Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1979 08 29

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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By Jim Gianatsis It's hard to argue with success. For the last five years Team Husqvarna's Dick Burleson has devastated the National Enduro Championship with the Swedish marque famous for building the ultimate off·road motorcycles. And for the 1979 . h hi season It seems t at t ngs haven't changed with Burleson 14 ,,:gain on top in his quest for another title. . In the past. the specifications of the WR (Wide Ratio) enduro machines have been dictated by the Husqvama factory. This usually meant that the latest design changes were first made to the CR (Close Ratio) motocross bikes, and then later on, usually the next model year, the WRs would benefit from the improvements_ The reasoning being motocross was. supposed to be a much more techrucally competitive sport than enduro riding, and that it always took a year or so to sink in that the improvements made to the motocrossers were directly applicable to the WR models as well. However, top riders like Burleson knew that you could go much faster through the woods on a motocrosser with enduro oriented m~ifications made to it. The same top rtders also knew it's easier than taking an enduro bike and modifying it to the updated specifications of a motocrosser. Husqvarna now. realizes this as well and has allowed Dick Burleson and the other experienced Team Husky enduro and ISDT riders to dictate the specifications of the latest WR and OR models. For the first time ever the 250cc WR and 390 WR bikes and the 250 and 390 OR bikes a~ the direct brothers of the ~a~est 250 :md 390 CR rnotoelOllSers. This 15 something to respect since the majority of motorcycle publications have already deemed the 1979 model 250 and 390 CR Huskys the finest production motoclOllSeIS available. The subject of our test was the new 1979 Husky 250 WR which. Hke the 390 WR and the OR bikes, is a purebred motocrosser with just the right modifications made to it to make it the ultimate enduro. machine. Like the CR models, the 250 WR shares the same chassis in the new chrome moly frame with triangulated rear section and the flip-open side a'ccess plastic airbox introduced this year. Changes begin in the suspension where the WR now has the excellent Ohlins DeCarbon reservoir shocks. THe Ohlins are 15 inches long. rather than 16 V. inches as on the CR. and the spring rates and damping valving is exactly the same as Burleson is using on his own bike. The slightly shorter shocks, together with the WR swingarm which is 1 inch shoner than the swingarm used on the CR and OR bikes, reduces rear wheel travel to 240mm (9.5 in.) from the CR and· OR's 3(j0~m(11.8 in.). . . There IS an equal'reductlon In-travel of the Husqvarna built front forks to 240mm (9.5 in.). This is accomplished with the installation of shorter damping rods in the adjustable air/spring forks, otherwise 'the

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