3
RD
Place
T
he Husqvarna was all over the map when it
came to our test riders' rankings. It got one
first-place vote, one fifth-place vote and a little
bit of everything else in between. But when all was
said and done, everyone was able to sleep comfort-
ably at night knowing that we had voted the Husky
third in our final ranking.
All agreed that the Husqvarna has a lot to offer.
It's super light (just a pound heavier than the KTM
at 237 pounds), has traction control, electric start-
ing, a hydraulically operated clutch that has great
feel and a light pull, launch control (but is clunky
to operate), handlebar-adjustable mapping, top-of-
the-line brakes, and an air fork that actually works
pretty well. (The Husky looks cool, too.)
There isn't much not to like about the Husky,
except for its price—it's the most expensive bike in
the shootout at $9699, which is $100 more than its
KTM brother, and significantly more than any of the
Japanese bikes. MSRP is $500 more than the YZ,
$550 more than the CRF, $800 more than the RM-
Z, and $850 more than the KX. Is it worth the extra
bucks over the bikes it finished ahead of? That's
actually a tough call. It depends on which bikes
you're comparing it to and your financial situation;
probably, yes, if money flow isn't a huge problem for
you, but if things are a bit tight, probably not. Based
on performance alone, however, the Husky deserves
to be on the podium.
On the track, the Husky's performance is
anything but cheap. It has a fantastic engine that
is powerful yet controllable; power delivery is
HUSQVARNA
FC 450
VOL. 54 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 24, 2017 P95
