What exactly are the TE510's meant to be used for?

[millenium7]

Strange thread I know, but since i've been tinkering with this bike trying to get it all sorted out, and testing it here and there on various terrain. I'm still left wondering... what exactly is the intended purpose of the TE510? And where does it do best?

Now this is my first Husky i've ever owned, and the only reason I own one is because I got it for a very good price. The whole bike feels very different to any other i've owned. All Japanese bikes tend to feel quite similar, likewise the bergs/KTM's all feel pretty similar, but these Italian husky's are unique. The whole geometry and handling feels like a nimble albeit tall 2 stroke with plenty of room in the cockpit to move around. The turning is very sharp, and as such I can make this thing fly downhill like a mountain bike. In those cases it feels faster and more nimble than my KTM 300exc. I find that in tight terrain the bike moves very well, better than most 4 strokes with the exception of at a dead stop
This makes it seem like a good candidate for a woods bike... however...

The engine is just downright savage, i've never felt a bike as incredibly brutal in its power delivery. A FE550 would come close but I still feel the TE510 puts out more power and delivers it quicker. It doesn't in any way feel like a lugging bike, and that somewhat contradicts the nimble handing. I find that at speed its very twitchy and not at all stable, so you can build speed insanely quickly but for what purpose? I can't imagine holding it pegged at >160kph in the desert

And then thats gearbox. I don't know what they were thinking putting such a close ratio box on this bike. The gear ratio's are tighter than a 200EXC. I'm running the stock 13/50 at the moment and for really gnarly terrain 1st is still way too tall. That nimble and incredibly fast downhill handling is ruined when going uphill by an engine that can't get to its happy place. And on the road 6th is way too short doing any sort of highway speeds for more than a few minutes at a time

And the heat, noise and vibration coming from this thing make it completely impractical as a dual sport or even casual road bike. My 300exc is honestly a better city bike than this thing. It's smoother, quieter and doesn't burn a hole into my ankle from the exhaust at every traffic light. And despite being a 5 speed has broader and more useful gear ratio's

My synopsis so far is that
- The chassis feels like it belongs in the woods
- The engine feels like it should be opened up on the straights
- The gearbox feels like it should be on an MX track

Yet it fails at being a do-it-all bike because they all clash with each other. The engine can't be opened up at high speed cause it's twitchy and unstable. It can't be lugged around cause of the heat and lack of low end smooth grunt, it yanks at your arms constantly and tires you out. And the gearbox only makes things worse on every type of terrain i've tried

I like the bike, partly because it scares the crap out of me every time I ride it, and partly because its unique. But I only ever want to take it out for those reasons, and i'm struggling to find where it actually shines and feels content. And whenever I try and push it hard in any sort of terrain I just get beat up and worn out very quickly

Anyone elses thoughts?

 

[Colo moto]

What type of riding do you do most? As you've noticed the bike has all the elements to be a great all around bike. The handling to be a woods bike, the power to be an open desert bike and the gear box to be a track bike. Unfortunately they all don't get along like they should. I'd say pick one direction and focus on getting it set up for that.

 

[millenium7]

Unfortunately it's not really possible to pick one direction, the gearbox gets in the way of that. I really can't think of any scenario where the gearbox makes sense, I mean who the heck rides a 500 in motocross? and everywhere else.... garbage. Again its a 500 its not a 125, it doesn't need gears that close together to make up for a lack of power (it scares the crap out of me no matter what gear its in). It provides maybe a 5% benefit if - as you say - it is setup for a particular task and its only ever ridden in a narrow speed range, but it screws you every other time. Sometimes I find myself completely skipping 2nd and 4th gears, I can accelerate a teensy bit faster if the terrain permits, but then I have to get on the brakes harder and it's ultimately more effort than necessary

I mostly ride woods and technical terrain. But with the husky i'm trying to find where exactly it works and what its made for and then go do that, rather than make the husky work for a particular task

Right now i'd say its a pretty bad all around bike actually. It's agile and turns well, but a 250F or any 2 stroke is still better for tight terrain. Less work, way less heat, less gyro effect etc. Most 450's enduro's are better as all around bikes because of a sensibly spaced set of gears. Yes the 510 will flog anything in acceleration but its more effort and runs out of gears in the open stuff unless running a very high final drive ratio, and I wouldn't like to push that chassis too quick anyway its quite twitchy at anything over 100kph.
I'd say so far that the 510 is more FUN, but not very practical

 

[rancher1]

Your bike is geared down, stock was 13/47. Gear it up even more and use it as you like.

 

[millenium7]

Sorry got mixed up with the berg, whatever stock is thats what its running so it must be 13/47.
It had 16/47 when I bought it and it STILL sucked on the road, way too buzzy. That is just retarded for a 500cc.....

 

[rancher1]

You can always install the factory counter balancer that would get rid of the vibes. I have ridden 510s with and with out and the balanced ones were way smoother.

 

[RideLI631]

Had 3 over the past few years, Best way i can describe the bike is a seriously fast revving big bore that pretty much just wants to be wide open all the time. Powerlines, Big hill climbs, Sand, Jeep and truck Trails are all its strong suits. Very good handling in the tight woods even though the 500 motor doesn't like to lug much. I could imagine an SM model with a balancer would be a blast on the street because my te's with 14 45 gearing lift the front wheel up without clutch in every gear but 6th. If they made a new production model of this bike i would buy another in a heartbeat these motors tuned right are sooooo torquey. The bikes are not for the faint of heart though i would classify it as huligan dual sport. Gota wear gear always have to be super alert riding and always have to do some time of maintenance when your done riding for the day.

 

[ray_ray]

But with the husky i'm trying to find where exactly it works and what its made for and then go do that, rather than make the husky work for a particular task

Little interesting taking that approach to riding a bike ... I ride some 010 TC250 4t Huskies ... That is the MX racer model ... You could figure it should be ridden on a MX track and maybe that is where it belongs? Many complain about the bike there ... So it ain't right? My track riding says it is right... Arbitration needed?

~Four yrs before I read your words, I was applying your idea without even knowing it; that TC250 MX racer is actually a micro-DS machine in the right spot... Brought one here to this small island and discovered the DS qualities of this small bike on this rock. 1) No tags needed for DS riding here. 2) I out run 90% of the traffic on the hardtop. 3) When I hit dirt, very few hang with the Husky again. 4) Tank size is fine as gas is all over the place. Bike gets well over 50mpg at times and rolls downhills for ~free. 5) No light is OK ... Either go home before dark because with micro DS riding, you never go too far and home is always available ... Or ride home without a light as it is not too big a deal here. 6) Collected some dust collector trophys at a few tracks here. The bike is not exactly perfect for here, just like its' owner. Might be a couple ride reports scattered around showing the qualities of the bike with an old Husky rider on-board..

For all practical purposes, being on the opposite side of the planet is the far side of the universe because you can not go further unless you wanna go to moon and we ready found out it is not made of cheese and no man lives there ... Its' rocks were on ebay so no point in going back for more, just buy local.

Not saying to stretch your search as far as mine to the opposite side of the planet; might be easier to put that dirt bike in some near-by dirt and try to learn how to ride a 500 Husqvarna 4t bike in that dirt ... Might wanna consider selling it also before you invest more because remember your purchasing price? Might never be worth that again unless a true-blue Husqvarna Rider comes by or another curious one happens by (said the spider) ... ITL Huskies are not for everyone :*(.

Good luck figuring your bike out ..

 

[millenium7]

I intend to sell the bike at some point, but want to get at least 1 ride in where I can see it shine. This bike was somewhat of a test bed to see what a 500 is like to live with. As I was considering a KTM 350 or 500 in the future. So far i'm definitely leaning towards the 350. While this TE510 is very agile and really not all that heavy, there is just no getting around that 500cc donk, it just can't be used viably for technical terrain and there's way too much at the wrist. No, bigger is not better. The better i've gotten the more I realize a smaller bike actually works better most of the time, and you sure as hell aren't any faster on a bigger bike either. Bigger engine just means more time off the throttle and more braking to compensate for the extra pull that didn't actually make you faster
Even the best of the best if you watch them in enduro events they actually don't use all that much of the bikes power most of the time, they maintain momentum where others can't and most of the time they're in the lower end of the rev spectrum where the bike is only making ~20hp if that

 

[R-J van Hulst]

If I hear your description of the bike then this is what i would do

put some road wheels in it and use it only for city/town traffic or SM track

pulling out crotch rockets and speedy convertibles at traffic lights

just fun

Robert-Jan

 

[millenium7]

Yep she's a lot of fun on the tarmac, and both the engine AND chassis actually work in motard style riding, unfortunately only when its hauling ass. When I stop its a leg roaster and I have burn marks to prove it. Tried using it for city trips, ducking in to pick things up etc and its just horrible for that sedate sort of riding. The gearbox is annoying even in the city, way too busy with the gears. Found myself skipping 2nd and 4th. And if I do grab a handful and want to blast up to the speed limit as fast as possible, once I get there I have to chuck it up 2 or 3 gears to get into cruising mode. And no chance of leaving the city and cruising on the highway unless I go home and change sprockets first

My 300 2t actually makes for a better city bike

 

[lankydoug]

Seems to me like a different engine map would solve most of your issues or even better a dual map switch if if it's available. The rest could be solved with a custom re-vave and possibly springs depending on your weight. None of these mods are uncommon for anyone on any bike.

 

[millenium7]

would certainly help no doubt, but theres just no getting around that gearbox. thats the number 1 gripe I have with the bike, and I think husky were absolutely insane for putting it on this bike. TC series 'maybe' but even then.... it's a 500 for christ sake. It feels too tight even for a 250 enduro series bike, 125cc fine, or 250 MX series

 

[Dirtdame]

Probably the good folks at ZipTy Racing can mod the bike out for smoother power delivery and better low end.

 

[lankydoug]

would certainly help no doubt, but theres just no getting around that gearbox. thats the number 1 gripe I have with the bike, and I think husky were absolutely insane for putting it on this bike. TC series 'maybe' but even then.... it's a 500 for christ sake. It feels too tight even for a 250 enduro series bike, 125cc fine, or 250 MX series

Have you actually looked up the gear ratios for every gear and compared them to 250s and 125s? A beast of an engine is going to make the gearbox seem tighter just like a weak engine will make the gearbox seem too spread out. KTM/Huskys are fairly new to this forum and your complaint is the first one of it's kind that I've read. The common Italian Husky complaint is no 6th gear on the WRs... that one has been beaten in to the ground around here.

 

[rancher1]

Just an observation that there are heat shields available for the husky just like the other brands. I also believe the SM models us a 42 tooth sprocket on the rear for more reasonable road speeds so don't be afraid to change gearing. Btw the 510 power is handy in the tight woods if you are a decent rider and a big guy. I rode one for 5 years in tight technical riding and enjoyed it a lot but I am over 6' and 300 lbs.

 

[Motosportz]

Gear it up and go fast, thats what it is for. Fantastic motor.

 

[underwatersimon]

I just happen to have ridden one of these recently.
I'm a 511 guy so I was right at home with the close gear ratios.
This particular bike had suspension mods for tight, tough terrain and handled extremely well in that area.
You do need to be cautious with the throttle as there is power to spare in most situations. My 511 scared me at first but once I got used to it I actually installed a 1/4 turn throttle which is working out very well.
The 510 was definitely a little twitchy in the front when things opened up but I'm sure that could be cured with a little more tuning.
I can see it's not the bike for everyone but the close ratio tranny is a known fact. You either like it or you don't.
I think the best point I've heard here is to figure out what you want out of a bike and adapt your current ride to do it or trade out for one that more closely matches your riding style.
These Italian huskies are not meant to put around town. They are very high strung and need to be ridden with either a lot of talent or a lot of respect.
The best advice I ever got regarding these beasts was "this bike will do whatever you ask it to do, just be careful what you ask it to do."
Anyway. Hope you find a bike that will work for you.

 

[robertaccio]

IMHO opinion the biggest downfall on the twin cam Italian huskys was the removal of the counterbalancer shaft assy---Ive gone on and on about this. wrote long posts etc etc If it had the assy your song would be a lot different, its impossible to explain how much better my 08 TXC450 was with the CB installed---smooth as glass up to reline, these 450/510s would have been class winners every year if the OEM kept the CB shaft in them. It makes that much of a difference. I rode and raced the crap out of 450 and its still living strong with its new owner. sorry that really doesn't help you.......with a stock bike

 

[millenium7]

Have you actually looked up the gear ratios for every gear and compared them to 250s and 125s? A beast of an engine is going to make the gearbox seem tighter just like a weak engine will make the gearbox seem too spread out. KTM/Huskys are fairly new to this forum and your complaint is the first one of it's kind that I've read. The common Italian Husky complaint is no 6th gear on the WRs... that one has been beaten in to the ground around here.

Gearbox ratios (TE-SMR-TXC)
1st gear .................................................. ........ 2.000 (z 28/14)
2nd gear .................................................. ....... 1.611 (z 29/18)
3rd gear .................................................. ....... 1.333 (z 24/18)
4th gear .................................................. ........ 1.086 (z 25/23)
5th gear .................................................. ...... 0.920 (z 23/25)
6th gear .................................................. ...... 0.814 (z 22/27)

125/150SX gear ratios
1st gear ..... 2.46 (13:32) - (18.7% shorter)
2nd gear .... 2.00 (15:30) - (19.5% shorter)
3rd gear ..... 1.65 (17:28) - (19.2% shorter)
4th gear ..... 1.40 (20:28) - (22.5% shorter)
5th gear ..... 1.21 (19:23) - (24.0% shorter)
6th gear ..... 1.09 (22:24) - (26.0% shorter)

So if you geared a 125/150SX up a bit to a similar ratio in 1st gear, they really aren't all that different. ~6% shorter in 6th gear
See my point?