Chilly’s Blog – Now What’s All This?
Chilly | Aug 13, 2012 | Comments 9
Husaberg Hullabaloo
2013 Husaberg FE350 awaits review
While we patiently await the 2013 Husaberg Review….
Husabergs have been a big topic around here lately. The speculation about the forthcoming 2013 models ran at a fever pitch. The part that you may not know, is exactly how big. For the past 3 months, Enduro360 has been the number one or two Google rank for the topic.
For a little site like us to hold down position numbero uno on Google is a big deal! It brings new people in every day from all over the world. The Husaberg topic is just one of a number of areas that we do well with on Google. During the stagnant summer months, it is nice to have that regular traffic flow from features that have a long shelf life.
So when people tell me that they don’t believe in online advertising because of the brief exposure time it garners, I have to laugh. When you do the job right, many topics carry on, almost with a life of their own, through searches in Google, Youtube, FaceBook and all the social media outlets we utilize. Those are just the ones I can tell you about, I have learned a few other trade secrets to improve searches, those I will just hold on to for now.
Now back to the ‘Bergs. Many months ago, I told my readers what to expect for the coming year. I was nearly spot on in my predictions. Yet when the actual introduction came along this week, there was a collective cry of foul play from the Husaberg faithful.
Yes, I can see this is the final straw that kills the concept of Husaberg as a unique brand. However, that was a very tenuous thread to begin with. The absolute uniqueness of Husaberg started dying back around 2002 when the line started sharing common parts with the KTM. Every year since then, it has come closer to being the blue and yellow KTM that it is now. Arguably, it has become better all along the way also.
The 70 degree motor concept is dead. I say good riddance to it. Not that is was bad, but it did have its drawbacks in weight and placement. It only partially lived up to the promises it came with. The concept of mass centralization was offset by the overall weight of the bike and the high center of gravity. To date, I still do not believe that there has been a single production example of an alternative motor design/placement that has definitively proven superior to the current norm. Even Yamaha is going to have to face that fact soon.
Overall, I think there is a brighter future for Husaberg in the US. This generation of bikes will be built on the best off road platforms in existence. The addition of premium parts will continue to help distinguish the line from the orange bikes.
Never the less, I do have few points of conjecture.
- The 450 will not be part of the US line up. Such a tough decision, I can see the need to keep the models paired down. The 350 and 500 have been strong sellers. Yet the 450 is perhaps the best all around off road bike ever made, I hate to see it left out.
- There will be no street legal models for the US either. I suspect the plan is to keep this gem in the back pocket until the 2014 model year. That will be the “new” 2014 bike
- The inclusion of the 250 four stroke – it is a great little bike, but a bit off base from the mainstream Husaberg market. It will be interesting to see if this sells well.
- No 125 two stroke for the US – the intertube has been screaming about this. I say good call on that one. Leave it out, it won’t sell, too far off base for the US Husaberg market.
- 250/300 two strokes updated to current KTM XCW spec- nothing to argue about on that point.
- New four chamber WP fork – I won’t automatically get in line to say that new is better. We will just have to wait and see how the reviews hold up on this one.
When you stand back and look at the line up, it is pretty solid. Think about this, a standalone Husaberg dealer gets all the gems. There is not a dog in the group. That means there is no stale inventory to worry about. Every single one of these bikes is going to sell out. Compare that to the KTM dealer down the street who is going to have to take all kinds of bikes he doesn’t really want in order to get a handful of the hot models.
So say what you will. I think the Husaberg team has nailed it with this group of models. It still has some room to grow and that growth will certainly come. Things are looking plenty rosy for the yellow and blue KTM’s.
Husaberg has yet to produce a blue ktm. 2013 will be no different. Its true they produced a six days version that was close to a orange husaberg or vice versa but very different bikes. Don’t be misled by the uninformed who constantly point out that husabergs are ktms with blue plastic they are not, completely different bikes both made with ktm parts..different engines, check the part numbers for the gears on the engines that look the same also check the maps.different sub frame assys, different swing arms different rear shocks different front shocks different triple clamps different front frames with different geometry,different air box,different starter sys,different foot peg and foot peg placement, different gas tanks different performance factory part line,totally different ride characteristics. More different than color.
I have looked at what KTM are pushing as Husabergs and while I might be convinced that the forks on the blue ones are better than the forks orange ones and therefore the blue one offers a better deal overall they ARE KTMs with bits added on, they only LOOK different.
I challenge anybody to find a difference in the specifications other than the forks, no kickstarter (stupid idea when the KTMS have them and the subframe construction materials) that will make any real difference between the blue one and the orange ones.
Side by side comparisons will prove, if the journo’s are honest that there is no difference whatsoever.
Whether you liked the 70 degree motor or not is not the point of all those bemoaning the loss of the identity of Husaberg, they offfered something different THAT was the point.I dont want a bike at the absolute cutting edge that runs SFA oil volume and you have to change the damn oil every ride or its screws with its reliability I wanted a 600+cc bike that is 115-125 kgs (reasonably light), well suspended that required moderate maintenance.
While I understand the economic imperitive of KTM to sell bikes I just wished they had let the Berg engineers loose to create a 650. Vail Husaberg and their innovation as this will kill the Husaberg brand….stone dead.
No street legal bikes in the US for 2013. And no 450 at all.
Chilly,
I have not kept up on the Husaberg news – Will there be a 450 CA plated version for 2013?
Only if we could get them to build a 650 in that compact chassis…
Any word on a at least a 540/570 kit for the current gen 4T motor?
Thanks, Kermit
Hi Chilly,
Thanks a lot for the reply, that’s really helpful. Unlike the US we are getting the new 450 Berg here in the UK so there is a decision to make between that and the 501 if you want something bigger than the 350. Sounds like it’s a really close call, but either should do the job pretty well.
Hi Pete
When I talk about the difference between the 450 and 500 models, it is almost like splitting hairs. The bikes are pretty close and there is no specific reason to be scared away from the 500. Yes, I am mostly talking about riding them in very technical conditions, that is where the difference in feel shows itself.
For the average dual sport rider, the 500 is a great bike and I think would be happy with it. For more on road use and light trail work it might even be better than the 450.
Thanks, Chilly
I find the site really useful Chilly, especially the reviews.
The howls of protest about the new Bergs reminded me of the flack BMW got for sticking the G450X engine in the Husky. Much of the same thing, “It’s no longer a proper [insert make here].”, “I’ll never buy another one”, etc. I had the old Husky TE450 at that time and loved it, and I have the 70deg FE450 now and love that, and I understand brand/bike loyalty but times change and I try to look at new bikes on their own merits. It’s a pity that we’ve lost another bit of variety with the Husabergs as there’s less real choice out there, but given the good reports the KTMs have had I think the new Bergs probably are going to be better than the 70deg ones overall so I look forward to some detailed reviews as I’ll certainly consider getting one.
On that note (with the same engines now on the Bergs as the KTMs), I’ve seen you mention a couple of times you think the 450EXC is probably just a bit better than the 500 (the rear spinning a bit easily on the latter for one thing IIRC). I guess that’s based on your overall use which includes a fair chunk of racing? If you were only going to trail ride and rarely tackle anything really technical would you still go with the 450 or might the 500 shade it for that use? Just wondering as I have to do a fair bit on pavement here in the UK to join up the trails so if the 500 was noticeably better there or the engine would be less stressed at a decent road speed might it be the better option? The one thing that might concern me about the 500 is the comments I’ve seen that it needs to be handled really carefully (maybe the same issue you had with it spinning up?) – is it really that hard to control?
KTM has a great bike no doubt about it.The Husaberg/KTM looks good in blue, but when you flood the market with a bunch of the same bikes with different names….well ask Pontiac and Oldsmobile how that worked out for them. I personally like the Husaberg and would buy that first over the orange version so I guess choice is a good thing…..for now. Your website….I check it almost everyday for news and write-ups. Your thoughts and comments on bikes and product are first rate. You come across like a ordinary consumer….well one that gets his hands on some cool bikes with no payments. Keep it up.