250-500cc 99 Husqvarna Wr360

Hello

I am newbie at huskies. I thinking of buying 99 Husqvarna WR360 and now i need some information from that bike. Is it reliable or what ishould check before i buy it and other things what i should know.

I have a 2000 model but I've only had it for about six weeks so I can't give you a lot of long term info. One of the reasons that I got the 360 was because I heard that it was such a reliable platform. My initial impression is positive. +s The motor is a torque factory that likes to do its work in the low-mid range and doesn't like to be wrung out. The chassis handles well and is very stable. I like the ergos and the roomy cockpit. Bright stock headlight. It has a large fuel tank. OEM parts are reasonably priced. -s The kickstart is a PITA and it requires a strong leg. The European kickstand is obnoxious (you should know having a GasGas). The clutch pull is heavy. The forks are harsh. Aftermarket support is limited. For me personally, the +s outweigh the -s.

I have a 1996 (owned for the last 10+years) and owned a 2k prior, they are very reliable bikes with heaps of torque for a 2t but a meek powerboand compared to a 250 or 300.
The 99's have the same frame as the 2000-2005 difference being the rear subframe...it depends if it was a late 99 which had the 2k plastics or early 99's with the same plastics from 97-99.
The bike is heavy compared to a modern 250 or 300 so riding tight woods can be a bit of muscling as the bike sits fairly high, height wise.
45mm zooks require the correct springs and could do well with 5wt oil at 100mm and same with the rear...later on some valving work couldn't hurt especially if you like jumping the bike but only you know how you ride so set accordingly.
Ditch the mikuni and grab a 38mm PWK keihin if you want to ever get the jetting right on this bike, unless you are familiar with mikuni's.
Clutch pull is an easy fix with a venhill teflon coated cable (even a new cable routed awat from the exhaust) and msr raptor easy pull...it is as good as a hydro clutch with this setup.
Piston is OE Wossner and great for nearly 200hrs depending on how you ride, maintenance etc...l'd stick to the wossner.
Kickstarting with the short kicker is a pain but l have a vid on how to start the thing up easily on youtube (look up how to start a wr360).
Husky's vibrate a lot but you can't feel it throught he bars or feet but the the 360 can vibrate every bolt loose if you don't inspect/tighten properly.
Walt's (wallybean) airboot mod is a great mod to which is basically match porting the airboot to the reedvalve (http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/451836-wr-360wow/)
The kickstand rules IMO, as it doesn't auto retract like a KTM and tuck under the guard easily unless the kickstand mount is bent out.

Other than that, my 96 has had 1 full rebuild and about 3 top end's in it's life, gearbox is OE, clutch plates are OE and all the suspension bearings are still OE as are the wheel bearings (due to be replaced soon) but the single greatest mod on the 360 is swapping out the carb for a Keihin 38mm PWK.

PS. I've tried killing this bike but it still comes out to play with the youngsters

Thoroughly enjoy the 2000 WR360 I have. Basically stock, and I have gone through the entire bike, rear wheel bearings, carburetor, motor, brakes, etc.

Most things were jacked up from previous owner and I've been fixing it all. If you don't mind hanging on to a rocket ship, get it! Be prepared to have a learning curve to be able to ride it properly.

Parts still available, been getting mine from local dealer or Hall's in Illinois. The only thing I'm having trouble finding is the cheaper availability of plastics and stickers. According to Hall's I could order them a piece at a time.

Oh yeah, I agree with ohmygewd! He has been a wealth of info regarding the 360 and so does wallybean, I shall Thanks again to those guys. Mine has a stiff but not that bad clutch pull, but I am using stock components. Might look into the cable listed above.

Yes, it vibrates but your forearms will be tired long before the vibration bothers you, at least for me.

Get it and enjoy it! I saw one on here in the classifieds and I thought about it but the guy hasn't responded to most inquiries.

I know about the MSR Raptor, but where does one come by this cable you spoke of?

http://www.jtr.com.au/venhill/index.htm appears to be the place.

I did send the new '360 for sale ' a message - he told me he was in MA, he liked the bike but found it tough to start- he might be keeping it

You can go to Venhill.co.uk direct and l'm sure someone at the states will stock them as they are standard fitment on Triumph motorcycles and many racers have been using these cables for years before hydro clutches became vogue. The part number is H01-3-014F.
With an easy pull clutch lever and perch (like the MSR), just a plain stock cable and silicon spray, you will reduce the pull by 50% compared to the domino setup on the the 360 - use silicon spray and not atf or cable lube as they all attract dust and eventually clog, even WD40.
Also, if you going the route of an FMF Gnarly pipe, play close attention to the clutch cable routing between the radiator hose and PV housing..as your hose gets hot, the cable gets hot and guess what, stuff dries out when things get hot!! Also, keep an eye on the bend as over time, and continunally dropping on the clutch side, that bend will start to wrap arounf and eventually touch the bottom radiator hose leading from the water pump.
Pollolittle, l have that same issues with plastics but at least yours is a 2000 model so you could grab up to a 2005 WR250 plastic kit and retro fit on to your bike...heck you could use modern plastics but need to grab the tank and readjust mounts etc....try a finding 1996 plastics.

All seriousness, the WR360 chassis is nothing to write home about apart from they are very strong units, since you guys live in the States, l would hunt down a WR250 or WR300 rolling chassis and dump the 360 motor into it, finding one in Australia is practially impossible.

Now, if HVA ever bring out the WR350 that Seb Guillaume rode in last years EWC, then guess who will have one

New to site, just picked up an '01 WR 360 a few weeks ago and have ridden it twice...just got off the road race track as i moved to Atlanta, GA, & just got off a DR350S. found the WR for a good $$ deal & thought i'd give it a go...1st ride was in nasty narrow single track, motor immediately felt great, so did suspension, I liked how narrow the bike felt and low weight (compared to DR, it's been 20 years since i've been on a decent dirt bike) stalled it a few times but always got started...2nd ride was in GA slick ass mud at an OHV park, rode the wide perimeter trail & finally got to open it up and hit some small jumps at speed...felt great at 1/4-1/3 throttle after that it felt like nothing more was there (never got out of 3rd) felt good landing these small jumps at speed in 2nd/3rd ...again this is new to me...was sliding and pushing the front all over....mounted new rear tire for the afternoon, helped alot (will mount matching front before next ride)....but i have no idea if suspension has been valved or what spring rates are (haven't even checked sag yet), i plan to have that gone thru....wallybean sent me a nice note & will do his mod.....having never ridden single track like this before or ridden a big bore stroker (grew up on RD 350's) i'm blown away....i was rocketing up some slick big hills all i did was hang on & short shift..what a blast! Can't wait for my next ride....Thank you to all on this site for your valuable insight and information, you're all very helpful just like the road race community i left!!
Also dealt with Halls in IL, very helpful guys!
Thanks again!
Kirk

Kerlinger, what I have found is counterintuitive to say the least, but it has been repeated too me many, many, times before. It took a while before it sunk in and one day while riding it made sense.

For just your average cruisin' and good times, ride around two gears up. So, basically I would ride around in 3rd as first gear. Start out in First or second, but once rollin' click up two. Too me it behaved like a KDX 220, you can loft the front, easily. It doesn't just roost the rear when you blip the throttle. Little less power to the rear giving you traction. Where in first or second, if you aren't very respectful of the throttle, you either roost the rear or grab a bunch of traction.

Seemed to me third is just plain fun with a lot of throttle like you are thinking. Mine does the same, taps out quite quickly and you gotta short shift. Third gear will still get you up a lot of steep stuff without stalling. Quite impressive. Will idle on its own for just putzing around. I've been on the same plug for over a year without it fouling. Rode many miles just off idle following the kids around. Quite amazing! Don't ever see me giving it up.