Husky’s 2018 Enduro Range: In Context

7 years ago | Words: Andy Wigan | Photos: SEBAS ROMERO, MARCO CAMPELLI

Earlier this week, Husqvarna Motorcycles announced the upgrades that’ll appear on their 2018 year-model enduro machines. As expected, the range is headlined by two all-new, fuel-injected two-stroke models, and garnished by a few refinements across the seven-bike range.
So to help put these 2018 machines in context, let’s revisit that memorable launch of all-new enduro machines just 12 months ago in the brand’s spiritual homeland, Sweden – where the two- and four-stroke models all appeared with new engines, new frames, new suspension, new bodywork, and big weight savings.
This content was originally published in Transmoto’s digital flipmag in July-August, 2016 (Issue #57).

Sweed As

Husqvarna’s enduro range gets new engines, frames, suspension, bodywork and big weight savings for 2017. But how do these revamped machines ride, and are they much different to the 2017 KTMs that roll off the same production line? To find out, we hit the launch for Husky’s TE and FE models in Sweden.

In late 2013, just seven months after KTM acquired Husqvarna from BMW, the world’s moto-media descended on Sweden for its first tantalising ride on the all-new, Austrian-made Huskys. To make their new-era intentions clear, Husqvarna’s pre-launch PR had explained that the new-look bikes would “combine Husqvarna’s 110-year heritage with Husaberg’s state-of-the-art technology”. Translation: KTM’s acquisition had been a lifeline for Husqvarna and a death sentence for Husaberg. That PR also suggested that Husqvarna’s 2014 enduro bikes would be Bergs in Husky clothing. And that’s exactly what they were – plus a shock linkage, of course. Also notable about those 2014 (Austrian-made) Huskys was the lack of differentiation between enduro and motocross models. Nonetheless, they sold pretty well because, let’s face it, that was the first time in many years that Husqvarna wasn’t trying to hock new dirt bikes with outdated technology.

Surprisingly, though, not a lot changed in the first three years these bikes rolled off the production line in KTM’s Austrian factory. Sure, there were some refinements to Husqvarna’s enduro models for both 2015 and 2016, but little of real substance. For 2017, however, everything has changed – on two-stroke and four-stroke models alike. Every capacity in Husqvarna’s seven-bike enduro line-up comes with a completely new engine, frame, swingarm, fork, shock, bodywork and seat. And while this might sound familiar if you’ve read our feedback on KTM’s recently released 2017 EXC range, Husky’s designers argue that the swag of premium components exclusive to their bikes gives them a different character to the KTMs, whose engines and frames they share.

So, what ‘premium’ bits are we talking about here? Do Husky’s 2017 FE and TE models finally get the enduro-specific componentry they deserve? And how do they compare with their orange cousins to ride? To answer those questions, we happily accepted Husqvarna Australia’s invitation to travel to the brand’s birthplace – Huskvarna, Sweden – to sample the local meatballs … and these radically new 2017 enduro models.

JUST HOW NEW?

All new. New-generation. Ground-up rebuild. Call it what you like. The fact remains: Husqvarna’s 2017 enduro bikes represent the biggest model makeover the brand has seen in recent memory, perhaps ever. The FE range (250, 350, 450 and 501) is based heavily on Husky’s new-generation MX models introduced 12 months ago. Like last year’s MX bikes, the design philosophy has been all about making the machines lighter, more powerful and more rideable.

The TE250 and TE300 use the all-new two-stroke engine that KTM recently unveiled on their 2017-model MX and enduro models; the revolutionary powerplant that’s fitted with a counter-balancer and claimed to vibrate 50% less than its predecessor. Meanwhile, Husqvarna’s 2017 TX125 (non-registrable, cross-country model) is fitted with the much more powerful and super-lightweight 125cc powerplant that first appeared on the TC125 motocrosser a year ago, albeit with a wide-ratio six-speed gearbox.

HUSKY’S PREMIUM?

Ever since Husqvarna became a sister company to KTM, they’ve referred to themselves as a ‘premium brand’ whose bikes are fitted with ‘premium componentry’. So, aside from the obvious – the black-anodised billet triple clamps, carbon composite subframe and enduro-specific linkage – what premium parts do the 2017 Husqvarna enduro models get that their KTM counterparts don’t? For starters, they use an entirely different shock absorber, bodywork, seat, clutch master cylinder, airbox and ECU mapping. Both the two- and four-strokes models are also fitted with the bar-mounted map-selector switch (which includes the Traction Control function on the four-strokes), and the ingenious tool-free fork spring preload adjusters as standard equipment. These parts only come on KTM’s up-specced Six Days models or from the PowerParts catalogue, and they genuinely add to the Husqvarnas’ rideability and tunability.

If you’ve just bought a 2017 KTM EXC, the map-selector/TC switch ought to be the first addition you make to the bike, irrespective of capacity. Similarly, the ingenious tool-free fork spring preload adjuster proved to be a ridiculously quick and easy way to alter the bikes’ chassis balance, and in the sandy conditions at the Husky launch, it was a real benefit.

Finally, because not everyone’s a fan of the Maxxis tyres that come on KTM’s EXC range, you could argue that Husqvarna’s Metzeler 6 Days Extreme tyres are also premium offerings.

THE COCKPITS

The first thing that strikes you about the 2017 bikes is how the radically new bodywork (which they share with the MX models) and flatter-profile seat combine to make the cockpit look and feel more minimalist and race-oriented. The seat and tank have been brought a little closer to the ground (in the name of mass centralisation), but the seat/bars/pegs triangle remains largely unchanged from 2016. And even though the fuel tanks on the FE and TE models are now larger (8.5L and 10L, respectively) than the 7-litre capacity on the MXers, any added girth is barely noticeable aboard the enduro bikes.

Thanks to the all-new one-piece radiator shrouds and sideplates, there’s nothing to catch your boots on as you move about the cockpit. Instead of that ‘void’ in the bodywork precisely where your calves want to grab the bike, the seamless new plastics let you grip and control the machine much more effectively with your legs. And because the all-new subframe is now secured to the main frame by a single-bolt each side, not two, there’s no longer that annoying lip to catch your ankles on. We like the revised shape of the front and rear guards, but we’re not so sure about the old-school look of the headlight surround and the protruding headlight itself. Let’s hope they grow on us.

THE XPLOR FORK

Having been refined over the past few years, the WP 4CS (4 Chamber System) fork fitted to Husqvarna’s enduro models got a lot better. But now that it’s gone, everyone seems happy the see the back of the thing (it no longer appears on any Husky or KTM model, enduro or MXer). In its place for the 2017 FE450 is all-new WP XPlor 48mm USD fork – an open-cartridge fork with compression and rebound functions split between the fork legs, both of which have coil springs and a new hydraulic bottoming system. There’s no doubt the move to WP’s XPlor componentry has been a positive one because its ride seems to be just as sensitive over small bumps, and yet it offers significantly more damping progression and bottoming resistance for big hits or accidental flat-landings.
As an added benefit, the new WP fork saves 300g and improves adjustability, because both compression and rebound clickers are now within easy reach on the fork caps (a la WP’s 4CS fork). This encourages you to experiment with the fork’s set-up and get it dialled to suit you and the terrain. And if you want to take your adjustment a step further, an ingenious tool-free fork spring preload adjuster allows you to dial the preload setting to 0, 3 or 6mm by hand (simply take the weight off the front wheel and turn the dial). It’s the first tool-free fork preload adjuster we’ve ever heard of, and an ingenious solution from WP.

THE XPLOR SHOCK ABSORBER

For the past three years, Husqvarna’s enduro models may have shared the shock linkage with their MX-model brethren, but the behaviour of their rear-ends has still been hard to fault. Now, though, with a linkage designed specifically for enduro – plus WP’s more sophisticated DCC (Dual Compression Control) shock, and a frame designed with additional flex to help the suspension absorb hits – the bikes’ rear-ends seem to behave even more predictably.
It could be argued that KTM’s no-linkage PDS shock still has a more sensitive action over the smaller bumps at slower speeds, but the new rear-end set-up on both the TE and FE models undoubtedly helps anchor the rear wheel to the ground through a series of big braking bumps, and controls its rebound action when you slam a big log sitting across the trail a little too vigorously.

THE HANDLING

With an all-new frame, subframe, shock, linkage, swingarm and fork, it was impossible to isolate the impact of each of these components on handling in a one-day test at the launch. What we can say is that the combination of these much-updated elements of the 2017 chassis gives the new bikes noticeably more agility at slow speeds and a more stable and sure-footed ride at high speeds. Both ends of the new models are just as plush and planted over small bumps as their predecessors, but they’re now a lot more capable of handling bigger hits without bottoming. And that broader operating range makes the 2017 bikes more user-friendly and more versatile across a greater variety of terrain, rider weights and abilities.
WP’s all-new XPlor fork, revised DCC shock, and the enduro-specific linkage ratio all play a part in producing that more compliant, forgiving feel to the chassis. And shaving between 2 and 6kg off the new bikes’ curb weight will certainly make a contribution to improved handling. But there’s no doubt that the design team’s obsession with mass centralisation has also paid handling dividends. With their lower seat and tank, shorter mufflers and, more critically, the relocation of the engines’ biggest rotating masses (the crankshaft and clutch) toward the motorcycle’s centre of gravity (or the ‘dynamic fulcrum point’, as we like to call it), the gyroscopic effect of all seven engines has been reduced drastically for 2017; the result of which is that these new machines can be flicked from side to side or thrown around in the air with noticeably less rider input.

 

 

Do yourself a favour and take a look at this video of the comparative flex characteristics of the 2016 and 2017 frames. By making the Chromoly tubing 6mm wider and 2mm lower, and altering its architecture, the 2017 frame is 30% more flexible in the longitudinal plane (which assists the suspension’s ability to absorb hits) and yet it’s 20% more torsionally rigid for better stability and to help the bike turn faster for a given rider input. These are radical changes in anybody’s language.

Aside from saving weight, the move to the much-revised carbon composite subframe with single fixing points also plays a key role in improving the 2017 enduro models’ ride. How so? Well, as Husky’s 2016 MX bikes have demonstrated, the new subframe better complements the main frame’s flex characteristics. Last year, with two bolts on each side to secure the subframe, the super-rigid polyamide subframe actually ‘bound up’ the main frame and prevented it from flexing longitudinally in the way it was designed to. And as a result, the new Husqvarnas make relatively bigger handling gains than their 2017 KTM counterparts do.


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