Project 2017 Husqvarna FE450: Power

Husqvarna’s 2017 FE450 has recently joined Transmoto’s stable of long-term test bikes. It’s been used to cut a few laps late in 2016 at the Transmoto 6-Hour events at both Conondale and Stroud, and it’s been acquainted with the trails and grasstrack loops we regularly use to test enduro models. Based on that experience, here’s what we can tell you about the character of this all-new machine’s power delivery…

POWER DELIVERY

Just like the 2016 FC450, the 2017 FE450’s 6kg weight loss has generated huge advances in agility. And that’s before you take these bikes’ sweeping mass centralisation program into account. Both 450 and 501 engines are noticeably stronger and torquier this year, but they’re also easier to use because they generate a broader and more tractable style of power. And that makes it much easier to get the rear wheel hooking up and driving. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that the 2017 FE450 has more useable grunt than the 2016 FE501. And all this in a package whose reduced vibration makes it feels more refined than ever before.

TRACTION CONTROL

We shouldn’t really speak about the 2017 FE450’s power without simultaneously making reference to the new traction control technology, because it genuinely works. The ‘TC’ function is built into the bar-mounted map-selector switch, which only comes as standard equipment on the 2017 Husqvarnas (it does come on KTM’s Six Days models, or can be bought from the PowerParts catalogue for $190).

It’s nothing like the TC systems used on large adventure bikes, where there’s an audible, stuttery interruption to the power. Husky’s TC system analyses throttle inputs against sudden increases in RPM, and retards power accordingly to maximise rear wheel traction. It’s calibrated so you can still get the rear wheel spinning up and the bike’s rear-end stepped out as sideways as you like when the terrain offers consistent grip levels. But in really slick conditions – such as loose rock or wet patches of clay, or when you get tired and your throttle control goes out the window – it helps keep the rear wheel hooking up. And that results in a bike that consistently tracks straighter and is safer to ride.

Unlike the fiddly map-selector switch that was fitted to previous Husky enduro models, the all-new rubberised switch is really easy to use on-the-fly. The different-coloured lights that illuminate for each setting (white and green lights for Maps 1 and 2, respectively, and an orange light for when TC is activated) confirms at a glance what you’ve selected with your left thumb. And because the TC function applies to both Map 1 and Map 2, you effectively get four maps. Cleverly, the map and TC settings are retained, even when you stop (or stall) the bike.

For more on the Husqvarna FE450 check our ride impression and observations pieces on the 2017 machine.