My second ride of the afternoon was the Husaberg 450.I felt right at home as soon as I threw my leg over it. It sure is nice to have a magic button! All the controls are in the correct location. I tested this bike on the 3rd loop (very technical). Right away I noticed this bike was nothing like the CRF450R that I just finished riding. The Berg is a precision instrument that requires precise steering input from the rider. (Precise steering input is not one of my strong points). Very agile almost 2-stroke like. Basically if you look the way you want to go it goes there no exceptions. And it goes there right now. So I found myself over shooting and or undershooting the corners when trying to go fast. I'm not sure if it was me or the bike that couldn't make up it's mind in the corners. Either way I found the cornering to be a bit on the twitchy side with the front tire hunting all over the berms. Conversely when I slowed down to 1st gear (walking speed) The Berg was a dream machine. It just hooked up and went exactly where I wanted it to go. I did notice a bit of wallowing? Front tire walking all over the place in soft sandy singletrack. Maybe I just needed to hang off the back end a bit farther? I think the suspension could be a bit stiffer. As far as the funny looking motor... It had me laughing with joy. Incredible that such a radical design should work so well. It felt as good as or better than any other 450 motor I've ridden. Strong on the bottom but not rip your arms out of their sockets strong. Just enough to launch out of the corners with the most possible traction. Great mid range and top end that is to be expected from a Berg... How do they do that? Almost impossible to stall. It must have a 10 LB flywheel! I did have a few areas that 1st gear was too low and I did not have enough talent to ride it properly in 2nd. Brakes and clutch worked in perfect harmony.
Bob Surmon, AKA San Felipe Bob/ 44/ 6-2/ 180lbs street clothes 195ish with full gear/ District 37 Expert, SCORE sportsman champion/ claim to fame: Solo'd the Baja 2000 in 59 hours.
It feels lighter, reacts more...
It feels lighter, reacts more efficiently and delivers everything a 450 can in a smoother, more useful package.
Comments: After parking the Beemer, I felt it best to embark upon a back to back Euro shootout, so I mounted the Husaberg for a blast through the more open trails of Trail Course #1, being a relatively tight yet flowing berm to berm powdery dust. Departing the collection area, I felt more relaxed immediately, compared to the Beemer, though slightly more cramped up on the tank. Being 6'7" I'm used to discomfort around the controls of stock machines, though this cockpit felt smaller then most. The first thing that impressed me on the Berg was the sheer grunt of the motor. I'm not sure what mapping setting I was in, as there were apparently 3, though it was a breath of fresh air compared to the beemer. It rev'd beautifully through the range, which I often explored on the short straights that married up tighter corners. Again the suspension was too soft for my 240lbs, though I was feeling much more comfortable and confident on this machine. I did find myself pitching it in to corners seated too far back on the seat and not up over the tank, due to the lack of area under the bars for my legs. This lack of weight over the front end made the bike push through corners more then I'm sure it typically would with your average trail boss. A set of ape hangers and heaver springs would address this I'm sure.
Net result was a big surprise, as this machine had exceeded my expectations and even had me thinking I would consider it if I were in the market for an Enduro bike. Having owned a KTM 520 and 450's back in the day, I felt at home on the Berg.
Brett Nicholas/ 6'7"/240lbs/Intermediate