Arrow exhaust & ECU for TE450 - Review

I've just fitted the full titanium exhaust & ECU (Husky "special part" 8000H1250) to my '09 TE450, so here's a review in case anyone else is considering one. It had to be shipped from Italy to here in the UK but was in stock at the factory so it took less than a week. I trail ride rather than racing, the bike had been powered-up for some time, it has a G2 throttle cam (200X) fitted, and it's on standard gearing.

First impression: W. O. W.

My little Husky now runs like a bike should, and there's much more drive throughout the rev range. I can often run a gear higher than before with it trickling along almost on tickover and it still pulls nicely if I need a burst of power (no fluffing/stuttering/hesitation). The mid range is stronger and the power goes on longer if you want to hang on to a gear. It picks up the front wheel much more easily when you want to.

It also starts more easily, but I did have a bad water temp sensor which was replaced at the same time so the starting hadn't been too good the week before. Still, it's at least as good now as it has ever been so the new ECU doesn't make it any harder to live with.

Best of all the throttle response seems very linear, the power coming in without any sudden steps but just getting stronger the more you twist. Which sounds like what every bike should be doing I know, but on the stock exhaust it would sometimes bog down a little at low revs and take a while to build up and it doesn't do that any more unless you're revving so low it's on the verge of stalling. Also in mid to upper revs it would get to a point where opening the throttle any more wouldn't make much difference to the acceleration, whereas now it does do for as far as I've dared to take it! Rapid top gear roll-ons from closed throttle at 50mph or so resulted in it taking off like a rat out of an aqueduct and showing no signs of letting up before I chickened out.

Before I got it I wondered if the extra power might make it tricky to control, but it's so progressive that it was no harder to ride than before even in slow, twisty going. The burst of get-up-and-go when you do wind it on is truly addictive though, so I can see me getting into trouble from enjoying that too much.

The original exhaust may have been due a repack, but the new one is certainly a little quieter as the pulses seem to have a softer edge. Difficult for me to judge how it would be against a newly repacked standard exhaust, but the engineer at Husky Sport said it sounded quieter than the standard one to him (without me even mentioning it). On a long ride on Sunday the sound seemed slightly less tiring, and I think it's safe to say that at the least it's no louder than stock.

I didn't get a chance to weigh the new system before it went on, but I'm sure there's a reasonable chunk of weight saving. The bike did seem a little easier to flick about between trees but that could just be my imagination.

Downsides I can think of:
1. Probably easier to damage in a crash than ali/steel.
2. Not sure how easy it would be to manage on the standard throttle (without the G2), but I'd expect any experienced rider to be fine as I'm hardly Taddy's more skilled brother.
3. If it's fitted, the UK-style rear indicator will just touch the carbon fibre end cone so needs either removing or padding to prevent chafing damage.
4. None of the stepped sections in my exhaust bung fit it properly so the bung tends to fall out and will need to be modified. Drat.
5. Cost!

Overall verdict: 11.5 out of 10. Highly Recommended.

Awesome review and good info- so what DID it cost you?

Speaking of Taddy- I actually got to meet him at my pseudo private riding area. We have made a small place to ride behind my shop, EnduroCross style obstacles etc. The guy is amazing- makes it all look so easy.



Yes, hes turning in the air.



Out of the loose log pit, heading towards the log box (previous picture he is exiting the log box).

I paid £925 which was a substantial discount off the list price (that was something like £1100 I think but I could be wrong). Then again I am a frequent buyer (I'm thinking of keeping a sleeping bag there) and also got some other stuff at the same time including a full service, lower seat, team shirt etc so they took care of me! Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if in the US it was less than the dollar equivalent as most things seem to be more expensive here.

See, now I'm jealous! Great pics. I haven't actually met Taddy as such, but I've been close enough to touch him (and catch his roost!) as he shot by through the trees at last year's "Tough One" in Wales (he was ill and didn't make it this year), plus I went to the indoor enduro round in Sheffield a while back which he won. He's just amazing to watch. I was close to the huge rock section at Sheffield and there were a few such as him and DK who just seemed to float over it as though the rocks weren't there while some very good pro riders were really struggling to get over them at all. I put it down to witchcraft.

Do you have pics of it installed?

I've had the lower seat on order since December when I bought my bike. I wonder if they will ever make it to the states.

I think a full sized version of your avatar would be great for the home page here.

You can't see it too well here, but it's subtly engraved with "Husqvarna" above "Powered by Arrow" just in front of the end cone. Very classy.

It seems strange that you have problems getting things in the US when they are available from the factory and UK dealers can get them, and this isn't the first time I've heard that (the special parts exhaust systems seem to be another one, and some of the clothing in the past).

I bought my lower seat from stock at Husky Sport so I got a chance to try sitting on it on one of the bikes in the showroom first then carried it away right there and then - sorry! I don't know whether they have any more in stock at the moment but I did see one being mailed out to a customer when I was there another time so they don't seem to have a problem getting them. If there's no sign of any turning up in the US for a while you could always get them to send you one from here if you can bear the shipping costs. I'd be curious to know why a dealer can't get them in the US though...

I think a good chunk of those gains came from the new ECU.

The stock ECU has a very lazy ignition curve (IMO) but helps to idiot-proof the engine.

MAT

I wouldn't be surprised if the new ECU was largely responsible - I'd certainly expect it to play a big part otherwise the old one might as well have stayed in!

Oh - you mean my engine's not me-proof any more?

Congratulations and I am glad your investment paid off, it is kind of like getting a new bike when they behave that way.

It makes no sense to me either why we can't get the hard parts. I used to think it was the people in the U.S. not following through but now I think it is some Italian guy(or girl) working at the factory who does not like us. Whatever it is this is hurting Husqvarna more than they know. I can get a baby pacifier from KTM in a matter of days (maybe I need that) but have been waiting 4 months for a exhaust. I have been able to get the plastic heat shield out of the hard parts catalog and I think someone on here got the flip flops. I am thinking I liked it better a few years ago when we did not know what hard parts were.

My local KTM dealer has the pacifiers in stock, along with KTM towels, toasters, beach sandals, hats, enduro clothing, boots, etc, etc. They also have a huge stock of power parts (mostly with an orange finish, for some reason). They don't keep everything, so I've had to order a few bits now and then such as the radiator guard which is due in tomorrow, but it's usually only a 4-day delivery time from the factory. If you're a full-on orange person it must be like aladdin's cave in the showroom and I don't doubt they make quite a few sales because of it.

It's a shame if there is some problem in the US or at the factory which is hurting Husky sales - maybe somebody here can throw light on what the cause actually is?

I orderd a ecu and a rear sprocket for 09 te310 from the hard parts catalog early in december. I am still waiting. Come on you have a warehouse in nj. I am in ny. what gives. I would be amaized if i get it before june six months later. I have to stop thinking about it.

That's awful. But can't you at least get the sprocket from another source? Surely there must be third party manufacturers in the US making them for Huskys even if you can't get a genuine Husky one?

Hey, once you installed the exhaust system and ECU did you need to perform any adjustments with ibeat etc.
Im thinking of getting just the tail pipe and ECU and was hoping it was just a straight change over with tools and no computer tweaks involved.

I had the offer of as many iBeat adjustments as necessary by their engineer and the plan was to keep going out to test ride it then come back for adjustments until I was happy. When I got there he said he was so impressed after his own test ride that he was pretty sure I'd be happy with it exactly as it was, and he was right! I guess there could be something extra to be gained by a bit of careful tuning, but I can't imagine what.

One thing you are supposed to do when fitting the new ECU is re-zero the throttle position sensor, which you may need iBeat for (someone here will know for sure whether you can do it without).

I have a Semco cable on the way so if it's any use I'd be able to tell you what my current iBeat settings are once that arrives, but I don't think he changed them from whatever's standard for the new ECU.

One thing to watch out for: there's something about a new ECU being identified to the bike when you first fit it, where there's a process you have to follow. I can't remember what it was you had to do (maybe it was even automatic) and I think it was more likely to be a problem if you were putting the original ECU back on later as I believe the new ECU doesn't need to be linked in the same way because it's considered to be a race product. It would be worth asking about this though if you're planning to fit the parts yourself, just to make sure you don't end up finding that the new ECU won't work because you do need iBeat to tie it in to the bike. If in doubt, it might be worth getting your dealer to fit the ECU and set it up so they can sort out any problems.

I have just checked the price here in Aussie land for the same kit $1425.

ecu

can this ecu be used on an 08,and can it be bought alone ?

The full exhaust & ECU set I bought for the TE450 (8000H1250) is shown as being for 08/09/10 model years, so it looks like the ECU would be ok on an 08. I don't know which bike you have so if it's anything other than the 450 let me know and I'll check to make sure the system is listed for your 08 model.

Interestingly, if you only buy the silencer and ECU rather than the full system, it's for 09 and 10 only so I assume there must have been a change in the header pipe in 09 which would prevent the new silencer fitting the 08 using the stock header. Doesn't affect the ECU of course, I was just surprised as I didn't know the header pipes had changed.

As to whether you can buy the ECU on its own, I have no idea but presumably it should be available as a spare part in case you already had one which died? Also I don't know how well it would work with an exhaust system other than the one Husky supply it with. You might well see some gains, but maybe not as much as with the complete exhaust system.