VOLUME 57 ISSUE 9 MARCH 3, 2020 P87
comfort, they ended up going too soft, cre-
ating a Vet-like feel if you will. This allowed
some of our faster riders to blow through
the stroke and bottom the suspension in
unwanted areas, losing the "hold-up" they
were looking for. The team at WP and
Husqvarna have come back with updated
suspension in the form of the Xact air forks
and Xact shock.
Their focus for the Rockstar Edition to
find a stiffer setting without sacrificing rider
comfort. While the Japanese manufactur-
ers have given up on air forks, Husqvarna
and WP continue their pursuit of a perfect
pairing. Done correctly, Husqvarna and WP
feel air forks have their advantages. Light
weight and greater adjustability quickly
come to mind.
A tool-free design allows users to adjust
compression and rebound on the fly with
plastic finger-gripping adjusters located
on the top and now the bottom of the
forks. New updates to the fork tubes are
designed to better equalize air pressure
and reduce pressure peaks. The mid-valve
of the fork has also been changed, at the
request of most rider feedback. Smaller
rebound spacers and new air pistons are
designed to give the Xact fork more of a
linear spring curve while the elastomeric
endstops relieve pressure and counter
abrupt bottoming sensations. In simpler
terms, the fork is aimed at having better
overall hold up in the middle to bottom of
the stroke without compromising rider com-
fort by becoming harsh or fading during a
long moto.
The Xact shock is also updated to bal-
ance out the new changes up front. New
low-friction seals are the most significant
highlight as they aim to free up suspension
movement and allow the linkage-shock
combo to work in perfect conjunction.
Mapping changes for the Rockstar
Edition are also on the list of changes for
2020. In years past, maps one and two
have felt very similar—almost unnoticeable—
on the track. This year the bike comes
with an updated electronics package, with
claims of a noticeable difference between
maps. The FC 450 continues to feature the
handlebar-mounted map switch with two
map choices and the option for traction
control.
The main difference
between the standard
FC 450 and the
Rockstar Edition—
what you can't easily
modify yourself—is
the upgraded fork.
It's been heavily
updated.
