2014 Husqvarna line

This might be the only 4 stroke i've ever seen that I would consider owning. I had to search the web to see if your pic was a photoshopped trick. I found this which was interesting
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/11/11...2012-Husqvarna-TE511-vs-2012-Beta-520-RS.aspx

Someone please correct any of this I might be off-base on on this pds thing ...

That PDS system eliminates the linkage part of the system... Meaning that knuckling stuff is gone and the shock bolts directly to the frame and SA ... Yes, the 449 stuff bolts to the top of the SA but has some sort of linkage there making it different from a pds system ... Not sure why, but that knuckling stuff plays a big part in the dampening of the suspension ...McGrath quit ktm yrs ago and said they would never win at sx till they changed from that pds system ...

I'd probably be OK with pds because it eliminates so much maintenance even if the ride was not ~quite as good ... I ain't a PRO and never will be and don't need what ever it is that they ride with in some cases ...

Not sure on those WP forks but past experience has proven that what works for me does not work for others so I'm guessing those forks will be OK for me also with some slight adjustments ... Why not? They are a modern day design?

Have you ever rode a Husky 250 4t? These are very cool bikes in more than one way ..

I have no problem with the current linkage on my Husky but the KTM type PDS is not bad at all and I can make it work as good as any offroad bike that I have had. The trick is a straight rate spring that gives you the correct sags with minimal preload.

What about the WP forks? Any experience with those?

I agree,
I weigh 185-190 nekkid and after upping the rear spring to two rates up (can't remember the numbers) and going back to the stock .42s in front from suggested .44s, changing to SKF fork seals and removing about 20% from the mid valve and 30-40% from the low speed compression, my Husaberg Fe450 '10 is dandy.
Stock, the chassis was hideous, but the solution was cheap. Too bad the pre-production testing and resulting setting were so grim, it just wasn't safe and could spit you off at the strangest times. Not everybody is prepared to do a full fault-finding and setup cycle. I was bitter about it for some time, but it is very nice now and I also feel sorry for it sïnce it now is a "KTM bastid" even though it won two world championships last year

I had a Sherco 4.5i 2006 for a while and it was a brilliant design, reliable and a wonderful ride. After testing and setting up the ergos, suspension and gearing, the final settings were EXACTLY, on the same clicks compression/rebound/high-speed comp and springs front and rear, as the factory settings and as suggested in the manual. I sold it because it was too big for tight woods and after searching the net the only hit was the .com of the factory. Eerie feeling being the only one out there. If I had the money and had to go racing with no time to set up a bike, I'd be confident in a box-stock 300i off the showroom floor would be a good solution. I really have a soft spot for Sherco and hope they do well.

The Closed Cartridge WP forks on my '12 Husaberg TE 250, are the best stock forks I've ever had, but I don't do MX. From fast whooped out trail to very rocky technical stuff, they just work. The stock Husaberg valving is different than KTM's CC WP's though. Husaberg switched to the 4CS fork this year and KTM only had it on the Six Days models. Once again... there didn't seem to be complaints on the Husaberg side, but the KTM version had riders screaming how bad it was.

I hoping the Husaberg guys do the suspension specs on the new Huskys, if they use WP's.

Have you ever rode a Husky 250 4t? These are very cool bikes in more than one way ..[/quote]
I've ridden and like 4t street bikes but I haven't ridden many off-road 4ts, every time I do I can't get off of them fast enough. The Honda CRF250 I rode felt like an underpowered POS but it's probably because the way it delivers power is so different. My son's CRF450R was much better but felt like trying to steer a barge through the woods, it will turn but you have to start a lot sooner than a 2t. The reason I might like the Beta is light weight and big displacement + street legal. Honestly if I had one I would probably ride my Husky 95% of the time.

WP makes good stuff but what they someteimes deliver for normal production bikes is very bad.

The early 4cs fork on the sixday models (I have a 250 smoker with that fork) sucks. The Husaberg ones came later and had a little internal change.

Anyway KTM own WP and they will bring that stuff.

Kayaba and Showa is just better when is comes to normal production stuff.

Only on KTMs. The open chamber WPs are not bad. At least as good as the Marzocchi forks if not better. To be honest once I have the forks dialed in , I can't say which is better USD forks. Marzocchi , WP or Kayaba. (I do like Showa standard forks best)

I've had tons of KTM's since 1984. The WP is <now> a very nice product, front and rear. For some reason, however, KTM has consistently sent them out with valving that is not the best it can be. There are very few riders I come across who like the stock settings. The Husaberg have many times been better, out of the crate, and the aftermarket tuners can do a very good job with WP. A good friend also has the 12 Husaberg TE250 that Norman mentioned above, and the forks (WP closed chamber) are the best STOCK fork I've ever ridden. So I don't feel we'll be set back by the WP products, themselves, it will matter how they're doing the set-up.

If we're gonna complain about stock settings, however, I'd have to mention how awful the 50mm Marzocchi was set up on my 09 TE. It was a FANTASTIC fork once I went through it, but out of the crate... well... we probably shouldn't be complaining about stock KTM forks!! My current Husky KYB's were at least on the map and, while Husky got ridiculed a bit for using an "old" KYB fork that Yamaha had moved beyond years ago... they flat work with just a little of the usual tweaking.

I've now owned 2 Husky's with Sachs shocks, and I'm really liking them. Easy to rebuild and revalve with no special tools, and the performance I'm now getting out of my '12 144 is fantastic. Pro-Circuit tends to remove the check-ball rebound system, probably because there were some noise and reliability issues a few years ago, but I think it's now working great, and it avoids a problem that I see on almost every other shock: Adjusting the rebound clicker also affects compression damping. This effect is almost completely eliminated by Sachs' check-ball system. It works and I like it. Would really like to see that shock continue to be developed, but it's doubtful we'll see that on a Kahuskaberg.

AFAIK, PDS stands for Progressive Damping System. Meaning the spring and valving aren't linear throughout the stroke. If you take a small hit, there is a soft spring to deal with that, but as you need more that same non-linear spring slows down the hit more and more as needed. I hope I explained that okay...

From my experience, a poorly set up PDS is a POS! I've ridden a bunch of different KTM's and after any rocky hill climb I traded bikes back ASAP. They are like a pogo stick, you just can't keep that back tire on the ground.

I really like the WP suspension on my 11 300xc. If fact, I prefer the stock WP stuff to my LTR valved 10 250TXC and 09 125WR. I could never really get any Marzocci forks to work well for me.