motor department and notice-
ably softer in the suspension
department. This year (2021),
Husqvarna has disassociated
itself from KTM a little further by
lowering the FC 450's suspen-
sion/seat height to make the
bike easier to ride. So, you see,
there is evidence that Husqvarna
is catering more toward the vet
rider these days with, at least, its
FC 450.
The 2021 Husqvarna FC 450
is hardly all-new, but it did get
some significant changes worth
noting. Most of them have to do
with suspension and making the
bike easier to ride, mostly in the
turning department. To do this,
Husqvarna lowered the suspen-
sion—and overall height—by
10mm, which is roughly half an
inch (okay, 0.39 inches). This
was accomplished by shorten-
ing the fork's inner cartridge and
stanchion (outer fork) tubes and
modifying the rear shock seal
head cap and the lower linkages
on which it rides. Wheel travel
up front has, in turn, also been
reduced 10mm/0.4 inches to
11.8 inches, which is now the
same as the rear. (Modifications
to the rear suspension resulted
in a lower seat height but without
any loss of rear-wheel travel; you
can do that by fiddling with the
linkages and the shock body.)
So, now the bike sits 10mm
lower, which Husqvarna claims
to improve handling and, not to
mention, stability because the
center of gravity is lower.
The FC's already well-liked
WP Xact AER 48 fork got a
significant overhaul last year. A
new mid-valve was introduced
in 2020, which resulted in a
welcomed cushier ride that also
soaked up the square-edges
better. Modifications to that
same mid-valve this year result-
ed, Husky claims, in the same
damping characteristics as last
year's fork despite the reduction
of wheel travel.
Husqvarna stepped up its
2021 HUSQVARNA FC 450
R I D E R E V I E W
P82
Changes to
the suspension
resulted in the
entire bike being
nearly half an inch
lower.
