but that. Their powerplants
have been notorious scream-
ers with tons of top-end pull
but maybe lacked that low-
end torque compared to the
Yamaha YZ250F. The Husky
now pulls much more from
the bottom- to mid-rpm range,
thanks to its internal updates.
The maps are distinctly differ-
ent from before, when maps
one and two felt eerily similar.
Now map one is that familiar
top-end heavy KTM charac-
ter, while the second map is
obviously the more aggressive
option. It packs better snap
down low without sacrificing
anything in the upper area of
the rpm. This second map
is also where you'll find that
harder-hitting low-end punch
that rivals the Japanese bikes.
The quickshifter is another
trick option you'll find on the
Husqvarna. We were able to
get our bearings with this new
tech after spending some
time on the new KTM and felt
comfortable using it on the
FC. It feels more useful on the
power-hungry 250 machines,
especially on a track like Glen
Helen that demands every last
horsepower. You can easily
grab the next gear under power
without worrying about damag-
ing the engine. This allows you
to carry more momentum while
never letting off the throttle. If
you're not a fan, simply click the
button and turn it off.
The only real drawback, if
you want to call it that, came
when I tested the quickshifter
against a traditional "speed-
shift"—you know, when you
hold the throttle on, pull
the clutch in, shift, and let
the clutch out, all while the
throttle stays pegged. This
millisecond of clutching
under power allows the revs
to spike, so you're already in
the desired rpm range when
you click up into the next
gear. With the quickshifter,
there's no clutch action, so
The Rockstar
Edition rolls off the
showroom floor
with a solid airbox
cover but they
hand you a vented
one, as well.
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 15 APRIL 12, 2022 P121
