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/126950
Cornering the Husky is precise and predictable. The new. smoother seat/ tank junction makes rider man8uverabilty a breeze. By Kit Palmer Photos By Kinney Jones The 1987 Husqvarna 250cc Enduro IS just about the prettiest thing on two wheels. It has that spit-and-polished look that's nearly impossible to resist when eyeing the all-new Husky as it sits proudly on the showroom floor. The Swedishmade Husky is eye-catching to , say the least. '. But good looks alone don't win enduros. It takes a good-handling, quick-wming, powerful, reliable motorcycle to win enduros. Last year's 250cc Husky Enduro already featured most of those attributes, but the 1986 model did leave room for improve- . ment. Styli"ngwasn'toneofthem, but the 1987 bike got it anyway. The Husky looks like an all new " motorcycle, but when it gets down to internal changes, there are only a few. Most notable is the switch to a longer-stroke motor. Many Husky enduro riders felt the 1986 250cc En- duro was a little too peaky; they wanted a more manageable powerband. So-, both the bore and stroke have been changed In 1987 to 66.5 x 70.8mm from 69.5 x 64.5mm. To compliment the different bore and stroke, a new exhaust pipe was designed. Attached to the new pipe is an all-new aluminum U.S. Forestry-approved spark arrester/silencer, that now mounts to' the frame in two places instead of one. The rest of the water-cooled, twostroke motor remains basically unchanged. The cylinder has slightly different porting specs, and the piston has only one ring. The engine is still carbureted through a 38mrn, round-b.ore Mikuni (with different jetting) and breathes through the At 231 pounds dry. the Husky is a little on th.e heavy side. The black gas tank makes it hard to check fuel level. same right-side airbox. The six-speed transmission is the same as the 1986 model, but, according to Husky, the clutch received minor refinements to improve reliability. Many Husky"owners last year had problems with the steel engine side covers corroding, but that problem has been solved by switching to aluminurn side covers. New attention was given to the Husky's front and rear suspension. In the rear, the single-shock Ohlins connects to a new linkage ratio that requires the use of a stiffer spring rate. The shock itself has a piggyback Huskys have always been noted for being good lookers. but the 1987 models take the cake. Three major changes for 1987 include a longer stroke motor. different fork internals and a new front disc brake. reservoir and produces a long 12.2 inches of travel. Last year's Husky-made fork just didn't CUI it. Although the fork performed adequately in low-speed situations, it couldn't handle the rough stuff at a faster pace. The front end _ twitched, and any hard impact was felt harshly in the rider's shoulders. Last year, many Husky riders installed a Husky Products fork kit, which improved fork action immensely. For 1987, the Husky uses the exact same fork as last year's 250 but with the fork kit already installed. This means the fork damper assembly," springs and bushings are all new. Front wheel travel is 10.6 inches. The front disc brake is all-new for 1987. Last year's Husky featured a floating disc and a single-piston cal iper, but that's been changed. The disc is now mounted stationary to the front hub, but the caliper has a floating mount. Husky says this wasn't done to improve e£(ectiveness, but to save money; the new unit is less expensive to build. To improve stopping power, the cali.per now has a double-piston set up. The Husky front brake system is similar to the system found on the big 650cc Cagiva Elefant dual-purpose motorcycle. The Husky comes stock with Metzeler tires, and the hubs are trimmed "down to decrease weight. The drive chain is an O-ring type. All-new, shiny, sana-looking Acerbis-made plastic is found on the Husky, as is a new seat. The gas tank is all black; but it's wrapped by a white, single-piece radiator shroud. This means Husky owners no longer will have to worry about tank graphics bubbling up and looking disgusting after ,a few miles of riding because the decals aren't applied directly to the tank. The seat blends in smoothly with the tank assembly. On the trail, The Husky is an easy starter, but