The new 2011 Husqvarna TC/TEs will be available at the dealers in the month of September 2010. These prices are in Euros: TC449: € 8,590, TE449: € 8,900, TE511: € 8,990 ex-dealer. Currency Converter http://www.xe.com/ Article http://www.moto.it/news/le-nuove-husqvarna-te-449-511-tc-449.html You Better have deep pockets for these bad boys !
no way in the world will the TC cost almost 12k in the states....can't compare Euro prices to U.S.prices, lots of taxes and stuff in Europe. If that bike is 12k, then the majority will sit forever on the dealer floors. It will hover around $8500.
$9K will be a hard pill to swallow for any USA Husky buyer... Even the hardcore crowd. I hope it's not true.
Exactly why I'm not fully on board with 4 strokes and FI. True, I own nothing but 4 strokes now, and a few FI ones, but paying 9K for something that I plan on beating the hell out of is a tough pill. Sometimes I wonder if in the race for the latest, greatest, newest technology we have begun to price ourselves out of this sport. Last I checked the motorcycle industry isn't growing, and 8K-9K bikes aren't helping. True, we keep buying them, and they keep building them so we really have ourselves to blame. Sometimes I just sit and wonder if we are heading in the right direction. Just thinking out loud here. Ohh, it's also worth mentioning that we still have no idea what the actual price will be. So ragging on a 9 thousand dollar bike is a little premature at this point.
Maybe on the left coast, but East of the ippississiM I have my doubts. I've owned 6 new Husky's since 2008. All of them have been bullet proof and have made me a shameless cheerleader for the brand. But $9K is pushing the envelope when other, more established brands (in the USA) can be had for the same or less. IMHO, Husky (BMW) needs to firmly establish itself as a viable competitor in every respect before it brazenly assumes it can fetch top dollar. Podiums. Results. Comparable service. Comparable dealer support... ONLY THEN can they demand comparable pricing! It's only common sense.
Were speculating about MSRP, once we know the real price I'm sure some deals will be available. 2010 full sized 4st KTM's all have a MSRP of more than 9K http://www.motorcycle.com/specs/ktm/ and they sell a lot of bikes. 2010 TE510 lists for $8600 so were talking $400. All your points are well taken. Also the funny thing is we (USA) get some of the better deals.
One of my riding buds just bought a brand new in the crate 2008 CRF450 for $4250 OTD. Another Bud just bought a used Pro practice bike 2009 CRF 450 with a built motor / all new suspension / new throttle body / FMF complete exhaust for $4500. 15 hours Total time . I have ridden this bike.... amazing track bike... floats like a feather with a rocket for a motor... I have to ask... why would anyone pay $9000 for a new Husky right now? T
Your comparing apples to oranges though. There is no validity in comparing 3 year old new stock to first production run of a brand new bike hot off the press. And used to new is never a fair comparison. There are lots of people like yourself that will pay bottom dollar for a good "value" motorcycle that has proven itself over time. And there are other people who will pay top dollar for the newest, latest and greatest motorcycle in the hopes it will improve their riding experience. And then there are people like me who are too cheep to anti up the $$ for the new toy but still lust for it regardless and demand that it should be priced well below market value! Gotta pay to play
"Why would anyone pay $9,000.00 for a new Husky" if indeed it is the actual price....because they want to and can. I totall agree with jaro51 on this.
The perception of Husky is not at the same level as Husaberg or KTM in the dirt bike world...yet. So Husky needs to be priced lower than KTM/Husa to attract riders to switch brands. Of course there is a point when the pricing is too low that it undervalues the brand and conditions the consumer to expect to pay $5,000 for a new Husky. That is what has happened in Canada. The only way to change that is to charge more once there is a strong following. So the fringe buyers (i.e. only bought cuz of the price) will drop off but the core buyers will remain. And that means stronger dealer network and more Husky supported racers around the world.
It will be a tough pill to swallow at first since we have gotten accustomed to bargain basement pricing on leftover stock the last couple of years. We were seeing brand new leftover '08 TC250's and '09 WR125's advertised at $4,000 which is a fabulous bargain but is no way for a motorcycle company to make money and we have to realize those deals are likely a thing of the past. My opinion is that Husky would be wise to price their new bikes a few hundred $$ less than the competition to maintain the price advantage until they become more widely accepted as an alternative to the big 5. And they need to prove the after sales support from dealers, parts distribution, reliability etc are in place to lure the masses. And really, if they do their homework and R&D on future bikes and they can compete with a Berg as far as handling, great FI and innovation, why wouldn't they charge a premium price for a premium bike? People are quite happy to pay an extra $1,500 or whatever the difference is for a Berg over a Yamaha etc knowing they are getting value for their money. BUT, Husky need to vastly improve on the FI and QC of the bikes from the factory and most importantly, getting new models on dealer floors in the fall. The 2011 models are going to be the litmus test for Husky's future I think so I eagerly await how this will all sort it self out in the coming months. Haha, just noticed DirtBikes posted the exact same opinions I had while I was typing my little soap box speech!
Too biggest obstacles that Husky needs to overcome in order to price the same as a KTM or Husa. I love my TXC but I am not a racer. Reliability and dealer support are huge factors for racers...even the weekend warrior. Husky will get there some day.
For now, Husky needs to be a little cheaper price wise. They need a lot of ''setup'' to get them to work. I have overlooked a lot on these bikes just because they are less money. For me the new TC450 even at 6000$ still does not do it for me. The new 2011 TC250 however could be priced as a ktm or very close...it is a very apealing bike given that the FI works without a dozen re-maps. The new little thumper seems solid. That being said the new Berg I have on the way next week will get a more critical review as I don't expect to mod this thing or setup anything else than the sag and clickers.
I do not know of a ktm rider that hasn't done multiple set up changes to their bike and they are definitely more expensive.
Difference being that the KTM you can roll off the dealers floor and hit the dirt and start tweaking the settings to your liking right away. The Husky on the other hand needs to be gone through with a fine tooth comb to re-grease the bearings, adjust the pipe so it doesn't melt the airbox, move the rear brake line so it doesn't rub the engine cases and most importantly tweak and re-tweak the FI settings to get it to run as well as a carb bike or competitor FI bike. I love my Husky's and I've had a few and see more in my future but I expect to pay less knowing I have to put in a good bit more "PDI" work than I would on a KTM for example. Most on this forum are pretty loyal to the brand and sometimes have the blinders on to the fact that these are finicky bikes to get working well. Once set-up, they are great, but they aren't a gas and go bike.
I'm not a big ktm fan, mostly because everyone has one. You have to admit that if you wanted, they can be raced right out of the crate. The 06' gas cap issue was the one ''big'' flaw I can remember. The initial issues on the 09' wr125 are pretty bad. You have to be patient in all honesty. The low price helps. The 2008 TXC/TC450 was a great bike...once you did the Scott Summers list of fix's. I like my 2010 Tc250, great handling, nice little motor, but the stock jetting was super bad. That's the sort of stuff they need to get right if they want premium for the bikes.
