Will a DS be important for the new KTM based huskys?

It will only be important for sales, otherwise it is a non issue. In some states a plated dirt bike is the only way to go for access and linking riding.

Doesnt matter to me since I am in washington I can plate any bike. If I was going to buy say a ktm 500 I would buy the xcw because its already desmogged without all the funky attachments that I would remove anyway.

From a business perspective it would be the logical thing to do. Why lose an existing base of current DS Husky owners or at least retain a percentage of them, especially when KTM already have a line of bikes they can re-badge for little expense. Why not also provide that option for the current KTM owners.

Are the current Husabergs plated in the states?

Any bike probably can be plated in CO but we all don't live there.

Consider many older riders are considering riding again and where they chose to live offers trail access a few miles from home. Or I'm on a ride and the gas station I need to fuel up is 5 miles down the state highway. A dual sport/plated bike then is top of their list for requirements of a new bike.

For me was simple... a street legal dirt bike at the lowest possible weight and with the right suspension and components out of the box. Husky offered that and was not the most expensive and was not painted orange (I hate the color orange... the bike I'm sure is fine). Having a plated bike is nothing new and neither is meeting EPA and other standards world wide for 4-stroke emissions. Strange is my only reaction to not fielding a street legal model, esp., in CA. I mean come on... It's almost 90 degrees today in mid November! If there were plated bikes sold... Rolling live billboards for the bikes would be doing free promotions on every hilltop and canyon.

Sure you can have top level racers winning but if the public won't buy the bike because it isn't appropriate, WTF. $10k+ is crazy for a dirt bike but then again Specialized gets $10,500 for a new S-Works sans motor, SUP manufacturers trying to steal $4500 for a "race" SUP. In the end it's the customer that decides what they want and what they can afford. As we get older we get wiser and even though some may have the capital to buy a new Husky, reality and common sense tend to overrule irrational exuberance. I think long and hard about purchases so Husky may do fine this year but with plates they'de do a whole lot better, if simply to offer the public what it wants and needs.

You should start a poll asking if you are posting too many polls..

Yes they should offer DS models. See my post about them metaphorically shooting themselves in the foot. I don't really get it. I guess they are testing the water?

The trails I ride in Northern Wisconsin are only open to plated bikes. If Husky doesn't make some I am headed another direction(Beta), simple as that.

I voted yes. It would be nice to have a bike with top notch suspension, light weight and a plate. Something between Honda's XR600 and KTM's 690.

NJ it is much better to have a plated bike where I ride.

There is a big difference between dual sport and plated dirt bikes. My WR is plated, definitely not a dual sport. I like to have my bikes plated, I do not care about (or really want) a dual sport. I see no reason why the new huskies can't be plated.

LA Police also like plated dirt bikes as they Patrol on TE 310s.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2/139...LAPD-Patrolling-on-Husqvarna-Dual-Sports.aspx

If you are gonna be a major player in the MC world today, looks like have to dabble in all aspects of biking as a hedge if nothing else ... You would not wanna get caught behind the power curve on any aspect of bikes ...

The 690 with a more comfy soft seat, softer suspension, a rally raid fairing and a decent stock luggage rack would make an excellent DS adventure machine. It would be great if they venture into something like that in blue and yellow

You say that, but none of the Japanese giants have offered a decent dual sport for many years, and they seem to be doing just fine.