2018 HUSQVARNA FC 450 ROCKSTAR EDITION
FIRST TEST
"whip-able" on the track. All of the chang-
es also make the bike easier to get in and
out of the turns. The redesigned cylinder
head deserves a lot of credit for this as
well, because it is, as mentioned, more
compact and sits lower in the frame, as
do the radiators, for improved mass cen-
tralization—which is biggie when it comes
to handling.
The first thing our tester said as soon as
he got off the bike for the first time was:
"Man, this thing feels light!" Adding that
the bike indeed felt narrower between
his legs, especially from the midsection
on forward. Husky certainly fulfilled on
its promise on delivering a lighter feeling
motorcycle.
Beside the cylinder head, the rest of
the engine is exactly the same as the
standard FC 450 engine, except for the
exhaust system that has a new flow-de-
signed resonance chamber and a shorter
and more compact silencer. We found the
engine performance to be similar to the
performance of the standard FC engine
(Right) A redesigned
frame makes the
Rockstar Edition feel
much lighter and
more nimble than the
standard FC 450.
The Rockstar Edition's midsection is slimmer
and new bodywork improves rider mobility.
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