VOL. 51 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 26, 2014 P67
as though the bumps get smaller
and the course flows more when
you ride the FE250. As a result,
you're able to charge through the
ruts, roots and rocks with less
effort than the two-strokes and
even the other four-strokes. Ev-
erything about this bike is pure
fun: the power, the suspension,
the chassis and just the way it
feels between your legs. It is also
very well balanced. I'd ride the
FE250 in the next National En-
duro, for sure.
FE350
The slightly larger-displacement
FE350 is awesome, as well, but,
while it might have more power
across the board, it just isn't quite
as easy to control as the sweet
and unforgiving FE250.
However, for a wider variety of
terrain, the FE350 could possi-
bly be one of the most versatile
off-road bikes out there. It has
just enough power to handle
open terrain, but isn't too pow-
erful to be a handful in the tight
stuff. It also has the suspension
and chassis to handle both kinds
of terrains, making it a great bike
for a wide variety of riding.
FE501
The FE501, Husky's lone big-
bore four-stroke off-roader (at
least in the U.S.), is a lot of mo-
torcycle and felt a little out of
place on the tight trails that we
were given to ride. Surprisingly,
though, it still performed admira-
bly on the tricky single track. It,
however, obviously excels in the
more wide-open stuff.
The heavier 501 has a solid
and stable feel on the straights
and faster sections, but once
you slow down when things get
tight, the FE501 becomes a bit
of a handful. I found that in slow
sections, the transmission ra-
tio always seemed to be caught
between second and third gear—
second being too low, causing
the power delivery to be a bit
jumpy, resulting in less control,
and third being too high, which
makes you hover over the clutch,
similar to riding the 125.
Still, the FE501 has plenty go-
ing for it. It has a smooth deliv-
ery and is much tamer than you
would think for having such a
large displacement. The power
can be easily put to good use and
has the ability to tractor through
any deep sand section or large
hill without laboring. Suspension
action is decent. The fork is a lit-
tle on the harsh side and the rear
seems to pack up a bit when ac-
celerating, but these things are
minor and can usually be tuned
out without much trouble. I, un-
fortunately, did not have the time
to do much fiddling.
<<11 UP 11 DOWN>>
I was basically a kid in a candy
store that day in Lulea, and there
wasn't a flavor I didn't like. While
I might've had my favorites, I was
extremely impressed with all 11
of the Husky models that I rode
and all of them did their assigned
job well. I'm looking forward to
spending some more quality
time on them in the near future,
but none more so than the two
dual sports that I didn't get to try
out. I'm eagerly awaiting for that
assignment to come across my
desk. CN
If it wasn't for the other 10
Husqvarnas, CN test rider Jason
Abbott would've been happy just
riding the FE250 around all day.
