Juha Salimen to ride Husky (sort of...) in 2010

[ARod2000]

Yeah, there's some pretty passionate opinions here. Which brings about a very valid point - the marriage of BMW and Husky is/was a challenge from the start just because of the two polar opposite fans of each brand. Husky, die-hard old schoolers that lean towards racing and are value oriented. BMW, proud new kid on the block with very deep pockets. It's a difficult match from the start. I really hope it works out long term because together they could seriously offer some great dirt machines. They both have what each other needs.

 

[fitness2go]

Bobby...just curious, but why did your TXC 510 buck you off regularly?

 

[ARod2000]

Bobby, send me an update via pm about what we pm'd about last week on ADV rider.

 

[fitness2go]

I'm new to dirt bikes and even newer to Husqvarna. The marriage doesn't scare me if the union is similar to KTM/Husaberg!

 

[robertaccio]

just in case anyone forgot that BMW knows how to build racing engines,, this is my fave beemer motor (from F1 1.5L turbo days). read the specs, 1.5L @1200hp in hi bar qualifying trim.

http://www.gurneyflap.com/bmwturbof1engine.html

sorry for the non-moto slip

 

[pvduke]

Car stuff?

Yer getting way to wound up on this.

( don't taze me robertdood! )

 

[Motosportz]

The G450X seems like a very polarizing bike. The 4 people that have them fight hard to let the rest of us know how great hey are. The people I respect that have tried them hated it. I have not tried one. I have not seen one on the trail, I have not seen one at a race. No one I know has one and I know a LOT of people int he local off road community. Maybe it is just here. As i posted on TT i would NEVER buy an off road bike without a frame under the motor. If they sorted the motor more and put it in a great handing husky frame like the 4st 08 and up it might rule. Smooth power, better EFI etc. Time will tell.

 

[Bobby]

TXC was a pig for east coast single track, plain and simple. 10lbs heavier then my KTM 525 SX and 8lbs heavier then my G450X with street legal lights. So I got the bright idea to put a Baja Designs 8" on her and some lights along with a dealer tag so I could open her up for some RallyMoto and dual sport events. After about 70 miles on some of the normal aggressive dual sport loop I was on it was obvious that wasn't going to work either. A TE450 would have been a better fit, but having had a few 525's I just figured a 510 TXC would be just enough to keep me happy. It wasn't tractable in snotty single track regardless of sending off the suspension to LTR and installing a Rekluse Zstart Pro. Carbueration was good, but not great regardless of how many different ways I set it up. It was almost bullet proof without a doubt, but after having the G450X for a year and the TXC for 1 1/2 years, the G450X had twice the hours on it and was the first one I'd go to for off road or dual sport rides. It's not like I'm not used to big bikes, I dual sport with an HP2 with a shit-ton of power (of course the factory set-up wasn't enough for me), but TXC just didn't motor down the road or trail as nice as the G450X. Jumping/MX on the TXC was a no brainer right out of the showroom floor, and if I were to do it over again I wouldn't have sent it off for a revalved suspension (the oil and height I was using prior had less stiction). I definitely had to work through setting up the G450X suspension and it has some odd maintenance quirks, you definitely don't want to let it go more then 10 hours between an oil/filter change where as the Husky's can survive a 20 hour weekend if you had to. Gotta lube up the pivot assembly on the G450X regularly and retorque the taper bearings, but at 80 hours and almost 20 of that racing I'm still on the stock sprockets and have now had to adjust intake valves twice, a tad more then my previous Husky's, but not anywhere near as bad as my KTM RFS's (which can be made to go 200+ hours before valve adjustment with some know how and money) Air filter is the best ever on any bike I've ever had. It's located high and out of typical dust cloud a bike has around the fender well area. The fuel injection/engine power is the best period. It puts out as much or more peak hp then a 525 and comparable to a 510, but it's super tractable and very linear, so it's deceiving how fast you're going unless you're next to a regular riding buddy. I've yet to loose a soft terrain drag race or race start on the G450X against bikes lighter, more powerful etc.

Where can the G450X be made better?

Some didn't like the 09 clutch modulation, grainy would be the most common comment and they've addressed that for 2010.

Top end is good, but could be a tad more robust, rumor only there but that has supposedly been addressed.

Fuel injection is super reliable and is more robust then the HSQ set-up. Not sure if the injection is getting re-worked with the HSQ implementation or not, but I prefer the G450X to TE450 in regards to adaptive abilities for climate/mapping/etc.

The rest of the G450X is not really relevant to the new prototype '11 Husky we're going to be seeing racing in the WEC.

Husky is going to do a few things different with the new G450X (X-Lite) engine in their chassis. The new HSQ rear suspension will be unconventional (even compared to the BMW). There's more, but it will all come out officially soon enough.

 

[Bobby]

The G450X seems like a very polarizing bike. The 4 people that have them fight hard to let the rest of us know how great hey are. The people I respect that have tried them hated it. I have not tried one. I have not seen one on the trail, I have not seen one at a race. No one I know has one and I know a LOT of people int he local off road community. Maybe it is just here. As i posted on TT i would NEVER buy an off road bike without a frame under the motor. If they sorted the motor more and put it in a great handing husky frame like the 4st 08 and up it might rule. Smooth power, better EFI etc. Time will tell.

You're also the ONLY guy I know that was happy with a WR125 post purchase

 

[Coffee]

you guys got way too wound up on this.

I'll go with this.

 

[pvduke]

You're also the ONLY guy I know that was happy with a WR125 post purchase

I still loooooove my '09 WR125, even though BMW financed it.

Top-notch Husky bikes and BMW Financial Services- that's some evolution I can live with.

 

[Motosportz]

You're also the ONLY guy I know that was happy with a WR125 post purchase

dude, why do you keep throwing stones? I was happy post 125 purchase? Pay attention instead to throwing stuff out there like that. I bitched loudly and had several treads looking for the solution to the huge hole in the mid range. (I could point you to them but you can find them if you care) A supplier f'ed up and cut the PV's wrong. Opps, it happens. Husky replaced them and i freaking LOVE that bike. Rode it yesterday and smiled my ass off. I have several friends with them and they love them. I have had VERY little issues with huskys and they are so EZ to work on it is ridiculous. I have had some issues, fixed them and moved on. But honestly the huskys I have had have been VERY reliable bikes. My 04 TE450 toasted the intake valve at 2300 miles and the 09 WR125 had bad powervalves. I also lost a clutch slave cylinder o-ring on my 06 TC250. That's it in many thousands of hard off road miles. I could not be more happy with the reliability of my Huskys. I thrash dirtbikes, I expect them to break some and surprised they don't break more. Why are you telling people to change their water pump seals on 950's and you (me) hate your 125 and blah blah blah. Everything i have posted was about the G450x and my opinion and what i have heard from close friends and what i have seen out riding and at races. I'm glad you like yours and hope the motor is great if they stuff it in the husky. It's all speculation right now anyway.

Post #26 here is interesting... http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=866520&page=2

 

[Bobby]

even with upgrading the bad powervalve it's been a struggle with the WR125 around these here parts, I had paid attention to your situation and it was friendly ribbing in perspective that you had some bugs to work out for your enjoyment of the bike, but many others in my world don't feel the same way.

 

[Bobby]

As for Jordan Brandt running on a BMW last weekend, not sure if they have solidified the deal, but there has been an initiative to have a NA based team on the BMW for the past few months. Hopefully it's still on in light of the recent developments in the off season of WEC and what Husky is up to, I will say the BMW folks on this side of the pond are not anywhere near up to speed as the HSQ folks from my point of view,....Hopefully that means BMW NA will follow through with the NES sponsorship, but A LOT of money is going to the new S1000RR product launch here in the USA and I'm afraid that will keep BMW NA from spending money on the G450X,........but they need to figure out how to get the bike out in front of the buying public more, there are way too many sitting in the warehouse.

 

[Motosportz]

but they need to figure out how to get the bike out in front of the buying public more, there are way too many sitting in the warehouse.

BMW and / or the deals here did a good job of promoting the G450X here in the PNW. They held many demo rides in local off road areas on preped bikes. that's where my friends rode it and disliked it.

Why would you get a TXC510 for tight eastern woods?

Yes the WR125 has a small issue. My Doma pipe fixed mine (well and the right PV's). It flat ripped yesterday as i chased 2 A class Enduro riders (one a 2 time champ) on YZ250's with rekluses through tight woods. Most everyone here loves there WR125 so much they want to make it better. This bike can be passion inspiring. It is the single best handling off road bike for tight woods I have ever ridden. Choosing to ride the 2010 TXC250 or the 09 WR125 is a very hard choice.

 

[Bobby]

'10 TXC250 is a great bike and if funds were better (from selling more HSQ's and G450's haha) I'd be letting the 525SX go for either a TXC250 or WR250 myself, but I think I can wait a 10-12 months longer to see how deep they go with the G450 engine and there are some new developments on the horizon for their 2t's, but that's coming after the new 450.

 

[gestion01]

The new HSQ rear suspension will be unconventional (even compared to the BMW). There's more, but it will all come out officially soon enough

Yet another tidbit of ''good'' news... Ktm is going back to linkage and husky will be...''unconventional''

I bet that translates into no linkage.

Lets hope for them they know what they are doing because the rumors are a disaster.

 

[robertaccio]

good thing we are not discussing stick and ball sports here. This has gotten a little rough but it is great drama and good reading.

soon we will all have our answers,,,I am sure some spies will get some shots of Juha or Marko out testing the new machine, with made in Italy chassis and made in Taiwan motor ((ooooooo)

 

[Bobby]

Yet another tidbit of ''good'' news... Ktm is going back to linkage and husky will be...''unconventional''

I bet that translates into no linkage.

Lets hope for them they know what they are doing because the rumors are a disaster.

I'll take the other side of that bet

 

[Dirty Bikes]

I bet Knighter would be happy if this rumour was true....another good reason to be on a KTM




:devil: