New Models
First Look: 2000 Husqvarna MXers
u ick, what do you th ink when you see th e
words Husqoarna and motocross? You might think
ty pographical error. If yo u' re good , you ' ll th ink
th um per-mol/Il ted '93 SOOcc World Champion Jacky
Martens. You prob ably w on 't think modern-day success, and yo u d efin itel y won't think modern-day, two-stroke success. T ha t i s, unless
yo u' ve alread y read th e In th e Wind section of this issu e, in
w h ic h case yo u' re awa r e that a H us q varna-rnou n te d
A lessio Chiodi jus t wrapped up th e '99 125cc World
M otocross Cha mpionship, and th at GP hero Stefan
Everts is consider ing switching to a H us ky 250
fo r nex t yea r 's attempt to regain hi s title.
If the Italian company has its' wa y, you'll be
associa ti ng th e words Husquarna and motocross
a lot m ore in 2000. To encou rage th is m ental
shift, a number of updates - some ma jor, some
m i nor - have b een m ad e to the m od el -2 000
Husk y motocrossers you see on this p age. eN
In the last few rounds of the 125cc World
Championship MX Series, newly crowned champ
Alessio Chiod i rode a Husqvarna with the sleek,
reshaped bod ywork you see here on the new
CR125 (above) and CR250 (left). The design is by
Signore Galluzzi, wh o also styled the Ducati
Monster, and is no doubt int ended to eradicate
the cobby feel of many past Husqv arn as
(Husky' s Rob Keith calls the bi kes "much
narrower, fron t to rear"). Other than the pla stic,
the updates are rather minor. All the t wo-stro kes
get bigger rad iators; increased front-suspension
travel (f rom 285mm to 300mm ); stiffer
sw ingarms; new front and rear hubs and disc
rot ors; and different valving for the rear shock.
Motor updates include a new connecting rod for
the 125, a revised piston and cunc n for the 250,
and an updated crankshaft for both. Prices
remain the same as in '99, at $4999 for the 125
and 55679 for the 250.
The biggest news for the Husky fourst rokes (like the MX-ori ent ed TC610,
right is a nevi tw o-into-one exh aust
system, rep lacing the dua l pipes of the
older model. The thumpers also enjoy
the same new discs and hubs. Price
has yet to be established on the fo urstrokes.
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