Editing Husqvarna SM510R

{{Infobox Motorcycle
|name             = [[Husqvarna]] SM510
|image            = [[File:Husqvarna-SM-510R--1.jpg|frameless|Husqvarna SM510]]
|aka              = SM 510 R, SM 510R, SM510R
|manufacturer     = Husqvarna
|parent_company   =
|production       = 2005 - 06
|model_year       =
|predecessor      =
|successor        =
|class            =
|engine           = Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves
|bore_stroke      =
|compression      = 12.5;1
|top_speed        =
|power            =
|torque           =
|fuel_system      =
|ignition         = CDI
|spark_plug       =
|battery          = 12 V - 6 Ah
|transmission     = 6 Speed
|frame            = Steel single tube cradle (round tubes); rear frame in light alloy
|suspension       =Front: 45mm Marzocchi Inverted telescopic [[hydraulic]] adjustable fork <br>
Rear: SACHS Progressive "Soft Damp" with Hydraulic Adjustable Single Shock Absorber
|brakes           =Front: Single 320mm disc <br>Rear: Single 220mm disc
|front_tire       = {{tire|120/70 -17}} 
|rear_tire   	  = {{tire|150/60 -17}} 
|rake_trail       =
|wheelbase        = 1497 mm / 58.9 in
|length           =
|width            =
|height           =
|seat_height      = 920 mm / 36.2 in
|dry_weight       = 109.3 kg / 241.0 lbs
|wet_weight       =
|fuel_capacity    = 9.2 Litres / 2.4 US GAL
|oil_capacity     =
|fuel_consumption =
|turning_radius   =
|related          =
|competition      =
}}



==Engine==
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves. The engine featured a 12.5;1 [[compression ratio]].  

==Drive==
Power was moderated via the Wet / Multiplate / 6 spd.  

==Chassis==
It came with a 120/70 -17 front [[tire]] and a 150/60 -17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 320mm disc in the front and a Single 220mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a  45mm Marzocchi Inverted telescopic hydraulic adjustable fork while the rear was equipped with a SACHS Progressive "Soft Damp" with Hydraulic Adjustable Single Shock Absorber. The SM510R was fitted with a 9.2 Litres / 2.4 US GAL fuel tank. The bike weighed just 109.3 kg / 241.0 lbs. The wheelbase was 1497 mm / 58.9 in long.  
== Photos ==
[[File:Husqvarna-SM-510R--1.jpg|600px|Husqvarna SM510]]

== Overview ==

Husqvarna SM 510R
















Rob Smith of Motorcycle Trader magazines seems to have got in touch quickly and
happily with his inner hooligan when he jumped on board Husqvarnas latest
supermoto and pressed the "Go" button...

About two days into the Husky test I happened to park up next to a Yamaha
XTZ660X. On reflection I realised that despite Yamaha's worthy intention to
produce a supermoto for the masses and the fact that the XTZ is a far better
every day motorcycle for it, they might just have missed the point. Where the
Yam says, "Come with me. We'll go for a ride and it'll be fun," the Husky spits
in your face and promises a ride that'll be anything but dull.

THE RUNDOWN
Now here's the irony - according to the brochure blurb the new Husqvarna
supermoto range has had an injection of civility aimed at increasing the all
round capability. I quote: "Purpose built for the race track they are also
comfortable commuters." Oh sure! Only if you like sitting on a razorblade. Don't
get me wrong, you could commute, but that bit about the race track is far more
valid. Like all "proper" supermotos this thing is all about neck-snap
acceleration, crackerjack reflexes and heart attack brakes.

So what makes the Husky such a delightfully nasty piece of work? For starters
there's the looks. Tell me it's not pretty. Then there's the weight, or the fact
that there's so little of it at 119.7kg dry (more than 20kg lighter than its SM
610 sibling). And there's the all-new 501cc engine. Yes, I know it says 510 on
the side, but there's clearly some numerical dyslexia at the factory. With no
official max power figures from the factory we're working with a reliable
estimate of close to 60 horses.

You don't need to be a mathematician to realise that the power/weight numbers
add up to perky performance. The new engines have been redesigned to kill the
old concerns regarding reliability and improve power at the same time. Sitting
at the top end is a pair of new camshafts operating new titanium valves that
have larger stems to increase reliability under hard use.

Fuel is fed by a 41mm Keihin that has been specially calibrated for Husqvarna to
provide improved fuel flow under all types of use. There's a welcome electric
starter but, for some ridiculous reason, there's no ignition key, meaning the
Husky has to be the easiest bike in the world to steal. What are they thinking?

Talking of ignition, the digital CPU is programmable and recognizes both
throttle position and gear selection. Ignition timing has been modified to make
starting easier and the alternator allows improved charging even from low revs.


Getting away from the engine, a lot of time has been spent by factory riders on
the suspension and brakes. The new Sachs rear suspension unit has been reworked
to operate cooler and with improved rebound function while the new Brembo brake
system features a floating four-caliper 320mm front disc.

TRANSLATION
So how does all that translate to riding the thing on the road? First up, let's
deal with that commuter thing. Starting with the good stuff, the engine is
actually very good in day-to-day use. It's way smoother and more sophisticated
than the last SOHC 610 I tested a year ago.

It starts easily on the button once you get used to the fact that you shouldn't
overdo the throttle for the first few seconds. Otherwise the extra fuel kills it
stone dead and it becomes a bit hit or miss whether or not it'll kick off again.
Warm-up is fast and you just can't help enjoying the immediacy of the throttle
response with every throttle blip.

Then there's the bad stuff. With a seat height of 915mm, this is not a machine
for shorties. Once you get rolling the very first thing that you notice is, of
course, the appalling seat. Seriously, calling it a seat implies that you can
sit on the thing for some extended period of time. This is like riding with your
nadsack pinched in a pair of pliers. Honestly, the twenty-minute commute to the
city was all that I could stand. Then there's the stuff like tacky add-on
indicators and the feeble lights. Based on my ride home from work in the dark,
if you buy one, make sure there's a full moon or plenty of streetlights. Oh, and
lets not forget the awful near vertical sidestand that flips up if you sneeze
fifty metres away.

GET WITH THE PROGRAM
Lack of comfort and oddball ancillaries aside, any SM is a gap-snatching traffic
terrorist. No matter how you might kid yourself that today you're going to ride
sensibly, you might as well give in and admit that it'll be like yesterday and
the day before - you'll ride like a wild-eyed loon because you can. But here's
the weird thing about a proper SM: once you get out onto the kinds of roads
where riding like a loon makes sense, the seat stops being an issue. In truth,
the Husky is full-on entertainment in a way other bikes just can't compete with.
Yes, I know you must have the exactly right kind of roads - roads with very
short straights, savage twists (and really dangerous drops to make sure you stay
focussed). But in that setting everything about the bike clicks into place.

I learnt a while ago that when you ride an SM on the road, all that "foot-out"
nonsense is just posturing in the same way that sticking your knee out on every
street corner, just because you're riding a sportsbike, is nonsense too.

Ridden in the usual manner, the Husky tears between bends with a snarling
midrange hunger. It makes the front light as the rear tyre bites hard into the
bitumen for grip. The ultra anorexic dimensions lend a delicacy to the act of
slicing through bends. It rolls easily over the contact patches of the fat
Dunlops. Clumsy, bullying riding results in confusing and unwanted reactions. In
fact, even small adjustments to input result in larger than expected responses
that can also take a bit of getting used to. However, only when it's ridden with
a measured hand do you realise just how well a lightweight Enduro weapon has
been transformed in to a lightweight road weapon. Husqvarna has won a long list
of supermoto championships for this very reason and it shows not just in the
geometry, but in the equipment.

Things like the brakes are shockingly good. That big 320mm Brembo disc coupled
to a radial four-piston caliper will stop a charging bull, so standing a
feather-light motorcycle on its nose is simplicity itself. With one finger! And
it's not all about massive power either. There's just so much control in the
system. Then, there's the suspension. Marzocchi, fully-adjustable USD forks are
matched to a Sachs, progressive, fully-adjustable monoshock. Once it's adjusted
to suit the individual's riding style, the suspension will cope with just about
anything; it exhibits the considerable input from Husqvarna's experts.
Naturally, there's loads of travel available at both ends, more than enough to
absorb all but the most archaeological of pits.

SUMMING UP
Right at the start I said, perhaps unkindly, that Yamaha might have missed the
point with the XTZ660X. The reality is that the Yamaha is a 170kg road bike
styled with just enough supermoto to carry off the illusion. By contrast the
Husky is a supermoto with just enough road equipment and fuel capacity to carry
off the illusion of being a road bike. Like any proper supermoto the Husqvarna
SM510R is a machine that rewards real rider involvement richly. It's still a
barely acceptable commuter. But that doesn't matter if you have an appreciation
of its capabilities. The old bugbears of reliability seem to have been dealt
with and, to prove it, there's a two-year warranty. Most importantly, it has a
very bad attitude that not everyone will like it, but that's not the point.

SUSPENSION SUBTLETIES
When I first picked the bike up from our mates at First Class Motorcycles in
Lilydale the front end was super softo. At the same time the back end was almost
rock solid. Braking involved a plunge through the entire length of fork travel
while steering felt decidedly odd. Unusually, with this setup the bike really
didn't want to hold a tight line.

Taking off three clicks from the compression damping on the rear shock helped
enormously - not just with the ability to steer and turn, but also with the
comfort. (With a supermoto's unforgiving seat, believe me you're looking for
every possible boost to comfort after you've been riding for a while.)

Some increased compression damping at the front firmed it up and reduced the
dive.

From that moment on the Husky performed the way the designers intended.

THE FULL SOUFFLE

Brilliant new engine
Sharp looks
Wickedly good brakes
DROPPED SCONES

Uncomfortable seat
Limited tank range
Marginal equipment
Souce

{|  class="wikitable"
|- 
!Make Model
|Husqvarna SM 510R
|- 
!Year
|2005 - 06
|- 
!Engine Type
|Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves
|- 
!Displacement
|501 cc / 30.5 cu-in
|- 
!Bore X Stroke
|97 x 67.8 mm
|- 
!Cooling System
|Liquid cooled
|- 
!Compression
|12.5;1
|- 
!Induction
|41mm Keihin MX carburetor
|- 
!Ignition
|CDI
|- 
!Battery
|12 V - 6 Ah
|- 
!Starting
|Electric
|- 
!Max Power
|59.8 hp / 44 kW @ 8000 rpm
|- 
!Max Torque
|49 Nm / 56 lb-ft @ 6400 rpm
|- 
!Clutch
|Wet / Multiplate / 6 spd
|- 
!Transmission
|6 Speed
|- 
!Final Drive
|Chain
|- 
!Gear Ratio
|1st 2.000 (28/14), 2nd 1.611 (29/18), 3rd 1.333 (24/18), 4th 1.086 (25/23), 5th 0.920 (23/25), 6th 0.814 (22/27)
|- 
!Frame
|Steel single tube cradle (round tubes); rear frame in light alloy
|- 
!Front Suspension
|45mm Marzocchi Inverted telescopic hydraulic adjustable fork
|- 
!Rear Suspension
|SACHS Progressive "Soft Damp" with Hydraulic Adjustable Single Shock Absorber
|- 
!Front Brakes
|Single 320mm disc
|- 
!Rear Brakes
|Single 220mm disc
|- 
!Front Tire
|120/70 -17
|- 
!Rear Tire
|150/60 -17
|- 
!Wheelbase
|1497 mm / 58.9 in
|- 
!Seat Height
|920 mm / 36.2 in
|- 
!Dry Weight
|109.3 kg / 241.0 lbs
|- 
!Fuel Capacity
|9.2 Litres / 2.4 US GAL

|}
== External Links ==
* http://www.bikepoint.com.au/portal/alias__bikepointau/tabID__5760/ArticleID__120621/DesktopDefault.aspx

[[Category:Husqvarna motorcycles]]