Mamma mia!
By TMX Archives on 7th Nov 05
Words by Tony Marshall Photos by Massimo ZanzaniThe biggest visible change to the zero-six Huskys is the colour but the white and red scheme is nothing new - some of you might remember Heikki Mikkola clinching the 1976 500cc world championship on a Words by Tony Marshall Photos by Massimo ZanzaniThe biggest visible change to the zero-six Huskys is the colour but the white and red scheme is nothing new - some of you might remember Heikki Mikkola clinching the 1976 500cc world championship on a similarly (but Swedish built) coloured machine.Of course, you'd have probably been viewing in black and white back then so maybe you can't recall such a thing...It's not just the colour that's changed for '06 though. The electric-starters are gone but not forgotten on the four-strokes, the 250 two-smoker has been sacked off completely and the entire range gets new and improved brakes and an Ohlins rear shock replaces the Sachs unit of old.Even though they've made a few modifications to the '06 125 it doesn't feel too different to this year's bike. Admittedly, even though we're on the same circuit as last year's test the weather's a lot better so conditions are more favourable.Husqvarna have finally lost what I'd best describe as the 'European' feel and are pretty much in line with the Japanese manufacturers when it comes to things like the riding position and the 125 definitely feels like it's come out of Japan.The first thing I noticed was when I started the 125 was it felt like it had quite low compression so with my many year's of racing experience I was expecting a top-end bike out on the track.As I thought, it didn't have too much bottom to mid-range but there was lots of top. This meant I had to be very precise with things like gear changing and selection in certain turns and also landing from some jumps because the motor would die on hard landings. I also felt I was pulling a gear lower in some turns than I would on another 125. I wouldn't say it was slower than other 125s on the market but I did have to really work the gearbox to get the most from the motor.The riding position is very comfortable and the suspension on the 125 feels very stable - I went a little harder on the compression at the rear and left the front forks as they came from the factory. Husqvarna are running Ohlins at the rear now - they used to run Sachs. There's not a lot of difference between the two but Ohlins is a more recognisable brand and should help with sales.For 2006 they've done away with the 250cc two-stroke so after testing the 125 it was straight onto the four-strokes. I was looking forward to getting on the 250 thumper. It's a little like the 125 in that you need to use the gearbox a lot and keep your foot busy.There's no major hard-hitting powerband anywhere - it's reasonably smooth. But I'd like to have seen a bit more power coming out of the engine. Husqvarna are now running to the 96db limit and this could make a difference.The rev limiter stops, I think, at 12,000 and I reckon that's a little too early - just as you think the bike's starting to get going the rev limiter cuts in and holds it back. I'm guessing the reason for this is to make the engine more reliable and durable.We made pretty similar adjustments to the rear suspension of the 250F as we had with the 125, going a little harder on compression. We also went for a little more free sag to allow the bike to ride a bit lower at the back.The Huskys run Marzocchi front forks - I struggled with the front at the beginning of the day but after a while I got a better feel for the front end on all the bikes. There was no headshake or anything like that, I just felt that the front end felt as though it wanted to push out a bit but this could be down to me taking a bit of time to adapt to the new bikes.The 250 four-stroke runs the same controls as the other models in the range. At the beginning of the day the brakes on some of the bikes felt a bit spongy but that was due to the pads and discs not sitting square - this was corrected once the bikes had been out a few times. And I've never ever had any problems with Brembo brakes.The 450 was one of the first bikes I threw my leg over at the test and it's the one I enjoyed riding the most. It's got to be one of the easiest 450 four-strokes I've ever ridden due to the power. It's so tractable - useable and controllable with no aggressive hit. The bigger bikes don't usually suit me too much but the power delivery really suited my riding style and I was genuinely surprised how much I enjoyed riding this bike.I had to stiffen the front end up which was another surprise - landing from the bigger jumps it felt like metal on metal - but the rear end was fine and worked well with the front once I'd made the changes.The biggest advantage on this track for the 450 was the usable power - maybe in deep sand I'd have needed a bit more grunt but on this track is was great.Out of the gate I was pulling second gear starts real easy but there was so much grip it called for a really precise technique.The 510 really is not suited for me. I didn't feel comfortable with the weight or power but this reflects bikes of this size, not the Husqvarna. It didn't feel as stable as the 450 - especially down some of the hills where you kinda G-out at the bottom. But a bigger rider would probably feel a lot more at home than I did. Treat this one with respect - take too many liberties and you could easily find yourself on your arse.specificationsCR125Capacity: 124.82ccBore and stroke: 54mm x 54.5mmTransmission: Six-speedCarburettor: Mikuni TMX38Front suspension: 45mm MarzocchiRear suspension: OhlinsFront brake: 260mm discRear brake: 240mm discWheelbase: 1460mmSeat height: 990mmDry weight: 94.8kgspecificationsTC250Capacity: 249.5ccBore and stroke: 76mm x 55mmTransmission: Five-speedCarburettor: Keihin 37mmFront suspension: 50mm MarzocchiRear suspension: OhlinsFront brake: 260mm discRear brake: 240mm discWheelbase: 1485mmSeat height: 970mmDry weight: 101.2kgspecificationsTC450Capacity: 449ccBore and stroke: 97mm x 60.76mmTransmission: Five-speedCarburettor: Keihin 41mmFront suspension: 50mm MarzocchiRear suspension: OhlinsFront brake: 260mm discRear brake: 240mm discWheelbase: 1472mmSeat height: 980mmDry weight: 106.5kgspecificationsTC510Capacity: 501ccBore and stroke: 97mm x 67.8mmTransmission: Five-speedCarburettor: Keihin 41mmFront suspension: 50mm MarzocchiRear suspension: OhlinsFront brake: 260mm discRear brake: 240mm discWheelbase: 1472mmSeat height: 980mmDry weight: 111kg