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/128348
' 2=-O=-O=-S-=-:- usq-v-a--n- s - - - - - -- - - -- - - -- - -- - - - H-:- - r abett e r since they have been completely reworked fo r 'OS. A 45mm Marzocchi USD fork still gra ces th e front and seems to be re latively uncha nged . The TCs . however, do come w ith "hole shot" starter hooks. w hich is mo re t han any of th e Japanese bikes can say. Husky made some changes w he n it came to th e Bre mbo disc brake s. The TCs ge t larger 240mm discs (220s on th e TE). new caliper sup port, and all of th e bikes get new front-brake master cylinders. The TEs, t ho ugh. ge t pad-saving solid ro tors. All of the ' 0 5 Huskys, like the TC4S0 shown here, get Keihin carburetors. RAG I N' IN T HE WOO D S Last year, w hen we went to t he land of pasta and fizzy water. Husky seemed to focus its '04 laun ch mo re to ward motocross t han off-ro ad , wh ich might be fine for the European mar ket . but for Americans, Huskys will always be known for th eir o nce supremacy in the w oods. at least in t he "mode rn" (lo ng-t rave l) era. This year. however, a lot mo re em phasis was put on single-tr ack th an do ub les. he nce the many unlucky dee r in th e lodge - t his w as certa inly off-road count ry and an ideal place for Husqvarn a to showcase its ·05s. Day o ne had us unload ing t he T Es near Hancock, N ew Y rk, on a chu nk of o wooded land owned by a gro up of hard core off-ro ad en thu siasts, including ISDE veterans Drew an d Chris Smit h, our trail guides for the day. O f t he three bikes , the 250 was the mo st not iceably improve d . T he '04 T E25 0 was a good bike but a slow revve r, w hich be cam e even more ev ident when Ho nda cam e out w ith its hot new CRF250X. Plus, t he '04 T E had that an noying hiccu p off the bottom - not a good combination. But forget all t hat fo r '05. T he ne w TE2 50 revs much q uicke r. run s clea ne r and just plain has mo re pow e r. Even longtime Husky ride r Ho ess was impr esse d; he came back fro m his first ride on t he bike highly praising the T E's mo tor, and yo u could te ll t hat he wa s sincere in his co mments and wa sn't just dish ing out PR rhe to ric. Just a few days ea rlier. Hoess rode and won a local hare scram bles race aboard a '04 T E250. so he knew w hat he was talking abo ut . "Yo u can really fe el th e difference ," he said w ith an I-gott a-have -o ne -oft hese loo k in his eye . "T he motor is much bette r." We w e re impressed w ith t he TE2 50' s suspensio n. too, as we were wi t h the ot her tw o bike s. This place was full of rocks - nasty o nes - that we re hiding in the fallen leaves and just wa iting to se nd you careening off th e trail and into t he trees. but t he TE did a rema rka ble job of soaking up the po unding an d kee ping yo u 20 NOVEMBER 3, 2004 • There's no lack of horsepower with the TC4S0. SPECIFICATIONS TE450/TC450 MSRP N/A Engine Single cylinder, four-stroke Valves Titanium (4) 449cc Displacement Bore x Stroke 97 x 60.76mm Transm ission Six-speed Eleetric and kick Starting starter/e lectric Cooling Ignit ion Carburetor Front brake Rear Brake Liquid Digital .4lmm Keihin FCR Disc 260 mm Floating (solid TE) disc 240mm SUSPENSION Front ..Marzocchi inverted telescopic hydraulic adjustable fork (45mm) Rear ..SACHS progressive Soft Damp w/hydraulicadjustable singleshock TIRES Front ....90/90-2 1 in. Michelin Enduro Ca mp III/Pirelli MT32 Rear 140/80-18 110/90- 19 in. Michelin Enduro Cam p Ili/Pirelli MT32 Claimed Dry Weight 237.7/231.0 Ibs. Wheelbas e 57.48 in. Ground Clea ran ce 13.38 in. Seat Heigh t.. 37.28 in. Fue l Tank Ca pacity 2.4 gal. CYCLE NEWS L~l:lc£§~ rJr ":40 Like last year, the new TE4S0 is very impressive in th e woods, 40th Anniversary _ ~