Coming late into this (hi, Nev, Robbie...and all the others), I'm in the process of going the full round and trying to do everything to make that little TR650 with it's Chinese BMW/ROTAX-donk a viable...and RELIABLE...longtermer.
As some will know, I bought the bike because it was cheap.
Then had it sit in the garage for 9months, brandnew, un-registered, trying to iron out/ fix the kinks of a First-Production-Run vehicle.
And kinks there are. Plenty!
There are some substantial design and engineering fugg-ups for the start.
Add the usual inconsistency and idiosyncracies of any Italo-bike, Italian electronics and bloopers by the then-owner (BMW) who didn't care too much about the product (as it wasn't wearing their badge) nor which market segment the product was exactly aimed at.
BMW subsequently sold Husky to KTM with the resulting international turmoil
of which dealer-network was going to do the servicing (the old or new, or both, or none!!)... as KTM discontinued the model immediately after taking over the brand)...or any warranty work....or provide tech-backup, parts-stockholding, etc etc.
A small, but hardy international group of owners can be found at Cafe Husky (forum), where most of the following stuff was initially posted.
I just want to have a condensed version here at AT, if Cafe Husky ever decides to close it's doors.
I'll chop the text but will use the pics...so, this might not be of interest to many.
This isn't another WTF-ThinStrom or such...this is just about trying to make a principally damn good bike last to provide lots of trips and fun for as long as possible.
Most of the "fixes" can be done...some of them are CRUCIAL to be done ASAP!! to make the bike as longterm trouble-free as possible.
It also might help someone stumbling over one of those bikes along their ways.... and wondering what this orphaned Thumpa's all about.
Here are just some basic ideas of what should/ might/could be done to prevent certain disasters + failures, make things a lot more service-friendly, iron out some plain stupid stuff, make things more "dirt-proof" and so on.
There were plenty more items on the list, but they fall into the "general" heading, like heated grips, re-routing the clutch-cable to the left side to prevent it destroying itself
on the edge of the radiator where the factory put it etc.
Just click the link and read away.
Hopefully we'll get more items covered as time goes by, at least we've got a start.
ESSENTIAL FIXES:
POD-MOD, AirFilter-replacement etc.
POD-MOD Pt 2 crankcase breather etc
POD-MOD Pt 3 pre-filters and finals
Water in Rear Swingarm
Front brake line twist/ length/ joiner issue, some (ABS)-Stradas ONLY
RECOMMENDED FIXES:
POD-MOD Pt. 4 Pre-filter Rapid-Change mods
Sidestand cutout switch bypass
Weeping front brake master cylinder
Crappy factory wheel/sprocket carrier and headstem bearings/ frozen rear wheel
Sidestand too short/ sidestand foot too small
Ignition lock and coded key bypass_Part1
Ignition lock and coded key bypass_Part2
Engine Oil drain tube fix
Jamming radiator cap / bike running hot
Foldable tip rear BRAKE lever
Foldable tip gear lever
Battery Post Cover
Hydraulic rear brake light switch/ Lost reservoir cap
Filler Cap Mod_1
Filler Cap Mod _2
Rusted lower headstem bearing
Radiator and splash guards
OTHER FIXES:
B+B Modded Bashplate
Front Sprocket Cover Mod/ Oil Filter Access
Seat Mods/ Re-shaping
Quicklock Tankbag Mods_1
Quicklock Tankbag Mods_2
Modded B+B rear luggage rack
BLING:
Custom Screens
OTHER STUFF:
Home made frame plugs
IAT spoofers and other "running"-aids
Cable-routing to/from headlight shell
Drive-Chain Roller
Wheel swapping, anything goes...sorta
Buying parts overseas
As some will know, I bought the bike because it was cheap.
Then had it sit in the garage for 9months, brandnew, un-registered, trying to iron out/ fix the kinks of a First-Production-Run vehicle.
And kinks there are. Plenty!
There are some substantial design and engineering fugg-ups for the start.
Add the usual inconsistency and idiosyncracies of any Italo-bike, Italian electronics and bloopers by the then-owner (BMW) who didn't care too much about the product (as it wasn't wearing their badge) nor which market segment the product was exactly aimed at.
BMW subsequently sold Husky to KTM with the resulting international turmoil
of which dealer-network was going to do the servicing (the old or new, or both, or none!!)... as KTM discontinued the model immediately after taking over the brand)...or any warranty work....or provide tech-backup, parts-stockholding, etc etc.
A small, but hardy international group of owners can be found at Cafe Husky (forum), where most of the following stuff was initially posted.
I just want to have a condensed version here at AT, if Cafe Husky ever decides to close it's doors.
I'll chop the text but will use the pics...so, this might not be of interest to many.
This isn't another WTF-ThinStrom or such...this is just about trying to make a principally damn good bike last to provide lots of trips and fun for as long as possible.
Most of the "fixes" can be done...some of them are CRUCIAL to be done ASAP!! to make the bike as longterm trouble-free as possible.
It also might help someone stumbling over one of those bikes along their ways.... and wondering what this orphaned Thumpa's all about.
Here are just some basic ideas of what should/ might/could be done to prevent certain disasters + failures, make things a lot more service-friendly, iron out some plain stupid stuff, make things more "dirt-proof" and so on.
There were plenty more items on the list, but they fall into the "general" heading, like heated grips, re-routing the clutch-cable to the left side to prevent it destroying itself
on the edge of the radiator where the factory put it etc.
Just click the link and read away.
Hopefully we'll get more items covered as time goes by, at least we've got a start.
ESSENTIAL FIXES:
POD-MOD, AirFilter-replacement etc.
POD-MOD Pt 2 crankcase breather etc
POD-MOD Pt 3 pre-filters and finals
Water in Rear Swingarm
Front brake line twist/ length/ joiner issue, some (ABS)-Stradas ONLY
RECOMMENDED FIXES:
POD-MOD Pt. 4 Pre-filter Rapid-Change mods
Sidestand cutout switch bypass
Weeping front brake master cylinder
Crappy factory wheel/sprocket carrier and headstem bearings/ frozen rear wheel
Sidestand too short/ sidestand foot too small
Ignition lock and coded key bypass_Part1
Ignition lock and coded key bypass_Part2
Engine Oil drain tube fix
Jamming radiator cap / bike running hot
Foldable tip rear BRAKE lever
Foldable tip gear lever
Battery Post Cover
Hydraulic rear brake light switch/ Lost reservoir cap
Filler Cap Mod_1
Filler Cap Mod _2
Rusted lower headstem bearing
Radiator and splash guards
OTHER FIXES:
B+B Modded Bashplate
Front Sprocket Cover Mod/ Oil Filter Access
Seat Mods/ Re-shaping
Quicklock Tankbag Mods_1
Quicklock Tankbag Mods_2
Modded B+B rear luggage rack
BLING:
Custom Screens
OTHER STUFF:
Home made frame plugs
IAT spoofers and other "running"-aids
Cable-routing to/from headlight shell
Drive-Chain Roller
Wheel swapping, anything goes...sorta
Buying parts overseas