Hi guys, im new here but thought id post my thoughts on the tc449 ive been on yamahas for the past 5 years racing but 2 years ago switched to husky and have really enjoyed the experience. After the 24hr world record mx ride last year i did and a heap of racing since we have really put the bikes through some tough tests and they have come up cheering. At first i was a little bit worried reading some of the reports coming out about the bike, but in the same token and not trying to sound big headed i really dont like reading reports from some guy with a laptime on a motocross track similar to what my mum could do. some of the bike mags think the bike feels heavy and nuetral????????? to me the bike is neither..........its different for example with a conventional bike with 7 litres of fuel mounted up high its very easy to get off axis, and leaning into a turn....standing it up is a different story, the husky you put more body english into getting it in but a lot less getting it out of a turn, its not harder than a normal bike to tip in, just different. ive only been able to test the bike so far on my private mx and sx track but as far as the ability to move the bike in the air, i felt at home straight away. you can whip the thing upside down and get it back with no fuss at all imo. the traction is interesting, it drives very well off some of my hard pack turns has very little rear end skip in braking bumps but is more difficult to get to drift into a turn, i find im using some lightly differnt lines on my well worn track. as far as acceleration i find it very easy to get on the gas really early and you can ride it like a two stroke if you will and steer it with the rear or over the front as it is very neutral. it does ride a little high in the rear but with extra sag it is fixible, the stock forks are soft but with a harsh feel but still handle the mx stuff here at home pretty well and the only section of my sx track i wont do is a rather large rythem section. if you land hard on the gas though....like you should its reasonable and wont take to much tweaking to get right. im am looking forward to trying some different valving though at both ends for more agressive riding. the motor is electric smooth, no hit, no jolt but deceptively quick for a stock bike. i think people like journos will say its slow because they are used to spinning and sliding around and thinking this is fast. i have two reasonable quick straights on my track that ive had a few small moments on thinking shit will i stop here at the end........ partly because of the drive on the choppy ground the bike gets into the starights is so good with the new shock setup but still the motor is no slouch. once i get my motor done and suspension ill try to post some laps of my tracks here but after about 3 hours on my mx track my times are within about 1.5 seconds of my best times on last years race bike. i think a big must for people thinking the bike handles not so good or isnt to powerfull is get rid of the stock michelin tyres (if thats what yours come with) i changed them out as i was no where on them andf instantly felt at home on the pirelli, mid hard 454 that and some better wider footpegs is all ive touched but the tyres transformed the bike and would be part of the reason for some of the , "it turns ok and is sort of powerfull reviews around" cheers
Great review I appreciate you taking the time to do a riders/racers review. I often read mag reviews and come away more confused than informed LOL. Thanks.
cheers blokes, im not the most well written but i appreciate the support. the reviews to be honest have dogged me a bit because o give a fair review you need in my opinion a few things 1. a constant track and conditions............if you havent spent plenty of time on a track how the hell do you test a new bike then say how well it drives or how harsh the suspension etc is 2. your tyres you most use on the bike. i could test 3 bikes in the same day but if i hadnt ridden on those tyres much whats the point. they all feel bumps different, give different drive in different turns etc etc. at least if you have the base tyre your comftorbale on you can say hey, it turns in well compared to the yz or it spun up more than the yz on the same tyre etc etc..........did that make sense?? 3.sag etc set right, how can you review a bike if its not set up properly, of course it will kick in the rear if the shock spring is way too hard 4. 2-3 blokes to ride it back to back. ive watched a review where a bloke said suspension on a bike was too stiff and the guy never landed half way across a single jump on the track and after flat landing everything and not even seeing a downramp gives a review on suspension wtf?? 5. some time to adjust the bike. none of us get on a bike ride it and then say, oh the bikes to rigid or doesnt turn and leave it like that. no bike will suit everyone but how can 2-4 hours determine a review where someone pays good money for a magazine only to be fed some shit where he is more interested in which brand put the most beer and girls on. ive had a few days on the bike on very a very familiar track, changed tyres to my regulars and now am only starting to learn the thing well enough to write a very minor review. i will do a way more comprehensive one in another few weeks
Sav- You have way too much common sense to ever make it in the bike tester career. That was a very nice review and I look forward to more!
Thanks for the review. Lots of us here in the States have been waiting for some good/thorough reviews to come back. Thanks for taking the time to write this. Looking forward to your second review once you have things sorted and are more comfortable on the bike.
Ok.... then bike sence, you gotta say you have that LOL. Thanks again and look forward to future reviews.
said it before, when it gets down to it, lap times are what counts. like you said, lack of "hit" and solid traction appear as though the machine is docile and slow, alot of the guys think that sliding around in and out of control mean the bike is just flying. Thanks for the "quiet assesment" We all cant wait for a well set up TXC/TC type 449/511 to be tested. A ZipTy machine or from another pro set up shop.
even though there is no hit with the engine its quite strong, ground conditions of course make this relative but it will be a very good base for a strong race bike. your right i think less eperienced riders think sideways and spinning is fast.
Today i started a new TE449. We are using this one for our customers to test.....Ofcourse i will ride ite to. Last testbike was a TE310 -11 Klas
