Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

, So if you want the lighter weight of 9 two-stroke mount, it's mandatory tC turn to Europe. Then you can pic from the Husky, the KTM 250 MXCo the CaR-Am 250 ASE L/C, all three 0 water-cooled persuasion and all wit very adept woods abilities. While no as widely available, Montesa, SWM Cagiva and M-Star can also provide 250cc enduro. The only two-strok enduros available £rom Japan are th Kawasaki KDX200 and Yamah IT200.· But the Husky speaks well for t European method of doing woods bus iness. The 250WR is basically a seal down version of the highly successfu 400WR introduced early in 1984, an~ the two are nearly identical with th exception of engine size. If you tried 400WR and were intimidated by tht1 generally excellent but most definitel~ Open class motor, the 250 could be you. The 250 puts out what we have to call nearly perfect power for enduro competition. You get the best of both worlds: on the low end of the power band there is enough power availabl at the twist of the wrist that we founq ourselves ricling it like an Open class bike, using short throttle bursts td scoot from tree to tree rather than con stantly shifting. In the upper reache of the power band there is still plent of horsepower to hanclily eat up open terrain. There is barely a trace of the air cooled mill used in the '84 250WR. Th~ new 245cc motor is based on the '84 25OCR, Husky's first water-cooled bike The exhaust port exits in the center 01 the cylinder, hence the center-por~ designation, rather than exiting to t.hc1 side as in previous 250WRs. Porting specs in the water-jacketed cylindeJj have been moclified to provide stron!! bollom end and mid-range perfor~ ance according to information pr vided by Husky, ·and our experien indicate they're right on the mark. Twin radiators made by Nippondenso in Japan mount to either side ol the single upper frame downtube, and are protected by vented plastic shields an the front and by winged panels on the sides. Where the racliarors originate is no secret; the familiar "Do not open hot" warMing on Ihe radiator cap is printed both in English and Japanese. It would be nice if the cap were more accessible, since it's cliHicult to get a good grip on it with the neck of the radiator bUlled close to the g-dS tank. An eight-petal reed valve is nestled in the intake tract, fed by a Mikun 38mm carburetor. The standard Husk air box, accessed through removin the seat, is equipped with a large oiled foam single-stage filter. With the ai inlet located just un~er the top of th seat, you would have to find some ver deep water to drown the WR. The transmission shares few parts with the '84 model. Internal as well as overall gearing is lower, a trait aimed for better overall performance in th~ woods. First is super low, usable onJ~ in the tightest situations, with second very close to the same ratio as first gear was in the '84 model. At the top end o~ the scale, sixth gear on the new WR i close to fifth in last year's model. If you do most of your riding in th wide open spaces it would be good to up a bit by swapping sprockets. As things stand, the tight woods rider should be very content. Gearin~ is such that there are no large gaps between gears, and the nice manners of the engine allow you to pick a gear and stay there for longer than usual. Husky kickstarters are still tailored for a taller person; standing on the lef side of the bike, you have to raise your leg very high before taking a kick. But what's nice is that the WR kicks over 3 j Impression: 1985 Husqvama 250WR Swedish high tech tuned for the forest By Tom Kolnowski Liquid-cooled power plants have suddenly become the rule rather than the exception in the world of enduro machinery. A trend that began with 125cc motocrossers has finally 34 .. trickled down into the tree-infes·d h ted wo~ Id 0 f teen d uron er, to the powt whe~ there ar~ more woods machInes available with coolant pump.ing through lheir vems than those wllhOUl. And If the performance of the Husqvarna250WR isan indication of the type of performancewecanexpectfromthisnewbreed of enduro bike, water cooling is most definitely the right route to follow if one wants to make time through the woods. A natural offshoot of the wave of high technology that ha been sweeping through the motorcycling world, liquid cooling does not necessarily by itself make a good motorcycle. In the case of the 250WR, Husky has spent many years refining a chassis and suspension that works very well in the woods and for '85 has chosen to implement the liquid-cooled treatment. By doing so, they have come up with a 250cc bike so finely honed and tuned in box-stock form that we reel it's at the very least a match for any other woods machine of its size. ' If you begin shopping for a 250cc enduro bike, you'll soon find your choices limited: Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki no longer manufacture bikes of that description, and Honda only has a four-stroke model to offer.

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