Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126415
Finll!ly tuned. but stock. "King Richard" Burleson's WR390 Husky is a fine enduro bike for des'ert or woods. !!!gJression King RicharCl'.s WR390 Husqvarna By larry Langley Factory-backed enduro, bikes generally have g~ne the same route as factory motocross machines; they're either one-off items or highly~ modified stockers. Some appear to be fairly 'stock, however, one of which is' the WR with shorter suspension the WR390 Husqvama ridden by instead of a CR or an OR. His reply fiv~-time AMA National Enduro . was that the WR turns better, and 10 inches of suspension is plenty for Champion Dick Burleson. 34 enduro work. Dick is not a tall guy and We had contacted Husqvarna, ask· the OR or CR with almost 12" of travel ing to do a test on a standard WR390, is sOmetimes awkward, especially in and the conversation turned to the the woods or rocks. topic of just how stock Burleson's bike The WR390 has the new frame and really is. The Husky, rep, naturally, ' air1>ox but has shorter damper rods swore that it was an out-of-the-crate and shocks to lower the bike. A shorter stocker set up by Dick to his own swingarm contributes to easier turning specifications, but it still was stock. despite a 30-degree head angle. The "Sure," we said. WR does not have a full-floating rear '''OK. Don't believe us," he respondbrake, a stay arm is instead mounted ed. "Why don't you see for yourselves? to the swingarm. The floating arm setWe'll arrange for you to ride Dick's up is vulnerable to logs and rocks. The bike, the same one he used in the WR (Wide Ratio) engine contains Chaparrals' National Enduro." transmission ratios that differ from the , Did we accept? Does an enduro CR/OR gea~box in fourth thr9ugh rider carry 3' watch? Our enduro sixth providing a greater top speed, reponer was drooling - foaming, at The WR comeS equipped with enduro , the mouth, actually - since he rides a lighting, VDO speedometer and a 390cc Husky himself. folding shift lever. Sure enough, right after the finish .A checkout of Dick's bike proved it of the Chaparrals' National, Dick gave ',to be mostly stock. A few changes werre the bike to us, desert dirt and all. He made, the' biggest thing being the 'bad placed second overall on the bike" " beat~n only by desert ace Mike " addition of Sun rims in place of ~he stockers. There is no weakness with the , Hannon. We asked Dick why he rode. stockers; in fact, many riders swear by them as they have a very deep center which facilitates tire changes. Dick, however, has a contingency contract with Sun which pays him some extra bucks. Nothing wrong with that. Enduro riders aren't exactly the highest-paid riders around. Burleson prefers the older style' Magura lever assemblies. For the ,Chaparral National, he had' a Goodyear 5.00 x 17 mounted on the rear and a 3.00 x 21 Metzeler on the front. A 'Countdown Engineering , c10ckl roll chart mounted on the cross bar provided the timekeeping apparatus. Dick left us, and we decided to take the WR for a short ride td see what it was like. The new frame with the short suspension provides a very reasonable seat height for almost 10" of suspension. Dick prefers his stock handlebars 'way back which feels a little awkward at first, but we soon realized it was the hot set-up for tight corneritlg. And that's where it's won or lost in enduros. The clutch pull was a delightl Much easier than any other Husky we had ridden, A thorough inspection revealed the clutch actuating arm to ' be one- half, inch longer than stock which provided better leverage. The arm is from an older-style Husky, but it's .not recommended by the rep. The longer arm takes away most of the adjustment range 'and an unknowledge- ' able rider could easily bum his clutch out. Dick had replaced his stock rear brake arm with. a beefier unit and drilled out the backing plate mounting bolt to accept a 10mm bolt. The bike fired up on the second kick, and we were off onto our maiden ride. The first impression was the crispne.ss of engine response. Immediate' and controllable wheelies were a snap. Suspension was smooth and supple. The Ohlins seemed to haye light springs matched to Dick's ' , 'weight with medium damping. We were initially impressed with the bike, but we wanted to really put it through the wringer. The next weekend we assembled a test crew which consisted of some of AMA District 3"s top enduro riders. The first test section was in the desert and included much of the Chaparrals' enduro course. It provided a guideline for the riders since they had all ridden the course the week before. , After a full day's riding over some tough 'terrain - all the riders had a chance to ride the bike - they had 'nothing but praise for the WR. There was no doubt that the WR turns bette" than the CR/OR models, The most common observation was how plush the forks worked through the rocks. Each rider felt the WR was superior to his own·bike in handling. The torquey engine contributed to the smoothness. The hot tip was to gear .up and go for it. Instead of kicking up rocks, which normally might knock the rear wheel sideways,