2004 TE 510 reliability

[reinmeister]

Greetings everybody...the husky dealer here in greece is giving away some te 510's 2004 in a very cheap price due to the coming of the 2005..

the funny thing is,that they are covered with two years factory warranty which is pretty amasing concidering the field of use of the bike..

i've allredy made a deal with the guy to swap the ti valves with a complete ss kit from kimblewhite without paying a penny for it...

the bike's use will be woods riding and everyday riding(the thing will be tagged)...

i'm a mechanic myself so proper maintenance is not an issue...so...i was wondering how long,from your experiance,would the thing last before digging inside the motor...hours or mileage say whatever you wish...

i've never been involved with a non jap bike before so any hints would be appreciated...

i just got on a 2005 te 510 one in the woods and the thing was just awesome...incredible power delivery through the rpm band,good handling,a little shaky at tall gear but ok, and a little stiff on the suspention..a couple of cliks down on bound and rebound front and back and it became a magic carpet..(for my off road abilities whatsoever)....i loved it...

previous owner of xr 200,250,400 and 600 and lately drz 400 e...all tagged and dual sported....

if i like a bike i use it on the street too....

excuse the length of the tread but english is not my native language and wanted to be thourough....

[NumberCruncher]

If I were in the market for new TE I would grab an '04 450 or 510 over an '05 if the money was right. The 250 I might hesistate on due to the higher revving engine more likely needing the more durable 2005 valves. Having said that, I love my 2004 TE250 and have yet to have a valve issue. Of course I don't thrash the bike but I do ride it agressively.

My vote is for the '04.

Greg

[Dave Hopkins]

Greg that is strictly a matter of finances, I went for the 05 as I love the Kehein carb, I hear the Mikuni is OK but I can make the Kehein do what I want, On the valves, glad to hear yours are OK, have you have to adjust? What shims do you have in it? A very good sorce says when you have to go below 2mm change the valves!! I am very curious about his valve offer! I do valve work on a lot of the KTMs, am on the phone with Kibblewhite about once a week. They tell me they have made the stainless valves but do not have the conversion kit ready yet as the spring have to be stronger (example, KTM with Ti has 45 lbs seat pressure, with stainless 75 lbs). They cant get a spring that strong without going to a double spring as KTM does and the hold up is the spring retainer does not accomodate that. Thus they have a bit of re engineering to do. They hope to have a stainless conversion available this spring. My recomendation is, buy the bike (they are awesome!)with an agreement to do the work in a few months. Keep an eye on the valve clearence, if the shim thickness gets down below 2mm park it, but don't let them stick stainless valves inthere without stronger springs

[reinmeister]

ok...thanks...but what about overall durability...how many hours ,give or take,before serious maintenance?(go in seriously like cams , piston, rod and crank bearings...)the manual says 80 but i want to know real life numbers...

[Dave Hopkins]

Once you get past the Ti valves issue the bike sould last several years.

[labouie]

change oil much more often than you would on those otherbikes.

[Husky_Forever]

What's the riding like in Greece? Sounds likea place to visit? Do they have bike rental places there?

[reinmeister]

thanks again...oil is gonna be changed when needed...

greece is simply an enduro and motocross paradise...

many mountains with all kinds of terrain and no trouble with the law...you're free to ride wherever you please...

and yes...they rent bikes...