Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Among some of the trick Items found on the 2002 Husaberg lineup are the four-valve, singleovemead-cam engine (left); the lightweight aluminum swingann and wave-perimeter disc brakes (right); and the carbon-tiber-tipped aluminum silencer (below). that the trails would be tight and technical - ideal country, in other words, for a moderately sized thumper like the FE400e that remained unspoken for (though we focused on this bike, we eventually got to spend time on all of the various Husaberg displacements). With four-strokes now common with electric start or standard, rightside kick levers and automatic compression-release systems, a highmounted left-side kick lever seems a bit of an anachronism. That's why it's a good thing Husaberg equipped its bikes with an electric restarter, though we found the system to be less than bulletproof. Several of the bikes were hesitant to fire via the magic button, and one had the electric starter cease functioning altogether. Admittedly, we weren't exactly babying the starters, even being so recalcitrant as to cold-start the big bikes with the electric starter - a procedure that, although frowned upon by Husaberg, is welcomed by bikes like the KTM 400 EXC. At any rate, the 'Bergs were fairly easily fired up manually, assuming you've got a rather long gam and don't mind using your left boot. On the trail, the 400 did, indeed prove perfect for the relatively twisty trails, accelerating from comer to corner tractably but aggressively and brake-sliding predictably into the turns. Actually, the bike's feel is quite reminiscent of KTM's 400 EXC (a bike on which we've spent a lot of time), and that should come as no surprise since the Austrian company has picked up some four-stroke pointers from its Swedish cousin. If forced to point out the most obvious difference between the two machines, we'd say the Husaberg gives more precedence to stability and slightly less to maneuverability compared to the nimble Katoom, though the 'Berg is not ponderous by any stretch of the imagination. Again, the best way to ride it quickly in tight conditions is to accelerate hard and pivot the rear end into turns using the back brake (we heated up the rear binder enough that it emitted a pungent odor - something Husaberg says goes away when the brake gets broken in - but never to the point that we lost feel or power). Surprisingly, the bigger Husabergs proved quite adept at the terrain we were navigating as well. Granted, the trails weren't of the ridiculously tight variety, but they were certainly not freeways. Predictably, the larger-displaced machines required different riding styles than the little four-honey (especially the 650), preferring to be short-shifted a tad more and revved a bit less. Again, we were surprised at even the 650's ability to make hay through the woods, as we've become accustomed to big thumpers being too much of a handful in close quarters. With the big 'Berg, the rider can just choose a gear and modulate speed via the throttle, achieving a feel similar to a bike with an automatic transmission (in fact, six speeds seems a bit overkill for such a motorcycle). If the trail opens up a bit, you· can get going fast enough on the 650 to blur the scenery in your peripheral vision, and it is only when the trail gets really tight that the bike's significant reciprocating weight makes things overly difficult. As would be expected, the 470, 501 and 550 felt somewhere between the revvy 400 and lug-happy 650, and the effectiveness of them all proves the versatility of Husaberg's motor package. About the only complaint we had was of a stalling tendency with one of the 470s. The suspension updates on the new 'Bergs were successful, as the bikes absorbed small input like rots, rocks and roots, but still rode high • enough in the travel to suck up major _G-outs. In other words, the suspenders behave exactly as they're meant to on an off-road machine. We came away from our brief jaunt convinced that Husaberg still makes a very competitive off-road fourstroke, which is probably why so many of the features that this Uttle company has debuted over the years can be found on subsequent models by its more mainstream competition. No, we don't expect Husaberg to ever be the size of IKEA, but the company is proof that Swedes know how to design more than office chairs. And in a pinch, that stylish yellow fuel tank looks like it would serve as a mean vase... Mike Grizzle campaigns Husabergs In high-level competition like the GNCC Series. @[JJ@@fj(]!Jc§JfflJO®~ ~@@~ [J{}G!J~&J!lJ@0J]~ ENGINE TYPE EXHAUST _ SILENCER BORE x STROKE Uquid-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke, SOHC, four valves Twln head pipe, two-into-one collector, Inox steel A1uminum (FEs (, FXs w/

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