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Driving report Husqvarna TE 610 E
The torque
At Husqvarna everything revolves around the new TE 610 E with electric starter, balance shaft, oil pump and catalytic converters, which will soon go into production. A soft enduro from Husqvarna? The Italians are now completely crazy?
Sheer horror was reflected in the faces of the Husqvarna technicians when the MOTORRAD testers stopped by Varese in 1994 as part of an endurance test with the Husky TE 610 through the Alps. It is inconceivable for Italians that someone would unwind 5000 kilometers on the road with an all-terrain machine. Thanks to better options, they are mainly off road. In recent years, however, countless huskies have died a horrific death on German roads due to a chronic lack of oil at the connecting rod bearing at full throttle. This weak heart stood in the way of a sales success similar to the more stable LC 4. Initial attempts to flange an oil pump to the old engine proved to be inadequate. Therefore a completely new basis was created, which MOTORRAD was able to test in the final stage of development at the Enduro Six Days in Breschia. Here are the first answers to burning questions from long-suffering road enduro riders:
Is the engine actually completely new??
Not quite. The head comes from the well-known Kickstart model. A tamer camshaft should bring more civil emission values with good performance characteristics. However, the substructure is completely new, it has nothing to do with the unloved Cagiva singles or with the successful sports colleague from Husqvarna. Unlike the latter, the E has a real oil circuit, which is maintained by two pumps. The oil gets reliably and under pressure from the 1.8 liter wet sump to the cylinder head as well as to the sensitive connecting rod bearing. In addition, the piston crown is molded on for cooling. The crankcase is sealed off and is constantly pumped out to avoid splashing losses. An oil pan is therefore not required.
Is the engine really stable??
To assess the service life and reliability would still be speculating at the moment. The engine is significantly smaller and lighter than Japanese enduro single-cylinder, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the components are closer to the limit. Less vibrations, better lubrication and less engine power speak for a relatively high life expectancy.
A starter on such a sporty enduro is paradoxical?
So far, the Kickstarter was considered a sportiness feature. That will change, Yamaha tried electric starters even on cross bikes. In a few years’ time, a sports enduro will naturally be started electrically. The prototype, which was always at operating temperature during the test, always burst out spontaneously. It remains to be seen whether this will also work so reliably in northern European climates. The battery is small, the starter shouldn’t suck on it for long. A kick starter is still available just in case, and so far husky riders have had fewer problems with starting than some enduro colleagues.
With the electric starter, oil pump, balancer shaft, catalytic converter, there is still a bit of the fun of the sports engine?
The agility is by no means lost, although the single has gained momentum. At its peak, the new drive doesn’t seem quite as free, that may have been due to the catalytic converters – if they were really included in the prototype. The performance characteristics are otherwise Husky-typical: not brutal around the bottom, but with a robust punch, then proportionally increasing with increasing speed. This makes it easy to control the Husky off-road, and on the road, around 50 hp with a dry weight of just 132 kilograms are enough for all sorts of nice gimmicks.
Are the vibrations gone??
Not quite, thank God. At higher speeds, expressions of life are still perceptible in the handlebar ends or footrests. But they are “good vibrations”, hearty, not annoying, even a little less than with the KTM enduros with balancer shafts.
Is the TE-E now a soft enduro?
The demands of road and off-road drivers can never be reconciled without compromise. As sporty as possible, as suitable for everyday use as necessary, was the motto. The spring travel is cut slightly. In the prototype, a non-adjustable, overdamped Boge strut was installed, which becomes a fully adjustable soft in the series. The fact that the seat height is around 45 millimeters lower than that of the TE is a pleasure for many interested parties without a guard. Especially since the loss of off-road suitability is limited. The new Husky has by no means mutated into a softie, even if it clearly stands out from the TE. After all, there is still a sporty, tightly tuned 280 millimeter suspension travel available for the ups and downs of enduro life. Handling is surprisingly easy as the center of gravity is low. This makes the Husky easier to master than all other E-Start enduros, with the exception of the Husaberg.
Can you use the E in enduro sports??
You could – if you don’t necessarily want to win. It is interesting that the E can be upgraded with parts of the Kick-Husky without much effort. This applies to both parts of the engine and the chassis. Nevertheless, there are restrictions, ultimately due to the higher weight and the slightly lower ground clearance. The fact that the engine is slightly wider is only noticeable in extreme situations. But all the tinkering should hardly be worthwhile, because in 1999 the Sport-TE is to get a slimmed-down and more powerful version of the electric motor as a drive, the end of the motor with centrifugal oil lubrication, which has been built since 1986, is in sight.
What else will be changed in the series?
The E will also get the new frame, the beams of which are tightly guided around the engine. The design will be similar to the new TE, but there should be two color variants to choose from. Changes to the front brake would be desirable, which in the test vehicle responded to heavier loads on the road with total failure due to overheating. And the series machines would have to be a little quieter than the audibly thundering prototype.
When is the E in the store?
Husqvarna plans to launch a pilot series this year and distribute 50 machines to dealers who are ready for test drives there. The series should start in the spring – at a price below that of the TE, namely 12,740 marks, clearly a challenge to the more expensive LC 4 with electric starter.
And who needs a TE 610 E?
Zin the first place all husky drivers who have burned their TE on the street and for whom durability is more important than top sporting performance. In addition, everyone who is tired of the constant kick, is often on the road, but still wants a real off-road enduro with lots of power and good handling.
What else is new?
The E-Start-Enduro is to be accompanied by a TE 610 E Super Moto almost at the same time, the price of which is also attractive at 13,245 marks. The technical differences to the Enduro are: 17-inch wheels with Akront rims and corresponding road tires, plus a 320 millimeter floating brake disc at the front and a Brembo four-piston caliper. In contrast to the KTM Duke or MuZ Mastiff, the outfit will otherwise correspond to the Enduro. The Sport-Enduro TE 610 is only slightly revised for 1998. The only thing that changes on the engine is the ignition system; a stronger spark should make kicking easier. In the frame, the beams split higher up and are guided closer to the motor, a solid aluminum plate protects against hard contact with the ground. The steering head angle should be corrected slightly for better handling. On the Enduro, a Boge shock absorber with two pressure damping settings (high-speed and low-speed) replaces the previous Showa damper, while the TC 610 cross version, which costs 12,745 marks, has an Ohlins shock absorber and now has four instead of five gears. A renovated Marzocchi fork with 50 millimeter stanchions is used in the front. There are also optical retouching and new instruments. The smaller TE 410 has a different camshaft for more power.
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