I have a buddy that buys the older bikes. Sends the motors out to be rebuilt. Upgrades the suspension. Has a completely redone bike for about $5k. Works just as good as the new ones. Time for me to smarten up !
I have been on this path for a bit to a lesser extent. After building my 04 CR125 into my favorite off rode bike ever as a 165 and riding it back to back with many new bikes I realised I really like this type of bike and how much potential they have. I now have a CL special 02 CR250 and absolutely LOVE the motor. As in one of my favorite ever. I have a Lectron coming for it and then will do nothing to the motor. They make a nice slim/low 3.4 gallon tank for it and parts are cheap and plentiful. I just messed with the suspension myself and made it a good bit better. Handling is great. If I put a few more bucks in the suspension and updated a few small items and bearings I would put it up against most any modern 250 2 stroke. Not for everyone to do but for me the building and updating process is fun. I feel I put as much money or more into upgrading a brand new bike to end up in about the same spot. Find a platform you like and that fits you and have at it. I'm thinking another single cam husky is in my future and I'll love it into perfection for me as well. Fun.
LOVE'EM LOVE'EM ALL LOVE'EM SO THEY STAY LOVED IM GONA GIVE MY 87 WR SOME BIG LOVE THIS SUMMER THINK I MITE RIDE IT 4EVER 10000 4 A NEW BIKE NOT THIS POOR REDNECK
around $13,500 for a TE300 & nearly $14,000 ride away for the FE501 around my way! and they aren't even here yet!
That really is a lot of money, and in my opinion too much for a bike that's going to cop a thrashing in the bush, particularly once you add the usual pipe, bash plate, radiator guards, bark busters etc, which can easily push it to more than $15K. They then depreciate horribly over a couple of short years, but plenty of people still seem prepared to buy them.
my 125(soon to be 165) & 300 will do me for awhile, $17,300(cheap in AUS) for both! $13-$14,000 is a ridiculous amount of coin to spend on a dirt bike I reckon, $10,000 max my rule!
So the dealer meetings are over right? What is the final word on pricing? Are we still playing the IDK yet game? Chicago cycle show is this weekend and I am headed over to take a peek so I guess time will tell.
BillF posted it in TC125 thread. FE/TE Pricing same a '14 Husaberg... Which is $50 more than comparable '14 KTM.
Prices are kinda high like we expected but also the bikes are said to be very nice with cool features and great fit and finish. Premium bike at a premium price. I think this is about what everyone expected.
KTM just put some pretty aggressive rebates on remaining Husaberg bikes as of today if anyone is in the market.
Funny how we all tend to fall in line with the new advertising 'catch' word of the day ... Advertising works!! Maybe I'll post the names of the cigarettes sold here some day ... Really cool names that make ya wanna buy'em up by the entire pack. -- Buying a 'good' bike just is not enough for so many ... SP is ready now, not to sell you a good bike, but a premium bike? I'll admit, I thought I owned very high quality bikes ... They only cost ~$3K (used) and I spend little on maintenance and very little on parts and ride them often... I do wear out alot of tires.. Thanks Mr. SP for setting me straight on what a dirt bike really is. I'm just clueless on the ways of the world ...
my local dealer believes he wont be able to keep them in stock because he has had so many calls. Probably from ktm people wanting a change. crazy...id rather wait a couple years till they truely change from ktm(if they do) and get a year old at blow out pricing. In the meantime my italian husky thats indestructible and dialed into perfection will stick around the garage
But from a KTM guys perspective these bikes are what they may have been dreaming of. Let's face it, Husky's market is Husaberg/KTM guys or Husky guys that just have complete faith in the H. Not saying that to sound bad but I have no doubt they'll be hard to stock, especially the first year. When/if they start to separate will be the real test and SP won't accept failure so I'm sure we're in good hands
You're missing the point of relativity. Husky is marketed as the company's premium product relative to KTM, just as Husaberg was. Audi is the premium product compared to Volkswagen. Part of calling it the premium product also lends itself to "snob appeal" marketing tactics. "Oh...You got the KTM, just like everyone else has...*I* got the Husqvarna." Additionally, it gives a feeling of "step up" to the market eg "Buy a Sportster, and in a year trade it (with incentives) to step up to a premium bike" - a program that Harley Davidson ran for at least a couple of years. I'd rather see them called "premium" bikes than "boutique" bikes...
Yep, I missed that angle on which brand SP says is the better bike ... Hope the ~100K of ktm riders do not take it too personally ... They got no where to go really so they need to just lump-it. I'll have to go back and re-read all pages now to get the real jest of what SP is sayin' ... But not today -- I've always thought the EU bikes were better quality than the Japanese bikes out of the box ... That's why I purchase a EU made bike ...
$10,000 for a bike is insane. In California add sales tax and your up to $11,700ish....just crazy IMHO
I don't know many guys that take a BMW in knarly ST and thrash it regularly. I agree that 10k(plus 2k for armor and suspension) for a dirt bike that will be used for riding off road is foolish but it is our new reality. For guys like me, it means I will be buying a used one and not new which is fine.
