In Detail: 2015 Husqvarna FE & TE Range

Back in early July, Transmoto was invited to Northern Sweden to test ride the entire range of new bikes from the proudly Swedish marque, Husqvarna Motorcycles. The venue for the event, Lulea, located in far Northern Sweden – only 146km from the Arctic Circle – was the perfect location for the debut of the new bikes. At latitudes this far north, the sun never sets, and the vast birch forests and deep dry sand offer some of the most unique riding in the country – if not the world. So aside from all the marketing and PR fluff, what did we think of the new range? Read on for a detailed evaluation of the key upgrades to the FE & TE enduro machines…

NEW HEADLIGHT, FRONT NUMBER PLATE AND FENDER

WHAT THEY SAY:

The rationale behind the change to the front mask was to “evolve” the Husqvarna look and house a new front headlamp. In addition, the 2014 front fender has been switched out for the same fender found on the motocross models.

WHAT WE THINK:

These changes are purely cosmetic. After what Husqvarna told us last year about their plans to “differentiate the bikes from their KTM equivalents” and also to “differentiate the enduro models from the motocross bikes”, we expected to see more divergence than this. In fact, putting the same front fender as the motocross bikes on the enduro models seems to be quite the opposite. In saying that, the bikes certainly still possess an aggressive, race-ready look.

NEW CNC MACHINED TRIPLE CLAMPS

WHAT THEY SAY:

To accommodate the modifications needed for the new fender, the black anodised CNC triple clamps have been revised. The modified design provides improved stability, maximum feedback under braking and controlled flex. The new clamps also offer four handlebar positions.

WHAT WE THINK:

As Husqvarna says, this change was made simply to accommodate the new fender mounts. Sure the triple clamp has been “revised”, but the changes are nothing revolutionary and are unlikely to impact performance. The factory claims improvements to stability and damping, but on the rough terrain we rode the bikes on, it was tough to notice a difference. Once the bikes land in Australia, a side-by-side comparo with a stock 2014 bike may shine some light.

REAR SUBFRAME REINFORCEMENT

WHAT THEY SAY:

The lightweight polyamide subframe has been reinforced with an additional screw on the airbox side. The change gives improved fitment between the left subframe arm and the airbox.

WHAT WE THINK:

If this modification does offer an improved seal and better crash resistance as they claim, then it’s a step in the right direction. Time will tell if it has really achieved the durability gains that Husqvarna’s product managers are touting. On paper, it makes sense.

NEW SEAT COVER

WHAT THEY SAY:

The old seat cover has been swapped out for a harder and more durable material that offers improved grip, better durability, firmer feel and comfort.

WHAT WE THINK:

The new cover material feels a lot tougher, is noticeably grippier and it looks better. The seat foam feels firmer, too. But this is simply due to the new material being thicker – the seat foam remains unchanged from 2014. To give you an idea, the new material feels a lot like that non-slip coating you find on wet surfaces.

NEW GRAPHICS

WHAT THEY SAY:

The traditional Husqvarna blue, white and yellow has evolved from last year’s models and is now differentiated from the motocross bikes.

WHAT WE THINK:

The extent to which these new graphics are differentiated from the motocross bikes is debatable. The plastics are identical. All that has changed is that the yellow stripe that runs through the middle of the shroud and onto the seat (on the motocross bikes) has been removed and a blue panel is in its place. In saying that, the bikes look sleek, aggressive and race-ready straight off the production line. Some buyers may be concerned that the white panels will quickly scuff and get stained, but isn’t that why we call them dirt bikes?

FE250 TRANSMISSION

WHAT THEY SAY:

The FE250 has been given a newer, lightweight, six-speed gearbox.

WHAT WE THINK:

This upgrade has been shared across the Husky FE250 and the Kato 250EXC-F. The change makes the gearbox much more user-friendly on longer transfer sections because the engine no longer screams its head off in fifth.

FE250 & 350 DDS CLUTCH

WHAT THEY SAY:

The one-piece CNC machined clutch that was introduced on the 2014 bikes has been redesigned for 2015, giving it a weight saving over the old model.

WHAT WE THINK:

The changes were made to the clutch basket assembly that you can see in the shot above. During testing, the clutch felt much the same as last year’s and still offers great feel and modulation. The main performance gain is via the unsprung weight saving. The engineers noticed that the failure rate in the old clutch basket was non-existent. As a result, they removed some material from the old design, which had been over-engineered.

ELECTRIC STARTER

WHAT THEY SAY:

The gearing on the electric starter fitted to the TE250 and the TE300 has been revised for better and easier starting.

WHAT WE THINK:

The ability to retrofit a kickstart lever on the four-strokes will be appreciated for those concerned about the reliability of the electric-start system. But honestly, it isn’t needed. We had no troubles with the electric start all day and the mods made to the gearing only improve an already great system. The shorter gearing gives the motor higher initial torque and better starting capability.

TE250 POWERVALVE SETTING

WHAT THEY SAY:

A new power valve setting, optimised CDI curve and a revised carburettor setting offer a smoother power delivery.

WHAT WE THINK:

The new power valve setting paired with the modified CDI curve offers a noticeably more manageable power curve from the angry two-stroke engines. This was appreciated in the tight technical Swedish forests as it felt like the bike was torquier in the bottom range of the revs but then had a smooth and linear power curve that gave the bike its two-stroke feel when you held it wide open. With two map switches – soft and hard – the two-strokes are now more user-friendly than ever.

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For more information on Husqvarna’s 2015 motocross and enduro models, click here…