
Husqvarna
AA Class
I butchered mine to the point I had to order a new factory low seat .
You guys did a LOT better job than I did!
Mike Rotella
Husqvarna
A Class
Lol. No worries, I took out so much foam its like sitting on a board. I ordered a seat concepts low. I'll let you know how it is once it comes.
So this gained me almost 3". Got another full weekend of riding in. Getting more and more dialed on the bike. Will post some better shots soon. The climbing ability of this bike flat out amazes me, and this is with a very worn (soon to be replaced) trails tire. I have stalled it a couple times, but nothing a quick jab on the button would not fix. I can't say I find the throttle to jerky or on/off. As an interesting side note we picked up a mint 2009 ktm 250xcw for the wife and I rode it for awhile. Much lighter feeling then the husky, but way less planted. Instant power, but not as good hook up. Quicker in ultra tight trees, but the husky is smoother in the roots and baby head rocks. Overall I really liked it, but I am still happier with the choice I made. Still can not believe this bike is street legal.
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Mike Rotella
Husqvarna
A Class
I love it when bike parts make it to the kitchen****************************************!!
Man I am lazy. Forgot to post the photos from last fall. Well better late than never. So we rode every weekend right up till snow fall (end of october around here) and had a great time. In the super tight stuff the ktm is definitely easier to ride, but that is too be expected. At higher speeds it feels 10x more planted and controlled (ktm is set up for the wife though). I am going to experiment with raising the forks in the triples a bit to see if I can quicken the steering just a hair. Switched to an s12 in the rear which I like much better than the trials tire for the trails around here, not as sticky on the rocks or logs, but much more predictable on the corners and downhills. On couple epic rides, the start button got a little cranky but the kicker worked just fine. Busted off 1 rear turn signal, so took off the other one (surprised it lasted as long as it did). On a bunch of occasions due to scarce truck space had to ride the bike to the trail head (very nice to have that option), only about 6km of pavement and about 24km of gravel. Bike does fine at 80-90kph, no crazy vibes, does not sound like its straining or revving to hard (50t rear sprocket), and no weird wobbles or weaves. Anyways here is the promised photos. Only about one more month and our riding areas should hopefully start coming into shape. I
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268fords
Husqvarna
Pro Class
Nice bike. Do you get a lot of rocks and dirt in your boots riding in shorts? Took a second to realize your wearing shorts.