• Hi everyone,

    As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.

    When he passed, I worked with his kids to gather the necessary credentials to keep this site running. Since then (and for however long they worked with Coffee), Woodschick and Dirtdame have been maintaining the site and covering the costs. Without their hard work and financial support, CafeHusky would have been lost.

    Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working to migrate the site to a free cloud compute instance so that Woodschick and Dirtdame no longer have to fund it. At the same time, I’ve updated the site to a current version of XenForo (the discussion software it runs on). The previous version was outdated and no longer supported.

    Unfortunately, the new software version doesn’t support importing the old site’s styles, so for now, you’ll see the XenForo default style. This may change over time.

    Coffee didn’t document the work he did on the site, so I’ve been digging through the old setup to understand how everything was running. There may still be things I’ve missed. One known issue is that email functionality is not yet working on the new site, but I hope to resolve this over time.

    Thanks for your patience and support!

MXA rates the TC449 as top 10 worst bikes ever...

So everyone is saying that the TC449 is not a great bike to moto on. If a guy wants to race moto and wants to do it on a Husky whats the best option for a open class motocross bike? TXC310R?
 
Motosportz said:
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Damn that's sexy. If I had any use for a 4-stroke....that would be the one!
 
Top Ten "this-or-that" lists belong in the National Enquirer with all the other garbage. For everybody else there are hard stats, like (for competition machinery) race results. Even that doesn't tell the whole story though - my GSXR750F won races, but I wouldn't have recommended it to anyone I actually liked. Bloody thing! :)

Veering a bit offtopic: I'm not sure how sustainable the big competition thumper scene is here in Europe. Residual value is appalling (bear in mind also that we're talking the equivalent of nearly $10,500 purchase price for a new TC450 in the UK and it's hard to justify losing half of that in a season). Smaller thumpers are more than competent enough for most racers and a lot of the rest of us are holding out on purchases in the hope that manufacturers start developing next-gen strokers or trail bikes that don't have major components life-rated in a few hours. Too many people have also been bitten by the rebuild costs of thumpers and remain cautious. Supermoto is dying on it's butt as well, both as a race series and a lifestyle. Perhaps the States and Australia provide big enough markets for Euro thumper manufacturers, but I can't help thinking that product lines may be shaved. Husky have a large inventory for such a small manufacturer (29 bikes in the UK) and it's entirely possible that the bean counters will want to trim it, especially if the BMW based new stuff sells well. It's just a pity that there's nothing between the "ride it 'til it breaks then throw it away" competition based stuff and the desperately depressing 650 plodders.
 
motohio said:
So everyone is saying that the TC449 is not a great bike to moto on. If a guy wants to race moto and wants to do it on a Husky whats the best option for a open class motocross bike? TXC310R?
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if I see your avatar description you have all the great bikes that i would call as a answer on your question.

you might consider to upgrade the CR 125 to a WB 165

Robert-Jan
 
Have you ever tried to compete with a 450 down a long motocross start straight? On a 125 you would be eating so much roost that it would be hard to see the first corner.. lol
 
Motosportz said:
WTF? I mean really? maybe an odd ball bike but wow. It is weird how polarizing the 449/511 is. Almost every mag hates them and almost every single actual customer who buys one LOVES it. I have owned piles and piles of bikes and rode even more. Short of a mag tester i have ridden more bikes than most (and i am sure I have ridden more euro off road bikes than most testers) . After sampling piles of bike I love the 449/511 platform. I understand they are saying from a MX standpoint which i get, this was never an MX bike and started from a bike that was not even a very good DS bike (BMW 450X) so i get that but this just seems like a slam to slam.
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Just got September issue of dirt bike mag and they have some pretty good Husky coverage in there this month.They even said that once people try the 449 511 it will make a believer out of them.
 
454x said:
They even said that once people try the 449 511 it will make a believer out of them.
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Agree. EVERYONE whom has tried mine, and thats quite a few people flat loved it. Motosportz Mike loved it so much he sold his 510 and bought one. They are great bikes. I will concede they probably are not the end all MX bike but a great do it all bike.
 
I dont think it is the worst bike ever, I also dont think its on the same level as the jap bikes. I bought my 2012 tc449 because i loved riding my friends 09 husky 450. Now if only mine was as good as the older ones it would be a great moto bike. Ive had the suspension valved and spring for my riding ability/weight and cant get it set up. Im thinking about sending the susp. to zip ty for one last try (since nobody will buy the bike) Also the bike is alot slower then the jap bikes, anybody else feel the same way?
 
Your team shows up to 6 MXGPs or US/AUS nationals with mod-prod KXF,CRF,YZF,RMZ,SXF,TC. One bike for each event.
Your rider is a top 5 regular, he finishes top 5 on the first five in each race, but finishes 12th on the TC in the sixth race(for example).
Is the TC ready for top tier level competition primetime?-NO.
Is the TC innovative/ different/cool and kinda neat?, YES.
Is the TC capable/competitive among the millions and millions of local pro/ammie races?, YES totally.
Do you own one and want to hear that it is in the game among the top five?, YES
Does it work fine for you?, YES
Does it compete with the others at the hands of the MXA wrecking crew?, NO- so what
Is it good machine?, YES
Reliable?, YES
Can you win on it at your level and in your local district?, YES if are good enough.

Again fact, face it guys, it's not competitive at the highest level of MX and that's what the MXA thing is all about. Anywhere else its up to the rider to get to the top of the podium.

If John Dowd showed up on his TC at your local district event I am sure even at 47 he would podium against your local pros on the TC no matter which big 5 bikes they are on. For 95% of riders the TC is more than capable of being on the box and thats all that should matter to you owners.
If I was a moto head and in the non displacement classes which I am (vet and older) the x-lite is the chassis I would race on like the TXC310 (or new one) like the HNA bike that Andy J rides. RN
 
Onlymxforme said:
I dont think it is the worst bike ever, I also dont think its on the same level as the jap bikes. I bought my 2012 tc449 because i loved riding my friends 09 husky 450. Now if only mine was as good as the older ones it would be a great moto bike. Ive had the suspension valved and spring for my riding ability/weight and cant get it set up. Im thinking about sending the susp. to zip ty for one last try (since nobody will buy the bike) Also the bike is alot slower then the jap bikes, anybody else feel the same way?
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How much you want for it?
 
"Also the bike is alot slower then the jap bikes, anybody else feel the same way?"

I cannot say with any real data, but if they are race tuned right and lined up in a drag race, I cant believe that the 449 is much slower than any of the other machines and may even hook up better with the CTS. At the ammie level its all about the rider as far as competitiveness goes. (IMHO)
 
The tunes on mine are stock. Everything is stock on the bike besides the suspension. What tuners are people using and how much do they cost? .I listed it for 55 and didnt even get a call lol. I have about 15 hrs on the bike, Ive only raced it twice, once at a local night race and once at a LLQ. Had great jumps out of the gate seemed like as soon as I hit 3rd gear all other 450s would just walk rite by, friend that came with me asked if I let off or missed a gear. Could be a million different reasons, could even be me. Was just curious what others thought. Also anybody with one get the rear shock cut? If so did it help? Zip ty said it makes a big difference!! Last question, stock gearing on it has a 53 tooth rear sprocket, anybody drop that down? Looking for ways to help im prove the bike.
 
Ok guys here is my 2 cents. The Magazine guys, Jody (MXA) and Jimmy(Dirt Rider) Tom (Dirt Bike) Ryan (Cycle World) know what they are talking about. Each article explains what they like and what they don't like and at times how to improve the bike. The 449/511 is not about Motocross, but it does make a good off-road bike and that is why Cory Graffunder can win on it. At a resent WORCS race the Kawasaki Team Manager (J.S.) turn to a group off us and said " I wonder how fast Cory would be on one of our bikes." My response was "Cory always gives 100% and can make ANY bike look, but he is thankfull to Husky for giving him the chance when others did not." Some bikes are better than others, but if it fits YOU go ride it. The magazines give you their opinion, now are you smart enough to think for yourself or do you need Jody, Jimmy, Tom and Ryan to tell you what to ride. The choice is yours and I still think that worst bike is the one you aren't riding, so go ride.
 
Onlymxforme said:
The tunes on mine are stock. Everything is stock on the bike besides the suspension. What tuners are people using and how much do they cost? .I listed it for 55 and didnt even get a call lol. I have about 15 hrs on the bike, Ive only raced it twice, once at a local night race and once at a LLQ. Had great jumps out of the gate seemed like as soon as I hit 3rd gear all other 450s would just walk rite by, friend that came with me asked if I let off or missed a gear. Could be a million different reasons, could even be me. Was just curious what others thought. Also anybody with one get the rear shock cut? If so did it help? Zip ty said it makes a big difference!! Last question, stock gearing on it has a 53 tooth rear sprocket, anybody drop that down? Looking for ways to help im prove the bike.
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My TE511 gained 11 HP on JD dyno with the tuner over stock. Would not rev out all the way (lean) nor make good power up top (lean). I bet your results would be different with the JD and the very lean (even in race mode) top end on your bike and dialed in richer. Even so it is a very smooth motor. I rode a KXF and CRF 450 back to back with mine and they were violent in comparison. Might be good for open MX but was a handful off road and I could hardly wait to get my bike back. Between the violet power and front end that pushed in every corner I flat hated the CRF. The CRF owner was like "wow, your bike is super EZ to ride fast and works for you not against you"... yep.
 
Mine seems the same way, doesn't pull hard up top at all. I'm going to send the suspension out and see if i can't get it better. How much is that tuner/ where do you buy it? Did you tune it yourself? That's a huge gain.... I race motocross and occasionally a woods race, I have a lot of friends that only race woods and they say it's the best bike they have ridden.
 
I wish Husky did not make a TC frankly. Untill they can go toe to toe with the other majors then it is a brand hinderance. The TE on the other hand is as good or better than most and carries the brand.
I never see a TC anywhere in the bush, quite common to see YZ's past their best turned into busk bikes. Now seeing TE's all the time. That makes me proud, 6-7 years ago I was the only one around here or so it seemed.
 
Motosportz said:
WTF? I mean really? maybe an odd ball bike but wow. It is weird how polarizing the 449/511 is. Almost every mag hates them and almost every single actual customer who buys one LOVES it. I have owned piles and piles of bikes and rode even more. Short of a mag tester i have ridden more bikes than most (and i am sure I have ridden more euro off road bikes than most testers) . After sampling piles of bike I love the 449/511 platform. I understand they are saying from a MX standpoint which i get, this was never an MX bike and started from a bike that was not even a very good DS bike (BMW 450X) so i get that but this just seems like a slam to slam.
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I saw Jody's write-up. I think he was referring to the 2010. If it helps, I saw a guy at WORCS Round 9 in Cahuilla on a TC449 and he was, at least, competitive. Kept slowing down at the main table top though.
There's a recent issue of MXA where they praise the off-road worthyness of the 449. It still has a way to go though.
 
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