We expect the production models to be every bit as good as the pre-proddies and, who knows, they might even be better.

THE INS AND
OUTS
Externally, the TE250 and 450 look identical and if it wasn't for the denomination stickers on the swingarms we'd have been hard pressed to pick the difference. Take the beasts for a blast, however, and the difference is blatantly obvious. The 250 and 450 thoroughbreds are, in every sense of the term, brand new. So let's run through some of the finer details that caught our ogling eyes.
The new-generation Husky thumpers are powered by single cylinder, titanium four-valve, double overhead camshaft fourstroke engines.
Starting is via a simple press of the button. The starter motor is light and compact and the battery is located in a cradle inside the air

box. The cradle folds out of the way to allow access to the air filter. It's expected that the production model electric-start Huskies will arrive in Australia with a kick starter kit to be fitted at the owner's discretion.

Brembo braking systems are matched to a 220mm floating rear disc and a 260mm fixed front disc

The frame has been designed to reflect the Husqvarna two-stroke frames in an effort to make the thumpers more compact for increased maneouverability and improved handling. The main single beam frame is constructed from chrome moly treated steel while the subframe and swingarm are aluminium.

Magura hydraulic clutches are standard equipment.

Go-gas is fed to the engines via a Mikuni TMR series carburetor; 38mm for the TE250 and 41 mm for the 450.

Weight is kept to a minimum by using magnesium

for components such as the crank case cover, clutch cover, ignition cover and oil filter cover.

A new digital electronic ignition is designed to vary the timing curve according to the specific engine revs, throttle position and gear selection.

The forged piston fires inside Nikasil plated cylinder and is kept cool via an oil jet. Improved piston durability and minimal weight contribute to higher revs. A balancing shaft is fitted to reduced vibration.

305mm of front suspension travel is controlled by a 45mm USD Marzocchi fork with compression and rebound adjustment. A Sachs shock with remote compression and rebound dampening controls 320mm of rear suspension travel.

25mm front and rear axles provide additional torsional strength. Wheel spacers are held securely into the wheel bearings for hassle free wheel removal.

The engine lubrication system is described as a dry sump design and utilises two oil pumps. One pump supplies the head and crankshaft while the second pump transfers oil from the crankshaft to the gearbox.

Excel rims are standard fitment and the spoke nipples are now aluminium.

Grease nipples are fitted to the suspension linkages.

A digital GMA multi function odometer provides travel information via a magnetic pickup point on the front disc and wiring that terminates on the front brake caliper.

Standard aluminium handlebars bolt up to a newly designed handlebar clamp that enables the bars to be positioned closer to or further away from the rider.

Both pre-production Huskies were fitted with lightweight, hand made, alloy fuel tanks. Production models will carry the more familiar plastic tanks

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e didn't even need to start the TE250 to realise it's equipped with a certain something that no other high performance, small capacity, off-road four-stroke is yet to offer. That certain something is the electric start and that alone will make the Husky a very popular mount. There's no intricate starting procedure or special knack to starting the TE250. All you do is press the magic button. It doesn't get much simpler than that.
    Okay, so we're stoked about the starting simplicity but there has to be more to be excited about than that; right? You better believe there is. The TE250 is compact, lightweight and free retying. And al that adds up to a whole lot of offroad enjoyment. Husqvarna has been trimming the fat from its entire range of dirtbikes over recen years, and ergonomically Huskies are now right on the money. There's no need to play around with handlebar positions or anything else to get comfortable or the littlest thumper of all. Just jump on and get into it.
    Speaking of getting into it, that's the best method when it comes to getting the most from the TE250. I' just loves being revved and responds willingly to plenty of aggression.
    Now before we get too much further, it's worth pointing out that the pre-production models we tested were fitted with 5-speed motocross gearboxes. The production models will carry wider ratio 6-speed boxes and that will make a discernable difference to the way the bike feels in many

trail situations. We expect the production gearbox to be much more suited to carving through the bush, particularly with a lower first gear for snotty hill climbs and a taller top gear for charging along open trails. Despite only having a 5-speed box to play with we still managed to have a whole lot of fun. Keeping the engine high in the revs is a must because the lack of torque you'd expect from a 250cc four-stroke prevents it from producing the goods at low revs. The production gear ratios may give the 250 more grunt down low.

SLICE AND DICE
Husqvarna has totally revised its thinking when it comes to frame geometry and the advantages are obvious with the quarter-litre thumper. Its compact dimensions make it a breeze to chop and charge.between the trees, it settles well into rutted turns and turns itself Inside out on demand. No sacrifice has been made to high-speed stability and in typical Husky fashion the 250 feels solid and stable at high speed. We didn't alter a single suspension clicker during our brief encounter with the Huskies and the well balanced suspension performed faultlessly. More demanding conditions may have revealed weaknesses but at this stage we'd have to commend the bike's handling prowess. The initial action has plushness to cope with tree roots and acceleration bumps and we never experienced the metal-to-metal clunk of a bone-jarring bottom-out, Experienced enduro competitors or heavy riders might like a firmer feel

MAIN: The Husky TE250 is an absolute ball to ride. It's light, nimble and responds willingly to a fistful of revs. 1. At the time of writing it was yet to be confirmed if the production Huskies would feature these trick bash plates. We can only hope. 2. The 45mm USD Marzocchi fork on the preproduction model Huskies absorbed everything we threw at it.
but for the average trail blazer the handling and suspension package is spot on. THE BIG COMPARO The question on everyone's mind is how the Husqvarna TE250 will stack up against the hugely popular Yamaha WR250F That's a real hard question to answer considering we tested a preproduction model Husky. The Husky is clearly in the same league as the Yamaha	but until we get hold of a production unit, it's impossible to make a definitive judgement. However, two things are certain. First, the Husky TE250 is already one step ahead of the Yamaha by having the magic button and second, it's going to make for one hell of a dust up when DIRTACTION run the Husky TE250 and Yamaha WR250F head-to-head.

MAIN: The new Husky TE450 thumper is sure to make a splash when it hits the showroom floor and the Aussie outback. 1. The standard aluminium handlebars are mounted via adjustable mounts so the Italian stallions can be tailored to an Individual's needs. 2. Everything about the new thumpers is new generation, especially the compact 450cc powerplant. 3. The all-important magic button.

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Like its little brother, the arrival of the Husqvarna TE450 represents yet another choice of weapon for Australian trail riders and enduro racers. The 250 is the first four-stroke of its kind to feature electric start and, due to its capacity, the 450 has filled the void between the two top dogs of the off-road world, the WR426F and the KTM 520EXC. The TE250 and 450 have been developed side by side and because they share the same ergonomic layout there is no rider adjustment required when swapping from one to the other. Due to the extra capacity of the 450, the starting procedure can differ slightly from that of the 250. If the engine is on its compression stroke when you push the go button, the starter won't spin the motor fast enough to fire it into life. In that situation all you need to do is activate the manual decompression lever - mounted on the left side of the handlebar - and press the start button. The motor will

then spin more freely at which point you release the decomp lever and bingo, the 450's rumbling like a lion.

GET UP AND GO
The engine performance of the TE450 is downright inspiring. Point and shoot, cut and shut, this unit impressed us no end. Now we're not sure if it's due to the motocross gearbox, but the pre-production 450 powerplant feels nothing like the power produced by any other four-stroke Husky we've ridden. Husqvarna traditionally pump out mega doses of horsepower in a progressive fashion and need room to move before they can be wound right out. The 450, however, has amazing throttle response and a ballsy dose of power that just won't quit. The responsive power delivery fires the 450 from a ground pounding bottom-end, into a wheelstanding' mid-range and keeps on charging into an imposing top-end. The 450 gets your blood pumping but the best thing about the

power is that it's useable and in many ways reflects the power produced by the Honda CRF450R. Even if a wide ratio gearbox does tame the power down we still expect the production 450 to plant smiles on the faces of many buyers.

CHOP AND CHARGE Everything we said about the handling and suspension of the Husky TE250 applies precisely to the 450. The overall package inspires confidence and with power to burn the 450 encourages you to push the envelope. It defies logic that a 450cc four-stroke can dart between trees at low speeds with such a lack of rider input. Like its smaller sibling, the 450 turns on a 20-cent piece without sacrificing any of its straight line stability. The 450 is light and compact and the riding position naturally places you in a commanding position With plenty of weight over the front end. The carburation on our test weapon was so perfect that we could chop the

throttle on and off repeatedly at low speeds, through tight scrub, without the slightest sign of a cough or hiccup. If the production model Husky TE450 is as close as we expect to the unit we tested, it's going to make a serious impact on the Australian off-road scene.

STAY TUNED
After thrashing around on a virgin thumper track and darting through the undergrowth for hours on end, our day on the pre-production Huskies finally came to an end. If it wasn't for Husky Imports' Hans Appelgren standing in the pouring rain and waving us in we'd probably still be out there. DIRT ACTION has already signed up to jump on the production TE250 and 450 at the first opportunity, at which stage we'll be able to provide a more detailed ride impression on the units rolling off the showroom floors.

FINALLY, A CHALLENGER HAS EMERGED TO COMBAT YAMAHA AND KTM'S DOMINANCE OF THE OFF-ROAD FOUR-STROKE MARKET. AND IT WASN'T A JAPANESE MANUFACTURER THAT THREW DOWN THE GAUNTLET. STORY BY PHIL GIELIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHANNON WARNER
ust when it looked as though Yamaha and KTM would roost off into the wilderness with the lion's share of sales in the high-performance, off-road, four-stroke market, another player has stepped up to the plate with the release of new-generation, electric-start 250cc and 450cc thumpers. That player is Husqvarna and by all accounts the Italian company looks set to play hard. The economic difficulties	recently suffered by Husqvarna severely impacted on the distribution of Huskies within Australia during last year, but despite the boardroom dramas Husqvarna was still well represented on the world enduro scene throughout 2001. In fact, Husky claimed three World Championships last year at the talented hands of Stefan Merriman, Petteri Silvan and Anders Eriksson. So while things may have been slow on the production	side of things, Husqvarna's passion and enthusiasm for racing remained a full-throttle affair. Throughout the year all sorts of rumours circulated about Husqvarna's financial status and, while it was all very interesting stuff, the most exciting news to come from the Italian factory was the unveiling of the new-generation, button-start four-strokes. After what seemed like a lifetime of anticipation, a pre- production	model TE250 and TE450 finally touched down on Australian soil early this year. DIRT ACTION had the pleasure of sampling the frisky Italian stallions recently and they were both nothing short of inspiring. The production model 250 and 450, which should be available in Australia right now, will differ moderately from the units we tested but our day carving up the countryside on the new Huskies still left one hell of an impression.