2010 Husaberg FE 390 Vs. The Red Bull Romaniacs – Race Test – Dirt Rider Magazine

www.cycoactive.com) and I was thinking I was ready. At least the bike was.The first part of the Romaniacs was a prologue on an EnduroCross-styled course laid out on a main street in the town of Sibiu. It was flat out gnarly and took every ounce of bike control skill I had to navigate the course safely; I’m not sure how the Expert and Hobby riders were getting through it alive. The Berg shined with its instant throttle response, great ground clearance and protective capabilities as I hit the ground plenty of times in the training session and then even once again in my qualifier. I know there wouldn’t have been a better four-stroke to ride this on, and the 390, while moving, doesn’t act much heavier than a 250cc two-stroke; you just never have to worry about shifting it since the four-stroke power runs on for so long. The whole time I was thinking, “Too bad this rider isn’t able to put the bike in a better position.”But the next day I was going to really see what the bike (and I) was really made of. Firstly, the power is what most riders would be wondering about. It is just like most 400cc machines where it is just about the perfect amount of power to get you through any situation but without any excess to get you into trouble or to show off with. At just about every throttle position the bike puts out as much oomph as the rear tire can grab traction for, and that means the bike is as fast as anything out there, head to head. The short stroke would lead you to believe it lives on rpm. But here is where fuel injection changes things. It is so precise and crisp all the time, especially at lower rpm, that the bike has exceptional torque and luggability that seemed a little excessive for a smaller and shorter-stroke motor. It is notably better than even the KTM 400 (which I rode for a day as well), and that motor I’d characterize more as a long-stroke just to point out the torque character. The Berg will lug down to what seem like 10 rpm and then pull along just fine or accelerate in perfect accordance with the throttle application. Just like the 450 and 570 Bergs, this 390 offers pretty good authority considering the displacement. Even the rider who rode my bike for days two through four of the Romaniacs and had come off of a 570 Husaberg could not believe this bike was a 390. “No way! I’m selling my 570, this is the best motor ever,” was his comment. And if the bottom is impressive, the bike builds with a smooth and predictable pull all the way to a screaming top-end pull. It will climb soft hills as good as anything if you rev it.The chassis is everything we have heaped Bike of the Year honors on the Husaberg for and then some. While the scale might say the bike is just a pound or so lighter than its bigger brothers, riding it you will swear it is more like 10 to 15 pounds lighter if not more. It is like riding a 250F in agility and maneuverability but with more punch than any big-bore 250F. Light weight and good power make a mystical combination a lot of riders are looking for, and Husaberg has captured that about as good as any production bike I’ve ever ridden.