FE/FC KTM has nearly doubled the price of a Husky

I agree. Have had problems with promises of parts availability also. Been PO'd more than once since the transfer of power.
But, Norms a good guy. He's a die hard Husky fan along with the rest of us. Thread is just getting a little heated, that's all.

I walked into that one ;-)

As said before, ive ridden both and If the Italian husky was at full retail price and was a stable company providing parts I would definitely buy it VS. my KTM husky. Hope that helps with your question. There are obviously current day variables you need to consider but this is how an owner of both feels.
Some reasons for liking the Italian vs KTM.
. I liked the feel and handling better
.I like the frill free construction/relatively simplicity
.I like the that parts were not crazy expensive
.I like connected feel I had
.I liked that it was different
.I liked even at normal otd price it was still less cost than most.

If nothing changes in the next couple years I'll be looking at Beta or Yamaha maybe gas gas if they keep progressing.

Yea what do you do? The name lives on. And no I won't buy from a dealer that sells both product . There will be a chapter four.....

I haven't read the thread all the way but geez, get over it! I had a 449, loved it for the most part until the company sold and I ran suspecting parts would be an issue in the future. I went Beta, really love that bike and that company, especially love the fact that the dealers are small and most seem to provide awesome customer service, didnt think Id buy another bike once I had the Beta. Stupid me (or smart, yet to be determined) threw a leg over a Fe350S and my wallet promptly emptied! I like this bike better than shrimp! (to steal a line from Jim Tom) I couldnt care if its a KTM or a Husa or a Husky, its a phenomenal machine. Bickering over who did what and who bought who makes no difference in the end, less talk, more ride!

I'm sure I'll get hammered for this buuut, after I sold my 2012 TE310 and bought the 2014 FE501 I have zero regrets so far. I feel more connected to the 501 and am faster, smoother and it fits my overall style of riding better. The 501 handles better, turns better and the engine is flawless. Everything about this bike fits me as a rider better than the 310 ever did. That's my take and everyone's different. It sucks that it was almost 9k OTD but I don't regret buying it one bit, especially every time I take a wrench to it or perform maintenance and realize the top notch engineering. It's worth it, sadly...

I've never understood how anybody can love/hate any brand so much? Every motorcycle I've owned has given me many smiles, and made me swear.

After owning GMC trucks for years I bought an F150 last year. One of my friends damn near started crying when I told him what I was gonna buy. After buying the F150, the guy hasn't really talked to me since. I learned two things... 1. The F150 was a good value. 2. The guy wasn't much of a friend.

How do we ever know if what we have is the best, if we never try new stuff?

Very true letitsnow. Hey you did end up in the best truck .

All this is true and we can not be so narrowed minded that we won't try anything else. Not sure if I ever said I would not buy a Husky if KTM owned them. I more or less voiced strongly my dissatisfaction of the deal that went down. I went to a Husqvarna dealer that sells Husky's and Gas Gas. They do not sell KTM nor will they ever. When I look at my bike I see a quality machine that looks good. It is chapter three and it is not orange and once I peel the stupid (power corrupt) KTM decal off the rear fender I will still run anything orange that I see over........but in the end we will drink beers tell story's roost one another and have had a good time......Its all good!

I'll cut Fletch a little slack on this one... My aversion to Orange is almost as bad. I came close in '12 to buying a KTM 250XC-W, but just couldn't do it. I even priced white plastic.... The Husaberg TE250 gave me another option and I gladly took it. I was the target buyer, for the KTM/Husaberg marketing guys... strong Swedish Husky roots, looking for something different than BMW Husky had. I tried the Beta and Gas Gas, after I bought the TE250 and had no regrets, both great bikes though. I just bought the '15 TE125, but I probably could have bought a '15 KTM 150SX for less, but I wanted the Husky. Would I buy a Husky from a KTM Dealer? I did for years, at Bottone's. I bought my Husaberg, from a KTM Dealer. I'm sure this makes no sense at all to some people, but I'm happy. This all went down 25+ years ago, in a very similar way, so not so odd to me....

As humans we simply can justify things as we want to. Whether I like it or not it is what it is. There are differences between the bike if small or large. Keep in mind I have never bashed on the Husaberg not in any post. And would certainly have owned one of them before and orange bike. And there were differences between those bikes as well. I certainly do not have to defend myself from someone who promotes and talks highly of a little known bike that comes with a Chinese engine but just so happens to sell them. Times change. People change. I'm over it. Again when I look at my new bike I don't see a cloned premium KTM. I think back to when I was a kid down at the shop drooling over a Husqvarna 430. Or the time I went to the Black Hills with my 350 WXE. Or the sound of my 1991 WXE 260 cheater bike with uptite exhaust. Or the time I got lost for hours on my 85 Husky 125 and came out in a yard that had a zebra in it. (I am not kidding) Or the time people asked me you mean Husqvarna makes motorcycles...Or in Grand Juction Colorado with a guy a couple of hills down screaming at the top of his lungs Fu-- Fletcher Fu-- Fletcher he is and A rider and Im double D.....Anyways I could rant on a lot more.. but get the point.. I never had this fascination with any other brand. Be it the crown or whatever it is. I knew when I bought this bike I would catch a lot of flack from more then just a few folks on café Husky. I will give a detailed and I mean detailed ride report down the road. Good and bad whatever there is. Find it hilarious but I am riding a bike with a crown on it and sporting traditional colors for whatever reason the marketing team came up with. The orange thing goes back many many years and not just for me. Back in the day the KTM bikes of the era were in my opinion inferior to the Huskys that were available and it was a euro bike thing..... This isn't a secret and the two company's were rivals for years and years even if one sold more bikes then the other. It also comes down to being able to get parts service sales and technical support all of which I can get top notch. I won't discuss in detail the conversation I had with a diehard Husqvarna guy but I left with a different feeling.......................... Why would I not buy a Husky from a KTM dealer? Pretty simple I can spend my hard earned money wherever I want Keep in mind the rival thing I over played at times just for torture or entertaninment and I still borrowed fuel or water to a guy if he was on a orange bike. its like Chevy Ford or Dodge.....We all have to have something......The reality is I had just as much fun smoking my buddies on a 99 Suzuki RM 250(with no handguards) that I picked up at 10:00 on Saturday morning and was riding at 11:00. For $700.00!!

Huskynoobee. I fear parts may some day have to come from somewhere else. That same marketing guy that told them to buy out Husky also told them to trickle and phase out parts............. Just kidding but may not be far off.... I would think they would want to cater to the diehard Husky guy in order to sell bikes in the future but they may be gearing more for new younger riders and guys who just do not like the orange color of a KTM and want something a little different. Between the Gas Gas thing etc and swm etc.. I am hoping it all will pan out for everyone!

I will ride any bike with 2 wheels and have.... I usually try to be different its just me..... I desert raced a Honda CR125.... Ive raced White huskys, yellow huskys and most likely white ones again..... I dont care that KTM owns Husky the same way I kinda care cagiva or bwm did.... but as they become main stream I will drift to gas gas beta sherco or something.... lol

i remember my first ATK experience.... I went to wheelie over a log and went into it twice as fast because of that crazy rear suspension.... lol

I'm kinda intrigued with the AJP thing.... I raced a CRF230 highly modfied.... so I like to experiment.... lol