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Home » online exclusives » First Test: 2010 Husqvarna TE 450 – Dirt Rider Magazine

First Test: 2010 Husqvarna TE 450 – Dirt Rider Magazine

By: karel kramer

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Pro Circuit helped with bikes (at FIM spec) and pit support, but the CLS team brought their familiar suspension./></a>
<p class="wp-caption-text">Pro Circuit helped with bikes (at FIM spec) and pit support, but the CLS team brought their familiar suspension.</p>
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<p>Have you seen the movie Transformers? In fully stock condition, this Husqvarna TE 450 is pretty wimpy with a top speed near 35 mph, so all of our impressions are with the supplied off-road kit installed and the bike transformed. With the engine percolating at full power it has fairly clean, strong acceleration to within an eye-blink of 100 mph (indicated, with perfect traction), and it runs with any other off-road 450 getting there. Regrettably, it is loud for an off-road bike with a stock muffler, but it is louder to the rider than to bystanders. Thank the close-ratio-feel six-speed for some of the performance, but we’d like to see the gears stretched with a lower first and a taller fifth and sixth. Engine response is steady and energetic with few hiccups, though the fuel injection isn’t as polished as some other Euro enduros.We noticed all these traits and, yes, flaws in our early times with the bike. Aside from some street miles, every mile we put on the TE was on technical trails in the company of true off-road competition motorcycles. With each mile we appreciated the Husky more. At the end of the testing, we’d replaced one crash-damaged turn signal, but every light was still burning and the horn was still honking.Even with stock gearing-the first road-legal bike we’ve been able to ride with stock gearing-the Husky more than held its own with the more focused models. We mounted Dunlop MX51 tires, both because of the tread and the standard profiles, and they made a huge improvement in the bike’s feel and made it possible to forget it was a street model. The Husky has a classic four-stroke chunky, grunty torque feeling down low you can use in nasty conditions, since there is no tendency to hiccup or flame out unexpectedly. Above that torque basement you have to open the throttle a bit and be a little patient waiting for it to spin up. Beyond that point it catches up and gets enthusiastic pulling hard and strong all the way to the rev-limiter. Get the engine singing, and the hydraulic clutch and transmission do the job. All in all, the TE powerplant works so well the rumbling vibes (it is designed for a balance shaft, but Husky doesn’t put one in) aren’t as noticeable. A KTM 450 with off-road gearing feels much snappier yet isn’t as tractable, and requires more clutch use to keep it from stalling. Also, the KTM gearbox spacing feels wider.What about the rest of the TE? It is slim and easy to move around despite being 287 pounds full of fuel. The well-padded seat is a plus since several riders commented that the bike was a good fit for those with a lowboy, sit-down style. The suspension is a little firm initially and doesn’t have much bottoming/dive control in the front, but it holds a line instead of wallowing or feeling loose. The braking is strong and consistent, but affected by the overall weight. The tank is too small for long-loop hounds. We never pushed it to empty but saw a low-fuel light after 40 trail miles.On a rocky moonscape mountain ridge, just when we were most impressed with the relentless bottom-end torque of the bike, it started to run strangely. The electronic speedo/instrument cluster no longer displayed speed, with just the word “FAIL” replacing the full display. To the bike’s credit, the EFI failure didn’t stop the party. The TE ran well enough to limp back to the truck. The dealer connected it to his computer, and the problem was a bad jumper plug that came as part of the off-road kit. None of the dealers we spoke with had ever seen a fault code like this. It was easily fixed, but in this electronics age took a trip to the dealer, not the usual trailside Band-Aid. Our only other minor complaint was that the Husky never really seems to start quickly. It always starts, but you would think an EFI e-start bike would light right up; instead, this one chugs along for a few seconds before starting.
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<p>How do you make it run? Install the off-road kit that comes with the bike. Freeing the TE’s herd of ponies requires a new air filter cage, removing a throttle stop, inserting a plug into the oxygen sensor bung and plugging a jumper clip into the wiring harness where the O2 sensor plugs in. You can also remove a catalytic converter located inside the header/muffler junction, but that didn’t make much of a difference in either power or sound. These changes were easy and fast.With time and miles the rough edges and oddities we noticed at first have faded, and the parts of the bike that work, and there are a lot of them, make up a greater portion of our impression. Like a quirky friend who is always there for you, the Husky is there when and where it counts. It comes with a plate, but does everything you’d expect of a dirt bike, and it costs $1,000 less than a KTM. Only masochists should buy one to ride any distance on the road, since it isn’t much fun on the street. The TE isn’t designed as a commuter. It is built to open horizons and let you ride when and where you want.<strong>Specifications:</strong> 2010 Husqvarna TE 450<br />
<strong>MSRP:</strong> $8,299<br />
<strong>Claimed Weight (Tank Empty):</strong> 247 lb<br />
<strong>Actual Weight (Tank Full):</strong> 287 lb<br />
<strong>Seat Height:</strong> 37.7 in.<br />
<strong>Seat-to-Footpeg Distance:</strong> 21.2 in.<br />
<strong>Footpeg Height:</strong> 16.5 in.<br />
<strong>Ground Clearance: </strong>12.5 in.<strong>What’s Hot!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Tractable and connected power with great low-rpm chug.</li>
<li>Slim ergonomics, a great seat and two-position handlebar mounts.</li>
<li>An enduro gearbox that feels more like a moto close-ratio on the trail.</li>
<li>Easy to maintain and work on.</li>
<li>A shop manual on a thumb drive comes with the bike.</li>
<li>Solid chassis feel and crisp handling (with off-road tires).</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>What’s Not!</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Small tank, heavy vibes.</li>
<li>Nearly impossible to ride in restricted showroom stock form.</li>
<li>Too loud with off-road kit installed.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Settings</strong></p>
<p>Jetting: Off-road map engaged with installation of off-road kit.<strong>Other Notes:</strong> Adding oil to the fork will decrease bottoming.<br />
<strong>Modifications We’d Like To Try:</strong> Some different exhaust systems that are quieter.<br />
<h3>Opinions</h3>
<p><strong>Jimmy Lewis</strong><br />
5’10″/185 lb/Sr. ExpertComing from me, calling the Husky TE 450 a modern Honda XR400 is high praise, but let me explain. A few years ago (maybe almost 10, don’t date me or this bike!) while working at Cycle World we chose a very similar Husky TE 450 as Enduro Bike of the Year, because frankly it was an all-around do-all package that most importantly had few flaws even though it never excelled in any one area-except maybe being the easiest bike to ride. Jump forward to today and much of the same is true of the performance. I can’t say the Husky kicks ass at any one thing, but it doesn’t really suffer anyplace either. Now with fuel injection, better suspension and a lot of the rest of the same bike, plus the license plate, it is in that same happy place. Only now its competition has stepped it up quite a bit. But back to the XR400, a bike that does nothing great and everything OK. A bike you just go out and ride because you just want to ride, not show your friends what you are riding. If the Husky’s durability can prove the test of time and abuse, then I’d have no problem recommending one to a guy who wants to wear out tires, especially if he likes to sit down and ride lowboy.<strong>Chris Barrett</strong><br />
6’1″/185 lb/ProThe Husky took a little time to get used to. It wasn’t that it had an off-the-wall crazy setup; it just had a different feel compared to your standardized everyday motorcycle (i.e., peg to seat to handlebar ratio). But after I got comfortable, this bike felt very well balanced and was easy to get into a rhythm and flow through the trails on. The bike really shined through the tight and medium-paced trails. It was still stable and fun to ride on the street, but on the smooth surface I noticed quite a bit of vibration. The motor was very linear and seemed a little underpowered on open trails, but when it came to the tight stuff, this bike would chug down low and tractor up just about any steep technical section with ease.</div>

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