2019 HUSQVARNA FS 450
FIRST IMPRESSION
P84
brand-new turn-key supermoto, you don't have a lot
of options—which is just how Husqvarna likes it.
What's different?
For 2019, the 449cc, single overhead camshaft,
liquid-cooled, single-cylinder FS 450 engine gets
mods like a redesigned cylinder head, new throttle
cable routing, an updated cooling system, new
muffler and a Magura master-cylinder with a Swiss-
designed Suter slipper clutch so you can get real
nasty on the downshift heading into corners and
know the chassis won't chatter itself to death.
What you're getting out of the FS 450 engine
is sweet 63 horsepower, far more than what my
RM-Z was putting out and a number that, straight
out of the box, should have you towards the front
of the supermoto grid even before you've gone
searching for more power.
Just like the FC 450, you get traction and
launch control, although these settings have been
slightly revised for the supermoto edition due to
the demands of primarily tarmac riding.
On the suspension front, the WP AER 48mm air
fork has come in for a settings revision, as has the
(Top) To build a bike of this spec
from a standard motocross bike
would cost you a lot more than
the $10,500 Husqvarna is asking
for. (Left) Brembo's M50 caliper is
one half of the same setup you'll
find in something like a Kawasaki
ZX-10RR. (Right) Exhaust has
been reworked with a new
resonance chamber.
