did you know that TE's are for trailriders and CRF's are for REAL racers????

O.K., I've looked, and I don't see that anyone has posted a response to DR's enduro shootout in this month's issue. Let me start by saying that they need to change crack dealers because theirs is selling them some bad rock.

I have personally ridden the CRF & KLX side by side by side with my supposedly outdated TE & the TE is the beast of the pack hands' down.

So it does vibrate a lot more than the other 2. So the KLX engine and power is very smooth, but I didn't buy the TE because I'm a freakin wussy or because I like my power to NOT be outrageus and brutal. Twist the throttle and be a damned man. Yeah, it's heavier than the Japanese bikes, but stock-to-stock-to-stock the TE makes the most power everywhere and has the best top-end by a long shot.

It surprises me that they would compare a TE (especially an '09 model) to an XR-400 because that is precisely the first thing that jumped into my mind when I rode a new KLX-450. Damned thing might as well be white. With heavy modding, the bike is more like theTE, but in stock form, Kawasaki's got your freakin' green XR-400. Quite in fact, it's more like a KLX-400 (green suzuki) than even an XR, just lighter. Give me a break, Husqvarna has been buying ad space over the past few months? Is their page cheaper than Honda's?

What the hell is up with "the CRF dose everything right" and "reliability is proven". Do they get the same Hondas we get when we buy one? They must have gotten the executive ones with the gold pistons. I can't even hear the damned thing idling-half the time because of that sissy-ass exhaust & the other half of the time because it's flooded like the Mississippi River. You want fries with those valves?

The first sensation most folks get when they ride my TE is that of violence and mayhem. Images of terror and violence that have been compared to scenes from the game "Grand Theft Auto" often flash through the mind of the the innocent and unknowing. I thought it was pretty damned fast until I rode a new CRF-450 and KLX-450, then I thought "DAYUM! the TE is a rocket". O.K. I like the KLX for it's smooth power and the CRF has that awesome Honda frame, but I don't think the slowches at DR know that the TE-450 IS a race bike. I've been at this as long as they have. The difference between me & them is they get paid for their week-ass opinions. I guess my dealer did set mine up for "raceday" just like he said, cause damn it's fast and I know what is & what ain't!

I'm not sore about them dragging my brand down to the likes of the XR-400, but I've been hearing for a while now that they play to the big spenders. This article is proof that these guys keep in mind where there bread is buttered when they pick up their pens. I have lost all respect for these guys that I thought were doing a pretty good job. I'm disappointed that they have lived up to thier reputation. I can't deal with people like that. I guess I need to send them my TE because it sure as hell aint no XR-400. I guess it could have been worse. At least they picked the HUsaberg (most expensive bike on the market). Look for some nice Husaberg DR ads to come in the coming year.

This will be follwed eventually by a real shoot out with real results and no paid ads...

Who here thinks they paid $7,500 for an XR-400? Raise your hands. Can you believe those jackasses?

Don't hold back! Please tell us what you really think!

+1 on that... try TBM out of the UK....good stuff...

One thing you forgot to mention was that they(DR) dumped a grand into each one of those Jap bikes to get them close to the Euro bikes,,,that sounds fair doesn't it. My wife got me a subscription to DR for Christmas this last year,,, I was thinking to myself "why in the hell would she waste money like that???''....I just told her that DR was not the mag to buy and TR was a better one to get.

Love the rant!

I was being analytical, and maybe overly critical of Husky when i posted here about this DR article.

http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2231

I emailed them. Doubt I'll get a response but worth a laugh. Hers's a copy.




Hey DirtRider,
FYI, it's 6 gears in a Husky TE/TXC not 5 as you've stated in your mag.
I must say that your opinions of the Husky TE lineup are more than a little off, too bad cause I usually really enjoy your magazine but I'll forego any future subscriptions after reading the 450 shootout dribble. Spend some time riding a Husky and I'm sure you'll agree with me and countless other Husky owners. Maybe you just needed to click it into 6th to get it going or was 5th fast enough for ya. LOL.
Anyways, here's a link for your perusal. http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2316. I'm sure you'll find it an interesting read. Who know's, maybe you'll chime in. The folks over at CafeHusky are a fine group of respectable peeps unlike many other online forums, we won't bite.

Ciao,
Kurt

JL has always replied to my little Husky related questions. My last was on why Husaberg intro got big billing on website, while Husky intro was buried in blog section.

Yeah, Husky caters to them for a week (no doubt it was a first class intro) and the best they can do is throw it in the blog section.
A "Husqvarna" search on there site produces the blog artcicle and 2 others relating to a 89 500 and another similar that I can't recall.

C'mon,
Everyone knows Husky's are for old men and trail riders. Gotta git me one O them there Honda's, or is that Hodaka?

I have a good friend who is a new rider, and despite my discouraging him, he bought a CRF250x. Worse yet, he doesn't know which end of a screwdriver to hold, so guess who ends up working on it?

If those things were the worlds best motorcycles, I still wouldn't own one of those fr@##$%eakin' perimeter frame bikes. They have got to be the biggest PITA to work on design ever made.

I never appreciated how easy a Husky is to maintain until I had the *pleasure* of working on a perimeter framed bike. No thanks.

The only problem i find with TBM is that it is obviously very biased towards the KTM, in fact you might as well call it KTM monthly

I just got that copy in the mail last night (FYI: I liked DR when it first started...and like the jetting/setup notes, but not renewing my subscription. It's not the mag for off-roaders I felt it once was....too much MX for me now. Recently saw Dust magazine (bi-mthly)....they had a good article on the TE450/510 in December)

That modding of the new (familiar) jap bikes did seem odd.....especially adding a Rekluse to the KLX(?).
I was a bit put off at first, but reading it again, I really didn't feel they trashed the bike (like they did the BMW), it just wasn't a full-on race bike like others in the test......weird combination of bikes. Actually they complimented it as being a great trail bike...is that bad?? (Is it really that loud? Couple new ones I've heard, I didn't think so)
maybe I see it different because I might be one of those old farts they mentioned that rode big bores some in the '80, that could appreciate it's charms......or however they put it

The bright side of these tests and bits none Husky riders hear, is some think Husky's are tame oh-hum bikes. Then you spank them on the trail and/or they ride it and go....WHOA!!

I feel for you. I have a friend' with same problem. Every time he picks up a wrench I end up undoing the damage. It wasn't so bad when he was on a yz250, but now he has a kx250f. I just avoid his calls now.

I suggest you do the same. I've had the displeasure of tearing into a 250x. Not good times.