Dirt Bike Test -- TC250 and TXC250

Anybody take a flip through this article yet [I looked but didn't see a discussion of it going yet]?

I thought they were trying really hard to give a positive review but just couldn't get there. Seems these two (2) bikes suffered from some poor settings and an inexperienced testing crew.

Just wondering what everyone else thought.

BD.

Just another lame test in a dirt bike mag...I don't know why anyone reads these tests anyway. The more "experienced" the tester the more likely they will never say what they really think.

read that and another MX mag......sounded like a bunch of fanboys ripping on it it... said it was slow.. Doesn't stop me from wanting the TXC really bad....

I think I read the same article. Ohh it is down 1 HP? 34-35 HP is plenty for my ability How much lighter is it? 10 lbs would make up that 1 HP. but they dont' say any dry or wet Wt in the article. Still planing on the TE By spring.
Hodaka Bob

soon the podiums will have the the naysayers eating crow. Plus in the MXA test the bike is not even broken in yet and note its a green sticker Ca offroad legal MX bike all the others are red sticker closed course bikes, even though they said it was running rich I find that hard to believe. Whatever,,no sweat we are all happy with our Huskys that is all that counts. R

As I mentioned in another post, I've noticed my TC keeps getting stronger as it breaks in. This past weekend I could tell a difference from the beginning of the day to the end.

My TXC acted the way Dirt Bike magazine test said and I can tell you it is way lean. There is definitely More power in there. We richened it up a little bit last weekend and it was pulling much harder. I am not there yet but I sure wish I could get Husky a do-over card with the magazines. Shame.

That's sort of the sense I got too. Dirt Bike mentioned that they talked to Ty Davis -- and believed him when he said it was fast. I just wish the mags would get to test the bikes in their top form.

I say this for selfish reasons so Husky will sell more bikes - more $$$ for R&D -- $$$ to redo the 250/300 two strokes -- $$$ to finally make a 200 two-stroke.

Test the bike yourself and read forums to understand what you may run into in terms of issues and how to fix them.

Why doesn't the factory supply a properly set up ( and maybe broken in) bike to these guys?

They need to do one of their infamous long term tests.

dale

I don't want a broken-in bike from the manufacturer. Realizing what break-in really means, I prefer to do it myself than you... NOT be at the mercy of someone whose job it is to get a bike in a shipping crate as soon as possible. Nosiree, I'll do the breaking in by myself.

Come to think of it, I don't expect the manufacturer to supply a 100% dialed-in (set up) bike either... how could they? There's almost an infinite number of variables (even with EFI). IMO, the manufacturer should equip the dealer with enough information and tools to get the bike out the door close to how it's designed to perform. Even then, break-in, riding styles, local conditions etc. play too much of a role in determining final set-up. I'd rather do the "fine tuning" myself, which is why I prefer a carb to EFI.

I'll probably get slammed for saying this, but IMO, if you are mechanically uninclined you should live within 30 to 60 minutes of a competent dealer or you really have no grounds to whine about a bike purchase that doesn't turn out to meet 100% of your expectations from the day of delivery.

I agree with you 100% when talking about MY bike but from a public relations view what good does it do to give someone a bike that needs 300 miles or so to loosen up to the point of being an effective example of what these bikes true essence is?

I believe that test said something like " we couldn't keep the bike that long because we had to give it to Ty Davis".

Why not get it FROM Ty Davis ?

You can bet your sweet bippie that the Jap manufacturers go ALL the way through their test bikes before turning them over to a deadline conscious testing crew.

Dale

I understand where you're coming from, but I've yet to own a single bike, Jap, German, Italian, Spanish, or Martian that didn't require break-in and some sort of after-purchase tweaks.

Kreig of course you're right. I disassemble my new bikes before they hit the dirt to re-grease, loctite, and generally tweek anything that looks like it needs it prior to thrashing.

You miss the point.

Lets say you are an international manufacturer and understand the power of the written word of a 3rd party entity.

Would it make more sense, from a marketing aspect, to provide an accurate example of what your product really is ?

I know of no 3rd party entity that accepts their test bikes in the crate from a manufacturer and does the due diligence that they would exercise on their own bikes to ensure a more accurate picture of the product.

I'm saying that the factory is dropping the ball from a marketing prospective.

BTW ATTENTION HUSQVARNA, I could use a cush marketing job It appears you MUST have a position open.

dale

Yeah I don't get how a manufactuer can not make sure their test bike is properly setup before giving it to a magazine for a review.Hey it's one thing if the bike is a dog but to not have made sure it's basic running ability is dialed in is inexcusable.
Especially the smaller guys ala Husky who need all the positive press they can get if they intend to broaden their buyer base which believe me they do as more sales equals more $$ for R&D and their bottom line.
No one stays in business or has success without making profits so they can pay the bills and grow their market share.

May I say that I could care less what a magazine says about my bike. I know that my txc250 is not as fast as some of my other bikes but who cares. I havent had one yet that I could ride to its potential in the woods. Horsepower is highly overrated when your banging your bars against trees. The more I ride and the more bikes I own, the more I learn that more is not always better. Need I say MORE!!!

Adjusting the suspension for preload, rebound and compression makes sense. EFI that doesn't run properly? That I can't excuse.

A carburetor set for sea level at 70 degrees obviously won't work in Colorado in August but that's a carburetor. EFI is supposed to compensate for these parameters. Map the EFI to run perfectly in Italy at 1,500 feet in elevation on a 65 degree day and it should be able to run perfectly in Italy at 5,000 feet on a 45 degree day or in Colorado at 12,000 feet on a 60 degree day.

On this topic, we don't agree.

NC

I agree with you 100% that test mule bikes should go to the magazines broken in and dialed in. That's common sense.