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/128333
hey might no t populate the woods like they once did, but Husqvarna still knows how to make decent off-road bikes. One suc h example is th e allnew TE450, but it's more than just decent it's pretty darn good. When we first rode the bike in Italy nearly a yea r ago, we we re quite impressed, as we were with many of the other mod e ls in Husqvarna 's 2004 off-road and motocross IDOth-Annivers ary lineup. They all impressed us, in fact, but the TE450, much like the one that carried Swede Anders Eriksson to the 2003 World Enduro 400/450cc-c1ass title, stood out . That pretty much explains why we chose the TE450 when Husqvarna asked us w hich bike we wanted to take home and get more intimate with. You could say that our Husky has survived the test of time. Even after riding many ot her comparable machines since our trip to Italy, we still think highly of the TE450. And perhaps the number-one reason for this is the Husky's sweet disposition. Desp ite its rath er large displacement and its overall girt hy size, the TE is a pussycat on t he trail. While it may prod uce gobs of power from its rather high-tech DOHC four-valve (tita nium) 449cc motor, it's delivered in such a way that is still smoot h and very manageab le , just what you need when you 're carefully threading your way down a narrow and techn ical Single-tra ck trail filled with loose rocks, or wh en you're throttling out of a slick, dry turn at the base of a stee p, rutted-out climb. There's no hard hit anywhere in the Husky's wide and linear powerband - just smooth torque that pulls steadily from down low on up. And throttle response from the new flatslide Mikuni car bure tor, with TPS (Throttle Position Sensor ), is quite crisp, too. The TE is, t hankfully, very quiet . The alltitanium dual header exhaust syste m, with a Giannelli spark arre stor-e quipped silencer, will easily get you through the sound tes t before your local enduro . The silencer is sta mped "80 decibels." And then the re 's that beloved electric starter - need we say more? The T E450 has the right gear for just abo ut every occasio n. After all, it had better, since it has six to choose from . But shifting itself could be better - it's a little notchy - but flat-ou t missed shifts we re ra re . A hydraulic clutch provides a superl ight pull for one-finger opera tion. Prob ably our biggest complaint wit h the TE450 's powerplant is overly heavy engine braking. This not only affects the bike's handling but it also makes the bike feel heavy, even if it is only in your head - or your arms . The cons tant pull of accelera- tion and' heavy decelerat ion is a wor kout on t he forearms, one teste r noted . And, altho ugh it' s one of the lighte r bikes in its T nniversary class, it's still rather heavy at a claimed 260 pounds. So it's a good idea to layoff the Cinnabons while living with the TE. Forget Kayaba or Showa, Husky fits its bikes with fully adjustable Marzocchi (forks) and Sachs (shock) suspension com ponents, and t hey're surp risingly goo d. Right out of the crate, the TE provided a firm ride but softened up considerab ly after a short time . Once broken in, neithe r the shock nor the fork required drastic "clicker" adjust ments to make us happy. However, Husky guru George Earl of Upt ite Husqvarna (Santa Ana, California), says that droppi ng the fork's oil level from 85mm to I 10mm and swapp ing out the stock oil with five we ight gives t he front end an even better feel over the smalle r bumps and improves the overa ll balance of the bike for the average-size rider. We didn't get a chance to take him up on his suggest ion, but Earl has never steered us in the wrong direc tion before. He also recommends setting the ride height at right around four inches. Huskys have never been known as turners , but that seems to be a thing of the past. We thought the TE responded well to rider input and pretty much went w here it was told to go without hesitation. In fact, the TE felt quite nimble for a 260-pound dirt bike. Brembo disc brake s are sufficiently strong and prov ide good fee l at both ends, but the brake pedal is a little hard to find at first . At least it's tucked in nice lyand out of harm 's way, as are the wide (front to back) footpegs that also have good ground clearance without feeling overly high. The TE comes with aluminu m Tommase lli handlebars with a comfortable, neutral bend . Ergonom ically speaking, the TE450 is quite comfo rtab le overall and doesn't feel too "Euro." One tester did, however, co mplain abo ut feeling with his knees the radiator shrouds w here they suddenly bow outward . Enduro ride rs will like the compact digital readout that offers seve n functions: odometer, t ripmeter, speedometer with maximum and average speed reado uts, and a clock with chronometer function. They might not like, however, the smallish 2.3-gallon fuel ta nk. Californians will love the fact that the TE450 is "gree n-sticker-able," w hich means that off-ro aders in the Golden State can enjoy riding the Husky year-round. As far as re liability, our TE450 has survived a fair amoun t of abuse without a glitch. Earl says that he hasn't see n any major problems with the TE, nor does he foresee any in the future , but he did say t hat the key to a long, re liable and happy re lationship with the TE is careful bre ak-in when new. "Take your time breaking them in," he says. 'That is extre mely important. You do n't want to rev it out at first - t hat kills