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Long story short, I had given up street riding about 2-1/2 years ago after getting hooked on a trackdays in a big way. Just didn't really feel the need to ride on public roads any more, on a sportbike at least. Last year I did end up buying back my old SV650 from the friend I sold it to a few years prior, and did a whole bunch of mods to it during the time I had it, but only put about 1000 street/track miles on THAT before selling it again. [The way I had set it up, it was in essence another sport bike.]
Fast forward to this month, and I'm getting that urge to have something two-wheeled again so I can tool around the backroads occasionally. I had pretty much sworn off sportbikes for riding on the street, so my candidate list of potential bikes was pretty focused on naked bikes. I considered another SV650 to turn into a streetfighter; a new Speed Triple ; and the 2007 Kawi Z1000.
Then it dawned on to me.....MOTARD! Supermotard, supermoto, whatever you want to call it. Dirt bike platform with street wheels/tires. Big in Europe, and starting to get big here again. (It originated here in the late 70s.) I've always wanted one, but never could pull the trigger.
Did a little research, and found out about the Husqvarna SM610.
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Racing in its blood, but more streetable than its track-focused SMR450 and SMR510 siblings. And gobs more powerful than the Suzuki DRZ400SM even in stock form. Within a matter of days I made a few calls, found one, took a little drive, and hauled it back home.
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Took it for its first real ride on a Saturday morning. My first "real" backroads ride in over 2 years, and a new bike....wasn't sure what to expect.
HOLY $HIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This thing is the most fun I've ever had on 2 wheels on public roads, EVER. The thing is so light and flickable (compared to a sportbike) that despite its mere 50hp, I was able to negotiate our local twisties -- which tend to be rather technical in nature -- quicker and with greater confidence than ever before on either the RR or the SV. I am SOLD on this.
For freeway riding, as with most true motards (the exception being big motards like the KTM Supermoto 950), it's not ideal. It takes 6th gear at 5500rpm (2/3 of the way to redline) just to cruise at 70mph. It will barely get over 100mph. (Best I could do was 93mph against a moderate headwind.) But the point is not about outright speed. It's about fun, and it absolutely shines in this department. It gives you such a sense of "go-anywhere, do-anything" invincibility that you can truly get yourself into some serious $hit with this bike if you don't check yourself.
Having said that, it's probably the most commute-worthy off-she-showroom-floor motard that you can buy right now (again, outside of the KTM), and the 6th gear is a godsend in that respect.
Can't wait to do my first trackday on this. $20 motard trackdays sure sounds a lot more appealing than the $150-$300 I pay for riding the big bike on the big tracks! Don't get me wrong, I'm not handing in my AFM racing license anytime soon, but the Husky has truly added a new dimension to my riding, and this grin isn't coming off my face for a while.
Fast forward to this month, and I'm getting that urge to have something two-wheeled again so I can tool around the backroads occasionally. I had pretty much sworn off sportbikes for riding on the street, so my candidate list of potential bikes was pretty focused on naked bikes. I considered another SV650 to turn into a streetfighter; a new Speed Triple ; and the 2007 Kawi Z1000.
Then it dawned on to me.....MOTARD! Supermotard, supermoto, whatever you want to call it. Dirt bike platform with street wheels/tires. Big in Europe, and starting to get big here again. (It originated here in the late 70s.) I've always wanted one, but never could pull the trigger.
Did a little research, and found out about the Husqvarna SM610.
Racing in its blood, but more streetable than its track-focused SMR450 and SMR510 siblings. And gobs more powerful than the Suzuki DRZ400SM even in stock form. Within a matter of days I made a few calls, found one, took a little drive, and hauled it back home.
Took it for its first real ride on a Saturday morning. My first "real" backroads ride in over 2 years, and a new bike....wasn't sure what to expect.
HOLY $HIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This thing is the most fun I've ever had on 2 wheels on public roads, EVER. The thing is so light and flickable (compared to a sportbike) that despite its mere 50hp, I was able to negotiate our local twisties -- which tend to be rather technical in nature -- quicker and with greater confidence than ever before on either the RR or the SV. I am SOLD on this.
For freeway riding, as with most true motards (the exception being big motards like the KTM Supermoto 950), it's not ideal. It takes 6th gear at 5500rpm (2/3 of the way to redline) just to cruise at 70mph. It will barely get over 100mph. (Best I could do was 93mph against a moderate headwind.) But the point is not about outright speed. It's about fun, and it absolutely shines in this department. It gives you such a sense of "go-anywhere, do-anything" invincibility that you can truly get yourself into some serious $hit with this bike if you don't check yourself.
Having said that, it's probably the most commute-worthy off-she-showroom-floor motard that you can buy right now (again, outside of the KTM), and the 6th gear is a godsend in that respect.Can't wait to do my first trackday on this. $20 motard trackdays sure sounds a lot more appealing than the $150-$300 I pay for riding the big bike on the big tracks!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not handing in my AFM racing license anytime soon, but the Husky has truly added a new dimension to my riding, and this grin isn't coming off my face for a while. 
