You've nailed it, but you're also intimately familiar with the brand, most lurkers are not and unaware the 310 was the odd man out for 2010 with no updates, suspension or motor. So assumption comes into play on both sides. Personally I'd like to see a statistic like bike "A" weighs 255lbs wet w/fuel which is a 13lb reduction from previous model year. By only picking out the strictly positive and leaving out the absolute it becomes only fluff in my book for perception rather the something relative to a new audience. It doesn't have to be the lightest bike out there (new 450 included) it just has to perform and be in the hunt relatively speaking.
Speaking about weight, there something interesting in this interview: Bartolini also confirmed that the motor has converted well to motocross. “I think this bike is very easy to ride, with the Yamaha and Honda 450s for amateur riders the power is too much, this bike has a very smooth pull, it’s very easy to ride.” I found it here: http://moto.mpora.com/news/husqvarna-ready-launch-ctsequipped-tcte450-raced-weekend.html moreover: You’ll notice the Husky design places the shock linkage above the swingarm (the BMW system was link-less) and that they’ve replaced the swingarm pivot shaft – that passed through the gearbox on the BMW – with two stub-axles, thus removing a stress and wear point from the engine. There's some good pics to see it closer!
really good info and guess what, a nice white frame-must be staying with the present Husky colour scheme. Thanks for posting.
So what have we discerened thus far? 5 speed or 6 speed. Manual or hydraulic clutch. When is the global release-very keen to weigh up between the new 310 and the new 450. What is happening to the 510?
So the 450x engine killed the 500 ... I'm sure this is a good business decision make by the suits in GR ... lol .... I'm not a 500 rider but that makes this machine obsolete and any parts made specific to it are dead weight for bmw
Quite a positive write up in the Aug. issue of Dirt Rider on the BMW G450X. The engine part of the review will no doubt help you doubters feel a little better about the new engine the Husky is getting.
Not having a 510 available would be a terrible terrible fate imo. When I first started looking for my Husky I thought I was going to have to "settle" for a TE 450. I say settle because that is not what I wanted, but was only finding available at first. The power and delivery of the 510 really works for me. I imagine others fell the same. I would be sad to see Husky drop their big bore. It has been kicking a** since its debut in 1983.
About two weeks ago on a ride i had a friend with a BMW 450x --the bike had a Leo Vince pipe on as well as the mapping had been done by BMW. He wanted to race against my 450 te..07 model with 3000km on. On pull away i jumped him by two bike lengths and stayed there not being able to pull away any futher--that thing runs once mapped imho. The bikes were at full tilt and we recorded 153kmph on the gps Dont think the motor will be a problem as the replacement for the 450te. I still love my 450te and will keep it as long as possible before i look at the x motor--Think they are both great motors--But the Husky has awesome handling and suspension. He also ran out of fuel twice seemed heavy or the tank is worth very little.
Yepper, funny thing is all of that was done on the set-up of my 09 1 1/2 years ago. BMW press relations should have never turned over an incorrectly prepped G450X over to the press without any discussion or class room time to go over the nuances and benefits. Rumor is a Harden handled the re-launch of the 10 G450X this time around. A LOT of the issues DR complained about on the 09 were merely set-up and lack of knowledge. Unfortunately too little too late for the G450X as it's no longer in production. Good momentum for the Husky G450TE, now if I could just get parts out of BMW I'd be riding one again
Personally in my opinion my '09 is just a suspension setup away from being a bike that as a 51y/o B level sportsman rider I wouldn't be afraid to ride or race offroad or moto on. Mind you it's a serious suspension setup away though from me wanting to moto it! The forks as the DR test suggested imo are the biggest flaw in the package. Stock the '09 forks in a word "suck". They blow thru the travel on any kind of a decent hit and yet deflect and feel harsh on small braking bumps and chatter in spite of their soft setup. Go figure the worst of both worlds! The engine is by and away a winner and I haven't even powered mine up! Outside of riding it at a moto track I can see no reason too. For the woods the stock setting is plenty and as DR stated the FI is flawless. I also 100% agreed with the lack of rear brake feel that the C/S setup exhibits. No biggie in my book just something that I noticed as well. I have no doubt that the new Husky has all the potential to be a great bike if they get the setup correct.
everyone thinks the 09 forks are the suck, but they are 45mm Zokes like on my championship winning WR250's. The real nemesis was the rear Ohlins pogo-ing all around making the forks work their asses off. While the '10 G450X has "new forks" for the front, they are simply another color and very minor valving difference from what we could decifer. The real upgrade came in the rear shock, it's a totally different part number from Ohlins as all the guts have been completely re-engineered. The 09 rear was very sensitive to proper spring rate and the adjusters had to be cranked all the way out with a stiffer spring to get closer to being acceptible for me and many who have ridden my bike before and after. But a TTX in the rear is by far the best improvement I made to the G450X
DR's take is quite the opposite of yours on the internals. They stated the rear shock was little changed while the fork had a whole new cartridge. Either way the rear while not great is much closer in performance then the forks would ever hope to be on my bike. I spent quite a few hours spinning laps and changing adjustments to come up with this conclusion. I'm going to send my forks off to be redone and take it from there but either way the '09 is only some suspension massaging away from being a great all arounder that is street legal to boot!
Ohlins USA couldn't even come close to replicating the '10 internals on an '09 shock 6 months ago and still couldn't 2 months ago while waiting for Sweden to offer the necessary parts for the upgrade, that much I know for a fact coming from Ohlins parts lists.
I know what you mean about the sidepanels. Looking forward to having a look in the flesh and having a blast on one. Brock
I posted this up on another website & thought I would add it here too. It's probably old news to some guys here but here it is anyway. Here's my slightly biased review of the new 449 & 511 Got The Look: The look of the 449 & 511 is certainly different. It is a very stand offish look, one that has the love or hate feel to it. On first glance I thought what a skinny, ugly looking bike although within 5 minutes of going over it my opinion had changed, it definitely has BMW influenced styling but different is good! Speaking of skinny, these things are ultra slim. OK, here's the best way to describe it, picture Miranda Kerrs butt (pre pregnant), yes it's small, tight & fantastic! Well if she was to sit on a 449 or 511 her great arse would drape over the sides.!! Yes these thing are that skinny! The ergos feel good as well. Even the stock standard show bike felt good to sit or stand on. I heard a rumor that Husky was going to use the engines directly out of the BMW's for 2011 but it's not quite the case at. The new motors are like a Husky / BMW hybird motor. Husky has taken the BMW motor & tweaked it, what they believed as the goodies from both bikes & built quite a nice package. The only thing I could fault with the new engine is starter motor position. It is located at the very front of the engine which would definitely be taken out on the first rock or fallen tree you crossed although i'm positive Brian & the crew from Force Accessories will have that issue sorted in no time.. The rest of the package: The Crankshaft placement is very much like a Berg; being located centrally & as low as possible within the frame. They take on the under seat fuel tank that has increased the fuel capacity from 7.7 to 8.8ltrs. Including that big coolant looking bottle that is actually part of the fuel tank. The airfilter in now located up front, 100mm higher than previous models. The totally revised rear suspension. The 449 tips in at approximately 106kgs wet (without fuel) As stated the power is up from the 2010 models both the 449 & 511 respectively. They have continued with the 48mm forks as seen on the 2010's The front sprocket is now inline where the swingarm connects to the frame, reducing chain stretching from up & down swingarm travel. Another great idea they have introduced is that the swingarm can be removed in less than 5 minutes with from what i could see only 3 bolts. My Finial word: Looking back when Husky hurt there name back in 2003/04, they are not prepared to walk down that same street again. Husqvarna have progressively got better & it's now showing the the bush (more on the trails). Husqvarna want back the dominant name they had in the late 70's, 80's early 90's. BMW is more than prepared to go to the lengths to get it back as well. With BMW backing them now, the strength, development & budget that has been put into the 2011 models it will certainly get the opposition a little worried. 2011 is a new era of Husqvarna motorcycles. Maybe it's time to see a wave of red, white & black instead of orange or blue, only time will tell..... 2011 Husky range get the thumbs up from me.
