2 0 2 0 H U S Q VA R N A F E 3 5 0 V S . F E 5 01
COMPARISON
P50
The Husqvarna FE 350 is a bike
I could take to any off-road riding
destination in the western United
States and use comfortably on
any trail. Likewise, it will line up at
a National Enduro and compete
just fine. Sure, there are always
trails on the fringe where a two-
stroke is going to be much better,
but it's hard to deny the range of
use this 350 has. And it's hard to
find an instance where you'd really
want a lot more. Maybe a hillclimb
contest? Then again, it'd be a lot
of fun to beat your buddies on a
smaller bike.
HUSQVARNA FE 501
THE DISPLACEMENT
RULE ISN'T BROKEN
The open-class mentality of dirt
bikes hasn't always been a rea-
sonable one. But modern half-liter,
off-road specific dirt bikes put a lot
of that old-world gnarr to bed with
phenomenal power and torque
that can be delicately applied
should the situation call for it. The
Husqvarna FE 501 is the latest
edition of this masterful stroke.
There's no hesitation in feeling
what's in store aboard the FE 501.
At first idle stroke, you know what
you're dealing with and the gravita-
tional pull a slight throttle opening
has on your forward momentum is
felt in your gut. It's not too much,
but it is strong and once you feel
it, it's hard to go back, honestly.
This isn't a brainlessly over-
powerful ride. There are slightly
camouflaged MX bikes on the
market that make wasteful off-road
power and generally suck to ride
on real trails if you're looking for
that sort of thing. This is big power
with ambitions of massive traction.
The 501 behaves so well at
low speeds that you'll forget
you're riding a bike that can
blitz across the desert for
days without worry.
