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
" 00 d ing blew away after only a few rides and it became much louder - very obnoxious. Jttakes at least a couple of minutes for the Husky to warm up; and when we hit the trails for the first time, we were disappointed with the motor. We didn't really expect gobs of low end, nor did we expect ir to be blazingly fast, but we did figure the WR would have a little bit of both - it didn't. The Husky has absolutely no low end. If theWR falls off the pipe when climbing a hill, the rider might as well turn around, go back down and SlaTt aJI pver. It can be clutched out of some situations, though, but not very often. Chugging up hilrs is impossible; slipping the dutch is normal. Luck~ly, the dutch iuturdy and puts up wllh It lot of abuse. The Husky doesn't, take off until the motor is screaming. When the power, comes on, it is abrupt and short-lived; the Husky must be shifted as quickly and as smoothly as possible, or revs will drop, and it's time for down-shifting. On level ground, the WR can go fairly fast, but it lakes a long time to get there; according to the speedometer, maximum speed is 65 mph. The powerband is just plain wrong for an enduro bike: it is peaky, and peaky; isn't what a serious enalUo competitor or weekend trail ridrr needs. Riding fast r:equires too muc:h work to Ileep-tIw WR within.its narrow powerba.nd, and that wears out me ricin quickly;. Watel' oossings aren't the Husky's' favorite obstades. Our first encounter riding the WR in water was surprising. The crossing was hub deep, and we played around in it for a while at slow speeds and had no problems. However, we did drop the Husky on its side in the middle of the water crossing; neady completely submerging it for about 10 seconds. After we pulled it out to dry ground, we tried kick starting it, but the WR was water locked ~ the. • piston wouldn't budge. After plug· •• .,..."LJ ging the gas cap and transmission vent tubes, and removing' the spark plug, we turned the bike upside down and kicked it over a number ohimes until water stopped pouring out of the airbox, cylinder and pipe. Once right sjde up, the WR fired on the second kick - we were impressedl Our second water encounter wasn't, so impressive, however. While riding in a southern California desert, we came upon a river that was very wide with about a four-inch layer of water aU the way across. So we decided to do some hydroplaning, but the WR said no. Entering the water at a high rate of speed, the Husky started to cough and spuller. It almost died after ,about' 20 yards, and wouldn't run cleanly. It seems that at speed, water splashes directly on the spark plug, causing the motor to cut out. Without aircooling fins, there is nothing guarding the plug. Once out of the waler, the Husky ran fine. Now to the good part - the suspension. The rear ITC suspension set-up works superbly, as do the forks. We had no complaints. In the desert, the Husky faced miles of whoop-de· doos, one right after the other, and it never tried to spit us off. Bottoming was rare, and the shocks did not fade. Jumping off, logs and rocks, which we came across frequently in the mountains, the" WR absorbed the landings quite well. Iven with a tall sea.~ 57.Tinches ' bom the sround,- ancI'Jong-wl\eelbase, the Husky turm, remarkably well It can caJ'W its way through trees and rocks predictably and easily. The rider must keep his weight a few inches back on the seat for best results in the turns. The tires dig in well enough (or the 125's power. whether the ground is hard or moist, but the rear tire wears out quicklJl. Both the (ront and rear brakes are poor. They work just well enough to get the job done butfeel mushy; hpwever, they are sealed well from water. The seat is comfortable but is a fittle on the hard side, but we didn't mind. The bar/peg/seat relationship is OK, but the tall seat height will give riders under about 5' 10" some problems, The previously mentioned water-crossing crash happened be- • cause the rider was 5'6" and couldn't reach the ground in time when he got out of shape while riding over large rocks. The handlebars have a comfort· able bend, but the grips started to fall apart after a few hours of riding. There is a huge bulge where the pipe hides behind the left side panel and that can be noticed while riding, but we got used to, it. Nothing broke on the WR. and the chain stretched very lillIe. Spokes required lillIe tightening. It didn't take too long before the stripes on the fuel tank to SlaTt peeling along the edges, but at I'east they never came off. The Husky comes with a 3O.day bare-frame-and-engine-only warranty and, a 72-page owner's manual which includes training and riding tips - and a 25-page engine work· shop manual are included with the purchase price of $1995". The Husqvama I25WIl in motorcycle with an excellent chassis and a weak engine with a narrow powerband and no low-end torque. May tie (uture versions will ,have a powerband broad enough to make the bike (un to ride, but as it stands now we wouldn't buy this Husqvama. • Specifications Engine type •••• Single cylinder; liquid cooled. two-stroke Bore x stroke •...•.. 66x62mml D-..r-=-ment 124cc Com".. retio 115.0:1 Carburetion 3&mm Miltuni HorMpo_24 bhp @l 10.000 rpm Torque ...•.....•........ , No.A. Ignition COl Motoplat Lubration . . . . . . . . . ... Pre mix Redllne Gear rrio. 10.1500 rpm Prinwry ....•.......•..... 3.19 FIneI ..•••..••.••...•. , .. ,3.20 I1h : 0.739 Itb 0.803 4tIt • _••............... _1.044 3rd ......•..'.....•..... 1,301, 2nd ..................•. T.703,at. , ' 2.3154" e.tcuIated' 1n gun at redline 'th 6th 4th 84.3' mPh 3rd : 47.89 mph 2nd 1 at 36.68 mph 26.46 mph 77.69 mph 69.67 mph Fraine. .. H..t ChromemoIy tube a.mi-double cradle R*•.................... 21.15° TrH. , 5.1. in. Front ~,type ••• HU8q".,.... air edjustable. tlilicopic fortta FoItl tube diamew 40mm Front travel 10.6 in. R.., au on type ••••• Du.I IhocIt IYC Reu trawl 11.1 In. Front brall.. (type/aia}. Drum/ , 180mm R. . . . . . . ltype/. .),. Dnnn/ ,eon- FroIItwbMt~/"J.""'1 , 21 In. ..........ltype/. .) •. spobl 11 In. front tira Tra.eborg 3.00x21-1n. R.., tire Dry weight WhtMtIbe Fuel CIIP11citv Ground cleerance S..t height Colors Trelleborg 4.6Ox1 I-in. :216 IN. , .• 68.2 in. 2.8 gel. 12.6 in. 37.7 in. White Reteil. price .............• '9~6 25