spot-on. And the Husky's traction control is
no gimmick—it really does work. When the
track dries out and becomes slick, just hit the
switch and whack the throttle till your heart's
content! (Same holds true for the KTM.) You'll
feel the difference coming out of the turns. It
softens up the hit just enough to help keep
things in line and the back tire hooking up. It
reduces the stress load on the rider.
There is lot to be said for the Husky's steel
chassis. Husky (and KTM, of course) is a firm
believer in steel frames and we get it. Steel
frames tend to have a more compliant feel on
rough tracks with a lot of square edges than
aluminum-framed bikes; aluminum might be
lighter, but Husky (and KTM) has still found a
way to keep weight down—way down.
Separating the Husky from the KTM (and
vise versa) is difficult for the obvious reason—
they are essentially the same motorcycle. But
not exactly. Even the not-so-sensitive rider
can feel the seemingly minute mechanical
differences between the two bikes on the
track. Both the Husky and KTM have powerful
engines, though our test riders all agreed that
the Husky's power came on a little smoother,
less explosive, than the KTM's. Some liked
that, while others preferred the KTM's more
exciting power delivery. "The Husqvarna is just
more controlled and easier to use. It's fast as
heck still."
"Like the KTM, the Husky is an awesome
package," said Metcalfe. "It has a slightly
different feel in the chassis [compared to the
KTM] because of the airbox and subframe.
It is splitting hairs between the KTM and
Husqvarna."
In last year's shootout, the KTM finished a
tick ahead of the Husky, and since both bikes
are pretty much the same as last year, we
have no reason to change their order this year.
2018 450 MOTOCROSS SHOOTOUT
P96
SHOOTOUT
GEAR ID'd
ERIC STORZ
GEARSET: THOR
BOOTS: ALPNIESTARS TECH 10
HELMET: THOR VERGE
GOGGLES: THOR
