Very good review of the 2011 Husqvarna TE449 from another motorcycle media source outside of the US. Damn! This bike is no joke Still waiting on one to get to my dealer!
Nice to see a positive review but come on... did you see the terrain? That gentle soft pasture is not a proper test ground for any dirtbike newer than 1972. You could ride a street bike on those trails and still have "fun" as the tester called it.
Guys Smarty is a top test rider, he would have pushed the living heck out of the machine. If he said he did some pretty big jumps then they would have been just that. Take cycle torque at face value, I do, and respect their findings as they are always spot on. If he was pleased with it then the aveage husky weekend warrior would be overjoyed. Just sayin.
All I gotta say is details and substance or not, it was obvious he liked the bike. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face. And you can tell by how he rides that he's got chops. They just didn't put much effort into getting more serious action on video.
Thank you all for making this site GREAT. It is amazing the difference in civility and thoughtfulness in posting here compared to other sites. It's great we can talk about the merits and issues of bikes here without all the BS. Great job everyone.
It was a cool down & dirty review, filmed on a virgin, fast little track ... Sounded really down-to-earth from a rider and not some glossed over review from a professional script writer ... He repeated numerous times he liked the bike, thought well about riding it, suspension felt good out of the box, and he put it across alot of different terrain that day ... Said also it was not a Husqvarna ;0) also ... like he had rode Huskies in the past ... take it for what it was ... The bike was handling well at ~high speed and no side-to-side stuff happening on the track ... He should keep it a few more days I think and continue to give those impressions as soon as he pulls off his helmet ... maybe next ride on some mountain side ST ... Trail 294 in GPNF or maybe the west end of Boundary 1 maybe ...
His last test bike was a 2010 TE 450, it was a long term bike and he gave it a pretty good balanced view. My interpretation of this video was he liked the new one much better.
Sounds like his chain is rattling on the first pass he makes by the camera ... This bike should eliminate the need for a slack chain? @ the 1:00 mark, is he swatting flies or throwing some sort of Cycle Torque gang sign?
I thought it was a cool report, no BS, he obviously likes it alot and the track looked very nice to ride, it is making me rethink the possibility of getting a 449!
I rode the 449 and was not impressed. Being new to husky and having only riden my 2010 WR 300 I was expecting alot more, the 300 handles awesome, makes more power everywhere than any other 300. I found the 449 poorly balanced, the rear brake hanging out so far it's ridiculous, the clutch slave stuck on the end of the cover is wrong. I bought a 2010 TC 450 which i feel they should have refined and perfected instead of dumping it for this ill concieved beamer. I think the old 450 makes more and better power especially if they injected it. IMHO
I rode a TE449, it was indeed different, I did like it. But my heart is still with the TE310 We are trying..
Agreed! I bought my first husky, a TC250, cuz it was cheap and kinda pretty. I found out just how pretty when i got new plastics as decals on it. And that motor was/ is so responsive (i have no other comparison as it was my first dirt bike), compared to my old DRZ. Then i got my SMR450 and fell in love - ive only ridden it once then tore it apart to rebuild it, now everytime i go by the garage door i open it and peer in admiring that machine. This site has SO much information, and is so helpful, thank you!
