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/126781
By Kit Palmer It's difficult to comprehend why anyone would purposefully fork out hard-earned dollars for a 125 enduro machine. Whipping through, san~. was:h~s, climbing loose, rock-filled hills' and wading through en'ginecase-deep mud bogs on a ". ,., screammg 125 ISO t wh.al' we would can .eads of fun. Maybe that's why there are only three 125 enduro models available in the UnIted States: Cagiva's WRXI25, KTM's MXCI25andHusqvarna's 125WRare all European bred. Well, everyone (thing) deserves a chance, so we _ adopted the 1984 WRI25 for a few months, hoping to be prove wrong. . . . The 'htde Husky IS the pretuest scoot on the dirt. White is ,the domi· n"nt color, while blue and. yellow strtpe~ grace the new plasllc lank and SIde panels. The number plates are brigttt.yel.low, and the seat is light blue and whIte. Two radiators supply the single cylinder, reed-valve two-s.trokeengine with coolant. Last year's WR wa~ air cooled, and the .change to liqaid cooling enables the compression ratio to climb to 15.0: I from 13.I: 1. Bore, stroke and displacement remains 'the same. JP6rtiflg'timing is changed, anti the' . cylinder now has a center-port exhaust design f.or be~ter flow. The new exhaUSl pIpe wmds around to the left side-;-makes 'a' dog-leg bend underneath the radiator and is tucked away behind the side panel. The p!pe ~as a u!1iqu~ feature t.o reduce vlbrallon nOIse. FIberglass IS stu~fed between two ,metal plates whIch wrap around the fat portIOn. of the pIpe and are held ~ogether b~ fIve large ho~e clamps. It s a good Idea, but the fIberglass cr~ps out between the plates and the pIpe; after a long ride the WR needs 10 see a barber. 'The steel sileneer is huge and has a .u.S. Forestry Department-approved' spark arrester. Two springs hold the silencer core in place, making repacking a cinch:_ ., The engine cases are similar·to·the WR250 but are not interchangeable. The kickslart is on the left side, of course, but the' primary kick is new. Last year's WR boasted a 38mm Mikuni carburetor, which Husky technicians now feel was too big; the '84 WR uses a 36mm Mikuni to increase low end. The smaller carb feeds into a full reed valve i nlake ( " •••~"~'I"""'-*" "',,-.~~., -.jJT~ ~~ chamber. The six-speed constant mesh translI)is5ion received no changes; primary and secondary ratios also stayed the same. The outside plates on the #520 drive chain are gold for cosmetic reasons. A COl Motoplat electrical system supplies the Bosch W3C spark plug, and the 12V 40/45W headlight and 5/IOW taillight with juice. Theignition timing is advanced 3° over the 1983 WR, and the ignition advance was changed to 1.98 BTDC from 1.43mm. The heat-treated, chrome-moly steel frame has a few changes from 1983. Last year's Husky had a single downtube, but because of the centerport exhaust, the WR needs double downtubes. Rake is steeper, 28.5° vs. 30°, wheelbase 58.2 inches. Ground clearance is almost an inch higher, which is helpful, because the WR has no skid plate. Seat height is also increased by nearly an inch to 37.7 inches. The front fork is made by Husqvarna. The tubes are still 40mm in diameter, but the navel is increas~ by 20mm to 270mm (10.6 inches).' Neither the fork sliders or tubes are protected from rocks, bushes, etc. Oil capacity in each leg is 450cc, and Husky recommends using 8.0 psi. Husky calls its rear suspension system the Immediate Track Connol (lTC). Twin Ohlins shocks with ,piggy back reservoirs absorb the bumps. Husqvarna reps feel the dual shock set-up works as well as any single shock system, saying the ITC system is more senstive to both the speed ofthe wheel movement and the position of the rear wheel without complicated levers. One thing is for sure, ~he standard twin shock system is simple and easy to maintain; however, there are no compression or rebound damping adjustments on the shocks, Last year's WR used Betor shocks, 250mm (9.8 inches) of travel, while the '84 sports 300mm (1l.8 inch ..travel....... J. "l·" .. ". . . . . . . \1 t , ' .. n t '.J I' 'r.' ,I .) l: I ~, \ '!I Hi,! II ? . II, J, I The front brake is the doubl.e leading shoe-type; the rear is a single leading shoe, located on the same side of the hub as the 48-tooth sprocket. The rear brake is activated by a steel rod that pivots on the brake pedal, next to the swingarm pivot, a system designed to provide smoother braking action over bumps - less hopping. Rims are gold-anodized al umin urn alloy, the front a 21-incher with 4mm spokes, the rear an 18-incher with 4.5mm spokes. Both tires are made by Trelleborg. Front and rear fenders are very wide, but the plastic is rough with a dull white finish. The front fender is vented so air flow to the radiators isn't restricted. The front number plate forms to the headlight in one molded piece, , and it can be.easily removed by popping off four rubber bands. The plate also guards lhespeedome.ter and odometer. Resetting the odometer is a pain because the·knob changes the seuing one-tenth of a mile at a time, . forwards or backwards. The reset knob sticks out of the left side of the speedo, but gelling a hand on it is a problem - there isn't enough room, especially with gloves on, which means the:! rider can't get a full twist of the knob. It could cause problems while waiting for theIider's number to come up at a checkpoint. Controls are first rate: dog leg levers are used, the grips are comfortable and the handleBars have a good bend. A Whirlpull throttle assembly is a nice touch. At 218 pounds dry, the new WR weighs two pounds less than last year's WR. We had no problems firing up the little Husky; it usually took three or four kicks, hot or cold. But the kickstarter lever is too tall, requiring heavy-duty knee bending. Even with the huge silencer and the fiberglass packing on the pipe, the Husky is loud and raspy. To make things worse, the muffler pack'~, -~ll: II /' '.l2tl \1 J,' l':,t~C.vl II l\rIQ