VOL. 55 ISSUE 30 JULY 31, 2018 P81
the torque of a 125 is greatly deter-
mined by how well you implement
gear position and clutch control.
You're not going to be able to ride
a gear high through a corner on a
125, no matter what. So, where you
shift, not if you have to, is really the
deciding factor on a 125's power
output. It's about character, not
overall numbers here.
In this regard, the 2019
Husqvarna TC 125 is a perform-
er. It exudes high-quality fit and
finish while being abused on its
way to finding a flow. Even so,
we can't pull a fast one on any-
one here and say we rode the
bike to it's potential in Florida.
We did not.
Yes, I was a bit out of my
comfort zone. Riding at Aldon
Baker's personal testing facil-
ity where Jason Anderson and
Zach Osborne earn champi-
onships will do that to a guy.
Baker's Factory is a beautiful
and awe-inspiring facility. It's like
a unicorn. But it's also pissed
off. It's more like a unicorn
cinched across its sensitive
bits in a rodeo chute.
The sand/limestone soil
is heavier than it looks and
you need to be on the gas
to push through, or stay
on top of it. Slowing down
makes it more of a fight to
go where you want. Traction
isn't guaranteed. More than
once I hit quicksand and felt the
bars tap my beltline. Also, it's
The 2019 TC
125 gets an
updated DS
clutch. This
engine weighs
just 37.9
pounds!
a billion-percent humidity and
900-degrees in Florida. So, the
softies from California are going
to wither and wilt a bit.
I struggled with keeping my
momentum alive for more than
a few sections at a time. When
I was on it, the TC 125 was so
good. It's planted in turns and
berms and the straight-line
stability is excellent. Again, the
"dirt" at Baker's is unique and
this is not the place to have a
twitchy/nervous bike. The TC
125 proved planted around the
course.
Likewise, I'm a fan of the
updated WP AER 48 fork. It's
my favorite air-sprung fork and
I think it has a great front-tire
traction feel. It provides direct
contact with the ground for me
and it's absolutely predictable.
It does this so well that it ampli-
fies improper rider sag settings,
in my experience. If you feel any
push into and around the turns
on the front end on this bike,
take out a millimeter or two from
the rider sag and it will fix it. Ide-
ally, 180 pounds of Jesse needs
a stiffer shock spring.
The 2019
Husqvarna TC
125 isn't just
a re-hashed
two-stroke
motocrosser
from the past—
it's all-new and
high tech.
