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/126758
turns well; actually, it almost turned too good. At first we had a tendency to oversteer so the front end seemed a little un table, but after a few miles that little annoyance goes away once you get used to it. Husqvarna i one of the very few manufacturers that rely on a dual shock system that they initial the ITC. There i a reason for this set up and that is because it works - well. But it isn't the be t. Out of the crate, like the one we rode. the rear suspension worked very nice; landing off large jumps, 11.8 inches of travel soaked up the touchdowns smoothly, but later on in the day after the shocks began to break in and soften, -the Cadillac ride disappeared slightly, especially over large whoops in fifth or sixth gear. ometimes the back end would swap to the ide, but it wasn't anything we couldn't live with. A simple adjustment could curve the problem, but we didn't have the chance to find out. Up front, the Husky-made forks worked typically well, but it to had some quirks. Every now and then, the front end would twitch sharply in your hands over a series of whoops, but like the shocks, it wasn't too bad and simple dialing in could be the answer. The fork travel is a little over 10 and a half inches. Throughout the day, we had plenty of chances toabusetheclutch. We did so in narrow, twisting sandwashes, stuck halfway up steep hills and by just plain shifting. We were pleased to discover that the clutch held up without any hint of problems. Buried within the cases is a sixspeed transmission designed for every occasion. Shifting is precise whether or not the clutch is used, and the Hoosk never slipped out of gear. The brakes on the WR worked very well and had a positive feel. Adoubleleading-shoe brake graced the front wheel which is the next best thing to discs. Unfortunately, we never had a chance to see how well they worked in water. The WR is 'very light. and it even feels that way. Hu ky claims the WR weighs in at 237 pounds which seems about right. Since the WR is so light, it is super easy to throw around, even when stuck on a hill or in ravines. The overall feel of the machine is an illusion - it doesn't feel like an Open-class enduro bike, which means that fatigue will take longer to set in during lengthy enduros ordesen races. The bar/peg/seat relationship is a comfortable one, which also helps reduce fatigue. However, the left side panel is a nuisance because it sticks out 0 far over the pipe. and not only that, it snags to the top of your boot, which will drive you crazy after a while. Even though we only spent one day on the WR400. we were very impressed with the pa kageand were sad to seC' it go. It would have been great if we could have kept the WR for a loner period of time to see how well the Husky performed after a few hundred miles of sand, rocks, mud and logs. But with Hu qvarna's past record, and from what we could tell, the WR will most likely hold up well. The WR isn't cheap, and at a suggested retail price of $3195, it had better be good. Lu kily, it is worth every penny, even for a non-serious woods rider. But if you can afford one of these charms. you better act quick because Husky plans to market the WR400 in limited numbers and expects to release them in mid-March. We have not had the chance yet to ride any other 1984 enduro bikes this year, so it wouldn't be fair to say it is the best big-bore enduro bike in 1984, but it would be safe to say the WR400 will low. beavery, verytoUghacttOfO_~I-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _e 33