Just saw this on DirtRider.com. Is this one of us? http://www.dirtrider.com/uncategorized/letter-of-the-week-where-is-the-husky-300-love/
Yeah, but sort of a cop-out, too. Husky has had the 300 2-stroke for years and it never makes it into the shoot-out, corporate ownership changes or not.
Any 300 2 stroke is a better woods bike than a KX 450. I have ridden every 300 2 stroke on the market and they are all outstanding woods bikes. The fact that the Husky design is as old as it is and is still a great bike speaks to what a good formula the 300 smoker is for off road.
I used to like Dirt Rider until somewhere in the late 90s, when they began to become KTM Rider magazine. I finally became too disappointed and quit reading the publication all together a couple of years before I bought my first Husqvarna. In all the years that I read the magazine, I can't really recall any real test reports on a Husqvarna. I think I picked up an issue that had a short and unenthusiastic test of a 250 two stroke and the TE 450 just before I decided to buy my TE. It's sad but true that magazines have got to run on some kind of money and that is usually from their advertisers and the people who give them lots of bikes and products to test. Husqvarna was not a very good promoter and advertiser compared with other brands, especially KTM.
I tried to open the link and my computer locked up for 20 seconds... DirtRider was suspect until it loaded- then I read the letter/response and found the tone more respectful than expected. Yea- I remember the TE450 in a 450 shoot out, I already had one so I was real curious with their take on the bike- I was disappointed in the set up and lack of enthusiasm they had for the bike- especially since it was compared to bikes that don't come with a plate.... ADD the EPA factor and its an unfair comparison and is all about the bike's set up. I kept yelling at the magazine "RIDE MINE Jimmy!!! RIDE MINE!!!" they said a few nice things but made it sound pretty lame and obvious they were throwing it a bone just for showing up.
Here is what I can tell you about my 300 After some time getting it dialed in with the help of Zip Ty Racing then the Fact I installed a set of Ohlins forks and shock from David at Fast Bike Industries my Husky 300 flat works .It works so well I won the last National Hare and hound 50A and finished well overall which was held in the trees of Utah.I have race up there many times and everythime those local woods ridding boys and some girls take me to school and kick my butt.Remember I live and race most of the time in the desert .So for me to win against that group of people in there back yard a place forien to me speaks greatness about the Husky 300.Now this weeken I will drive the 1200 mile round trip again to do round 7 in the same area .I keep trying to think what did I do last time to finish so well and the only thing I keep comming up with is First time I took the 300 there.Used the same set up as I raced it the week before at round 5 in the So Calif Desert where I finished 2nd I have a list of mods we did and nothing was really that much off from stock except the suspention
I find it amusing and irritating when I count how many ktm articles or write ups there are in dirt rider or dirt bike(especially dirt bike) every month. Dirt bikes latest issue has 7 or 8. Then we come to the real world. Every weekend I see people hauling there bikes to fun places, I rarely see a ktm. I have yet to even see the 350 that the magazines seem to think that everyone owns and needs to know how to fix a broken ktm. The terrible part is, I can't stop buying them. Sometimes there's a tid bit of info that's useful. I hate the color orange. Sorry for the rant
i went for a ride out and out of 16 of us there were 12 ktm's an i was the shepard on a husky! they are mad popular with the midlife crisis group as it seems all the articles they read are about the ktms praises, never stories of how the e start is junk unless you strip it every other ride or how the gear boxes uset to grenade.. i dont think they are a bad bit of kit i had a go on the 200exc an though yeh heyve got geometry right and all the stuf works, so but the ktm lacked my compassion and therfore had no soul, my itallian stallion has soul and bent bars now. lol
Well, I have to say. For enduro/woods riding, 75% of ppl here ride ktm. Hard to blame them when our local mc store is hugely based on ktm. One rider I know blew up his clutch basket, and said "If I was riding a husky, I'd be off the bike for 2 weeks. Parts arrived in 2 days". While it's true. I had to bite my tongue as I wanted to say "if you rode a husky you wouldn't have to replace your clutch assembly".
Phewwwww! I thought I was the only one who thought my husky has a little Italian soul. Mines a fat Italian chef who's always serving an oversized portion of awesomeness with a side of sexiness.
