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/127691
1995 Husaberg FE 350 (Right) Most of Husaberg's reputation has been earned with the highly acclaimed 501 , but their 350 Is also a sarious race weapon. For 1995, the tiny Swedish manufac1urer has incorporated saveral small updates. (Below) We tried out an FE 350 at the infamous Flat River Grand Prix. By Chris Jonnum Photos by Pat Hanes > o he final motocross test is a climac tic experience a t any ISDE, but few can compare to the Lightweight Four-Stroke moto at Tulsa this August. In that class, Swede Anders Eriksson came into the last day in second place, five seconds ahea d of third-placed Mario Rinaldi. And if he had a great moto, Eriksson could conceivably take over the lead from Arnaldo Nicoli. Unfortunately for Eriksson, a first-tum crash put him at the very back of the pack. A desperate, flat-out charge by the Swede came up just short, and he slipped to third in the final standings. Still, my mind had been etched by the image of Eriksson flinging his Husaberg 350 around like a 125, posting what I am su re were the fastest lap times of the day. And I recalled the performance a we ek later when Husaberg called and invited me to tryout one of their '95 models at Missouri's infamous Hat River Grand Prix. "Which bike wou ld you like to ride?" asked Greg Surdyke, Hu saberg's sales manager. " We ' ve got a couple firebreathing SOls you may be interested in, or maybe if you're nice, Chuck Sun will let you try out the 600 that he raced in a coupl e MX Nationals this year ." "Do you have a 350?" I asked, visions of Eriksson dancing in my head . "A 350?" asked Surdyke. "I guess so. Why, are you bringing your girlfriend?" 16 The bike I used had been ridden by a s. 0\ rl N l-< Q) S Q) z FLAT RIVER FLYIN' Frenchman in the ISDE, but luckily for me , he had d ropp ed ou t after just one day. The FE 3SO had Acerbis Rally handguards and a Moose front foam insert installed, but was otherwise stock. For 1995, Husaberg has switched to an intake manifold with a steepe r angle into the cylinder head , and designed a different flywheel cover. The crankshaft gear and shift forks are beefed up , and lighter clutch springs are now installed. The tri p le clamp, which is machined from solid aluminum, has a different offset than last year, and the 57mm WP inverted fork uses different valving . The steering stops are revised and relocated , and the sub frame is reinforced . A stro nge r mounting system is used on the large, single rad iator, as well. The front binder received a differe nt maste r cylinder with more adjustment, and the rear brake pads can now be replaced while the wheel is on the bike. Hurried tire changes should also be easier, as the rear wheel spacers are now fixed in place. The pegs were widened by weld ing extensions to the back. Appearance-wise, Husaberg slapped on a set of Bold New Graphics and switched to a stainlesssteel exhaust system. I had intended to try out the bike on Saturday, but a steady rain prevented any helpful testing, so I conte nted myself by mounting a fresh rear tire, changing the oil and load ing the bike up, then getting a good night's rest. I didn't really know what to expect, never having ridden this type of event before, so, as I waited on the start line, I struck up a conversation with a couple of Honda XR-mounted brothers who were