2018 HUSQVARNA TE250i
FULL TEST
P88
up a gear off-road, as we could
use the final-drive gear ratio to our
advantage in slow going. Essen-
tially, we used less clutch pulling
up steep stuff.
From the consumer-based
conversations and curiosity we've
enjoyed encountering while
testing this bike, most of you are
interested in power output, power
delivery, fuel and oil economy, the
injection system's ability to com-
pensate for altitude and tempera-
ture, and how the bike performs
overall.
The Husqvarna TE250i per-
forms excellently, "overall." It has
a comfortable stance and the
chassis is balanced, compliant
and predictable. It uses WP's
latest open-cartridge Xplor fork
with external preload adjustment.
This fork is frankly outstanding at
delivering a plush yet reinforced
ride in technical terrain. And when
clearly overtaxed with downhill
landings on an MX track, the bot-
toming resistance impresses. It
consumes choppy trail and track
bumps with ease and is strong
enough for multi-use. The WP
shock out back is a good partner
in crime to the fork.
Husqvarna's TE line uses a
linkage-equipped rear end, which
differentiates it from KTM's XC-W
line of two-strokes and their EXC
line of four-strokes, which both
currently use the PDS, no-linkage
rear shock system. Those differ-
ences can go down a rabbit hole,
but for this article, know the link-
age is working and working well
on the TE. We may prefer PDS in
some instances of technical rid-
ing, but overall, we're happy with
the linkage shock here.
Also differentiating itself from
its orange cousins, the TE250i
ditches Brembo components for
(Above) Dual-what!? The
throttle body's return spring
and cable are a sure sign of
a fuel-injected bike. (Below)
Interestingly, the throttle body
downstream of the airboot
has the job of metering airflow
only. No fuel is mixed prior to
entering the engine cases.
(Below) There's some
injector action. The fuel is
metered into the transfer
ports of the cylinder by
two injectors like the one
plugged in here.
From the outside, it's hard
to tell this bike features
sophisticated fuel and oil
injection systems.
