Oldscool
Husqvarna
AA Class
Well it started as a dream, reading on forums about the 165 kit available in USA. Reading how good they were, how their performance exceeded expectations, how simple they were to fit and how reliable they were.
So I decided to ask Walt some questions as he's the man who developed these kits. I found out Walt is really easy to deal with, has a passion for the Husky brand, knows his stuff and doesn't use the "hard sell". He modifies your existing barrel, head and power valves, taking the bore from 54mm out to 62mm. He also supplies a piston kit, base gasket and head o rings in the kit.
I purchased a second hand, though still in excellent condition 125 barrel, head and power valve assy from a cafe husky member (cheers Craig) who kindly sent the whole lot to Walt on my behalf, bloody champion. And so began the birth of my 165.
The kit arrived and I went about fitting it up. The workmanship on the modified parts was quite impressive and the kit could pass for factory supplied. I checked the squish clearance as a precautionary measure and it was right where Walt recommended it should be - between 1 & 1.1mm, mine was at 1.04mm. I must say these engines are very easy to work on with plenty of room around them.
I've now run it in and almost completed tuning the carb, a PWK38, to suit. So far, compared to the 125, I've had to lean out the pilot by 2 sizes (to a 35), go to a leaner needle (DDM) and go up approx 4 sizes on the main jet (200). These settings are a work in progress but are close.
So how does it perform you ask. I'd describe the performance as this - a 125 feels like a turbo charged mountain bike, no weight, with soft power "off boost" then smile inducing power as it winds up. In comparison the 165 feels like V8 mountain bike, there's no weight increase and no waiting for the power to wind up. Top end performance feels about the same but the increase in response and torque down low make it so much easier to ride. Don't get me wrong, it's not a 300 or even a 250 for that matter, but it's no 125 either. It kind of reminds me of the old 175's we all used to ride back in the day. That relatively smooth, easy to use power, with enough to make you giggle but not so much as to cause unexpected trouble. Well that's how my rose coloured glasses remember them anyway.
The next step, I'm told, is to fit a modified ktm200 pipe. Apparently they make quite a difference to the performance. Might have to wait for my birthday for that to happen.
If you managed to get through all this....well done, and thank you for allowing me to be a little self indulgent for a while.
So I decided to ask Walt some questions as he's the man who developed these kits. I found out Walt is really easy to deal with, has a passion for the Husky brand, knows his stuff and doesn't use the "hard sell". He modifies your existing barrel, head and power valves, taking the bore from 54mm out to 62mm. He also supplies a piston kit, base gasket and head o rings in the kit.
I purchased a second hand, though still in excellent condition 125 barrel, head and power valve assy from a cafe husky member (cheers Craig) who kindly sent the whole lot to Walt on my behalf, bloody champion. And so began the birth of my 165.
The kit arrived and I went about fitting it up. The workmanship on the modified parts was quite impressive and the kit could pass for factory supplied. I checked the squish clearance as a precautionary measure and it was right where Walt recommended it should be - between 1 & 1.1mm, mine was at 1.04mm. I must say these engines are very easy to work on with plenty of room around them.
I've now run it in and almost completed tuning the carb, a PWK38, to suit. So far, compared to the 125, I've had to lean out the pilot by 2 sizes (to a 35), go to a leaner needle (DDM) and go up approx 4 sizes on the main jet (200). These settings are a work in progress but are close.
So how does it perform you ask. I'd describe the performance as this - a 125 feels like a turbo charged mountain bike, no weight, with soft power "off boost" then smile inducing power as it winds up. In comparison the 165 feels like V8 mountain bike, there's no weight increase and no waiting for the power to wind up. Top end performance feels about the same but the increase in response and torque down low make it so much easier to ride. Don't get me wrong, it's not a 300 or even a 250 for that matter, but it's no 125 either. It kind of reminds me of the old 175's we all used to ride back in the day. That relatively smooth, easy to use power, with enough to make you giggle but not so much as to cause unexpected trouble. Well that's how my rose coloured glasses remember them anyway.
The next step, I'm told, is to fit a modified ktm200 pipe. Apparently they make quite a difference to the performance. Might have to wait for my birthday for that to happen.
If you managed to get through all this....well done, and thank you for allowing me to be a little self indulgent for a while.
