This article appears in magazine, Issue 40, April-May 2002

  
    As with the TE250 we tested in the last issue, the bike shown here is a pre-production unit. It has an alloy tank and a five speed motocross gearbox, neither of which will appear on the production TEs. At least this time around we managed to complete the test without denting the tank with our manly bits ...

  
    The only complaint we heard about the 2001 TE400 was that it felt a little soft off the bottom, power-wise. Frankly we saw this as a good thing, helping to keep the back firmly under control in the snot, but others wanted to loft the front in fourth on a tar road without leaving the mid-range. Husqvarna appears to have listened to both camps and has actually built an engine that should satisfy just about everyone.
    The smooth delivery is still there. In fact the power is probably a little easier to control, despite there being significantly more of it. It is strong off the bottom, building to sharp in the mid-range, yet it avoids the snap that makes the WR426 suddenly lose traction. Probably the best way to explain this is to give an example. You're sitting down coming into a flowing, third gear corner. You get everything lined up then wind open the throttle about half way through. The back arcs out and the front lifts about 400mm off the ground, and you continue through the corner like this, controlling the plot almost entirely via the throttle. Then you do it again, and again and again.
    The delivery is so progressive that it keeps the horses under complete control. The Husky will now wheel stand on demand damn near anywhere and in any gear, and you don't have to let the revs build before the ground starts to blur, but it is still an easy bike to ride in the tight and the back won't lose traction unless the rider demands it.
    The engine still revs though. Hold the throttle back and things happen very quickly, with the sweet growl of a tortured thumper floating up from behind. Compared to last year's 400 the 450 is a lot stronger off the bottom and through the midrange, but probably isn't too much quicker up top. We have to be honest here though and say that riding a Husky 450 through the bush in the upper rev range is just a touch beyond our capabilities, so we didn't push it too hard.

The extra grunt off the bottom makes it easier to loft the   front over obstacles.

  
    The new frame has given a big improvement in the balance of the bike, which in turn means that slow speed manoeuvrability is much improved. As we found with the TE250, it is possible to virtually bring the bike to a halt, take a look around and then ride on without taking the feet from the pegs. This worked very much in the Husky's favour on a particular set of rock steps that we include in many of our test runs, with the bike able to be trickled through the more technical trails-type terrain.
    It is also very accurate at speed, particularly in sand where it holds a stable line, fast or slow. Get it into some tight single track and you discover that the 450 turns as well, tipping into corners like a 250 and roosting out like a 600. This is aided by the flat seat allowing the rider to slip right forward, and the reach to the bars which is both comfortable and practical.

Excellent damping and spring choices mean the suspension will cope with everything from small stutters like the rocks left, to big hits at the end of the jump above.

  
    We can't be sure how the production version will work but with the pre-proddy the electric leg would sometimes be beaten by the compression. This isn't a real problem because all that's required is a flick of the manual decompressor and the bike roars to life.
    The inclusion of the manual decomp is good for other reasons as well. Sometimes it is easier to flick the lever than it is to hit the button for a roll start, and occasionally it's handy when you're walking a bike down a bad bit of hill to use the decomp a bar-mounted rear brake. You appreciate these things when you have both hands on the bars, the seat jammed under your right armpit and your boots threatening to find their own line.

  
    You know you're on a good thing suspension-wise when you can punt a bike over a mound of dirt and launch it nearly straight up, get about three metres under the wheels then land it on flat ground without the the plot fragmenting to a million pieces. The 450 did this several times for the camera and while it certainly tested the stoppers, this equivalent to a straight drop did not cause any nasty surprises.
    Add a dash of forward momentum to the plot and serious air is no problem whatsoever. This thing eats erosion banks and lands flat as a cat every time. Back the pace off and head over rocks and you get a different story. Those firm suspenders suddenly become supple with a superb initial response making quartering roots and logs a breeze. The Husky lets you look at where you want to go, instead of being on the watch for things that may upset its progress. Naturally enough, this means you end up going where you want ... at least 98% of the time.

Slow speed stability is excellent

  
The usual Husky complaints - no handguards and black as death plastic tanks that you can't see into.
  The speedo has plenty of functions, is light, and is tucked out of harm's way.
  The muffler is brilliant, easily meeting noise regs but with a nice note.
  While still not the lightest clutch around, the 450's won't give you hand fade over the course of a day.

  
    Husqvarna has certainly upped the stakes in the middleweight category. Last year the 426 was the go for snappy power, but lacked the finer handling of the three European 400s - Husky, VOR and KTM. Now Husky has delivered the power and the handling too, and done it in a way that won't cause rear wheel grief in the nastier going.
    Will this put it significantly in front of the pack? We tend to think so, but then we haven't ridden the 450 VOR so we'll have to wait for the production TE450s to arrive in a few weeks time and then toss the lot at each other before we make to many rash assumptions. With such magnificent bikes all vying for top spot in this class, should make for an interesting comparison.

Web conversion: Glenn Alderton