250-500cc Note to BMW/HVA

Haha! So True!!! Didn't you know he is HVA latest sponsored rider? Does abdominal crunches while he races and rumor has it he is working on a machine that tones your abs and your glutes while riding a motorcycle and talking to Christie Brinkley and drinking beer. Such a stud!

Norman Now I know where you have been Really have not seen alot of post from you latley now I see why .That new bike you got is a nice bike has many new upgrades Husky should look into.
I am one who really tried to make a Husky 250 then my 2012 Husky 300 work somethings i have done some of which are standard on your bike
I spent 1000 dollars for a custon Ohlien TTX shock
New KYBs front
Custom one off billit rear caliper braket so as to mount a bigger brake like the rest of the Husky line
older Husky CR electronics
Stock carb off a 2006 WR 250 and yes I tryied them all and this one works the best
Cut shorten modified clutch line super lubed almost as easy as a 125
FMF pipe with turbine core spark arrestor
Modified stock tank now has a dry break and will hold 3 gallons as a stock tank Just wish it was clear like yours
Bottom line the bike now works but I am faster on a Walt Smith 165 go figure
The Husky 300 can be make to work but it is dated and heavy and still does not turn like a 125
It is time to upgrade alot of people I know keep buying other 2 strokes but Husky The Husky looks old
Will i change hope not I have 6 Husky in my garage both 2 and 4 strokes alot of parts interchange so that is a big plus I have enought spare parts to keep racing for some time
Do i want a new husky sure I do but not until it is a new LIGHTER better handling bike
Do i need FI not really Do I need a 6 speed Not really just keep it pinned my 165 is almost as fast top end just takes a little longer to get there
Want a 3 gallon Clear gas tank that can take a dry break
The list goes on and on I just want to keep racing I am one of few and some times the ONLY Husky at the races
I do not trail ride much so make me a full on race bike if it really works I will pay the price
Husky please make a new full on race bie 2 stroke soon I do not want to change brands
Heck Pruivine Racing is getting 30 new Betas and has 10 new riders for the Nationals next year some of who were ex husky riders
Pruivine racing will have 2 riders on 2 strokes just to start

Last line I will repeat it again Husky built a new 2 stroke you can do it make a Effort not a Excuse
Built it we are waiting and you can see some who have been loyal have left bring them home

For the most of us, we never ride our machines at full power anyway so whats the worry ? i trail ride my 2006 wr250 most weekends and have owned the bike for 4 years with no breakages whatsoever 7000 plus miles and its just had a major engine overhaul, the report was very good with very little wear anywhere throughout the engine, this gives me what i want reliably.

I hear what you are saying BUT if a company markest a product and then markets it as a compitition product.That company should try to make it the best
The Husky 250/300 out of the crate is not the best 2 stroke race bike It can be made to work but still is not the bike of choice by most.As a do all bike it is great and will run for ever But as a racing company husky can do better.I watched a special on the BMW car company and all thru the show all they keep saying was how BMW wants to be #1 in every part of the car.Well the current 250/300 from Husky is not belived by the buying public as being the best.
That is never going to change unless the bike changes
BMW/Husky can do better they know how So they better step it up or get out of the way because there are many companies showing up with new 2 strokes in there line up.

Not necessarily true. Maybe here in the US, but not so globally. Actually Husky has a big client base and amazing race team in Europe. And they kick A$$ As a matter of fact the 09 300 is a replica of the World Enduro Championship winning bike. And they also won the worlds this year. And a husky consistently places on the podium position on the Euro circuit. Also the 2t's place high up in the rankings on the extreme enduros like Roof of Africa, Romaniacs, etc Dated or not, the bikes are awesome still. Other companies just focus a lot more on marketing here, and developing a strong race team here. Husky has not placed that focus here in the US in a long time. If they had Russel Bobbit for example winning all the time....the perception of these bikes would be very different.

OK but that is Europe A big really big share of the motorcycle buying public is in the USA.If you want a large part of that market you need to go after it .Think about this when was the last time anyone under 30 went in a Motorcycle shop and after looking at the other bike said I WANT A HUSKY .Most all the Husky riders are over 30 most over 40 and we know what Husky is from the past.
There was a question posted over on a local District 37 motorcycle sight the question was It is time to purchase a new scoot what should I get? Well it is a large topic with many hits and answers. But not one person said get a Husky
There is another topic on the same sight Question I want a new KTM 300 should I get the wide ratio or the close ratio
Husky needs to up date there current line up if they want to be a big player in the USA
The 125/144 is nice but it took a old guy in a Montana garage to make it better 165 Most classes are 0 to 200 in AMA racing He sold over 100 kits so far
The TC 250 is not up to par with the other 4 strokes yet Husky imported 250 of them which are stitting in dealers show rooms
The 310 is a super bike but to race it you are racing it against the 450s
449/511 is a dual sport no one really races it Be it USA or any where else
Wr 250/300 needs a face lift
I beleive BMW/Husky knows it needs to update and must be working on a few new models
Lets hope so

I do hear what you're saying. I think that KTM in particular has done an exceptional job of marketing to the US. And I do agree that the Husky Brand has a long way to go at getting the name back out there. My point was really to the notion that these bikes are lacking in performance. And I don't see it that way. I was just saying That I-personally- don't think the fact that Husky needs to market better or the bikes need a facelift, doesn't make them bad bikes. That's all. My old YZ 250 has a steel frame and new ones have aluminum. but is still a ripping machine. Every KTM 300 that my friends all own overheats and spits coolant.a couple have taken the starters off because they are not reliable. My good buddy with a brand new Yamaha WR450 w e-start, ends up kicking all the time because the e-start doesnt fire the bike every time. AsAnd that thing is super heavy too. All bikes have their quirks. Sometimes new and exciting doesn't translate into faster or more reliable. As different as the TC 449 is, Corey Graffunder just won the Western Hare srambles title. actually, it's pretty awesome. He had such a great season on that bike that even with a broken foot and a 15th place finish at Big Sky, he won the title. Like I said, I think all bikes have their quirks. I feel like Husky does need to improve their marketing and get some more of the top US racers on them to improve branding. Maybe they can sway magazine opinions by giving editors free bikes like some other brands we know. But to me, they still make a great bike that performs well and is reliable and capable of winning races, if you like to race.

See Sherco have shown off their SE 250/300 2 stroke with electronic powervalve (French guys might need to translate for us) and working on direct injection for 2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-RksBjDZoAQ

So at the 2013 EICMA, BMW/HVA will show off the new DI WR250/300.....one can only hope as all their major rivals in the european enduro world have new 2T's for the market!!

didn't understand a word that guy said, but it is a good looking bike. Touches my love of Yamaha YZ's with the blue and white.... Except for that KTM looking headlight.

Works for Harley

I love my aging Husky ('99 WR 250). I've come to realize that I don't need the latest and greatest to by happy or reasonably fast. I do wish the parts weren't becoming NLA, but that is besides the point. I hope all the 2T manufacturers - Husky and others - will continue to develop their products.

The things that scare me about Husky is that a prolonged lack of development may point to planned obsolescence; case in point, Japanese 2 strokes. I can only hope that BMW doesn't see the entire Husky line as low end bikes that can be farmed out to Asia for design and mass production, killing the 2 strokes in the process.

On a competitive note, I really hope tha Ossa can get their act in gear and produce their fuel injected two stroke enduros with the backwards motor. If it works as well as it is speculated that it might, it could push the whole 2 stroke market forward. http://www.ossamotor.es/EN/models.php?idMoto=337

In ten years, I sure would love to be riding an eight year old fuel injected two stroke with an electric starter that weighs under 220 lbs, wet.

one more note and then I'll bug out for a bit. I haven't seen any trolls in this thread. Having an open discussion about the direction the mother ship is heading (or not heading) can prevent the birth of some lemmings. Some will blindly choose the way of the lemming and profess that all is perfect with the world, regardless of the . If Husky had a customer base of lemmings, they would never see the need to progress. Having competitive customers means their products will need to evolve and sometimes mutate if they want to maintain loyalty or grow the base.

BMW certainly enjoys its share of lemmings; come on over to the BMWMOA forums to meet a few. Thankfully there are both customers and dealers who are willing to speak out both verbally and with their wallets; improvevements and redesigns occur because of it.

A lively, critical discussion shouldn't be seen as a bad thing as long as it remains civilized, nor should it diminish the love you have for your bike. If you can't stand the discussion, you can always skip to another thread.

For the lemmings, there is a good smilie over at advrider:

My dream bike would have to be a decomped 360 Direct injected 6 speed in a modded 449 frame with the coax rear and a standard 12liter tank - Ohlins All round, Gnarly pipe, nice quiet silencer and a big stator/LED setup with an Auto clutch and LH rear brake just for good measure...

Stu

might be the area for the balancing shaft of the sms or wre models yet a electric starter would be more useful in this area.

like the idea about the electric starter but still wondering where the battery should go?

I think Stu has a pretty damn cool bike in mind.

I think the Sherco and the Beta look promising and show that -- at least from a design perspective -- the estart can be integrated better than KTM's goofy setup. Time will tell how they hold up -- I'd be a little concern with water/moister mounting the starter at the bottom where it could get submerged in creek crossings.

For me, I am anxiously awaiting world of a new 250/300 2-stroke. My bike is still servicable, but I'd like to upgrade in the fall of 2013 with a new 2014. I REALLY want a Husky but am not a 4-stroke guy. The TXC 310 has me interested, but I am really reluctant to get one and have to dump $1500 into it for a new pipe/silencer and EFI tuning device to get it running perfect. I like the x-lites that I have ridden, but frankly the 4-strokes scare me with the amount of $$$ people put into them to get them "running good." 2-strokes seem to be more cost effective to me -- so I wait. I just hope I can spend my $$$ on a Husky.

I went to the Shane Watts school a couple months ago and met a guy who rides a 2012 KTM 350. At the end of the day he dropped it attempting to grind an off camber hill. I ran into him last weekend at another ride and he said when he dropped it, it ran for a little bit and starved the cam of oil and spun a cam bearing. He said he needed a new intake cam and head and wish he had his old 2 stroke he got rid of to buy the 350.