Husqvarna Cr390
HUSQVARNA CR390
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Husqvarna made major changes to the frames of their motocross and off-road/ enduro bikes last year. Refinement of that design is Husqvarna’s theme for the 1980 models.
A larger displacement open class engine was rumored but didn’t appear. Our test bike is a 390 with 5mm larger transmission shafts (25mm in 1980 vs. 20mm in 1979). The larger size extends the full length of the shafts, greatly increasing strength, and requires counter shaft sprockets with larger centers—so Husqvarna thoughtfully supplies a selection of sprockets w ith each new bike. The counter shaft sprockets themselves are held on the splined shaft with a light and simple snap ring, making gear swapping easy. The centercase castings are thicker and transmission gears are also new'. Ratios are the same as last year but the centers are larger to fit the larger shafts and different splining. Additionally, the four engagement dogs (there were five previously) have been made bigger and deeper. Fewer engagement dogs make gear lock-up quicker, resulting in faster shifts with less effort. The larger and deeper dogs are stronger and. combined with the larger transmission shafts, should eliminate Husky’s past problem with broken gears and shafts.
The thicker center case castings are stronger and an additional web beefs up the area behind and below the cylinder. We hoped the new cases meant primary kick starting had finally been added, but no such luck. Searching for neutral to restart a stalled engine is still required, and Husky gets the award for the weirdest shaped kick starter again this year. Some problems with bending have been experienced in the past, so the '80 has been redesigned but the strange shape stays. In all fairness, it does the job it was designed to do—start the engine. It gives good leverage and the starter’s foot doesn’t hit the foot peg. Even a lightweight can kick over an open class Husky.
Primary drive is by straight-cut gear as Husky two-strokes have always been and their distinctive whine can sometimes be heard before the exhaust blast. Rubber pads are built into the back of the clutch hub to cancel shock to the transmission and multi-plate clutch, and clutch pull is smooth and light.
Ignition is by Motoplat and a lighting coil is furnished in case the owner decides to use the big Husky for a play or enduro bike.
The 384cc powerplant has an 83mm bore and 71mm stroke. The cylinder liner is iron and Husky stocks Mahle single ring pistons in three over-bore sizes. Cylinder porting is the same as last year but quality control at the casting plant and more careful final aligning results in a broader and smoother power band. Cylinder fins have a> cast-in bar that ties the fins together for strength so engine vibration won’t cause them to crack and break off. The radiallyfinned head has a hemispherical combustion chamber and centered spark plug.
Carburetion is via a 38mm Mikuni and six-petal reed valve. The choke is activated by a lever and jetting on our test bike was spot on.
A single wall, down around and over pipe, with the same dimensions as last year, ends in a silencer that does a betterthan-average job of quieting the big twostroke’s bark.
Most of the hardware on the new CR looks like its 1979 counterpart. Exceptions are the seat and rear fender. The seat is squared off and less rounded. Likewise, the rear fender is more squared and the rear frame loop has been eliminated—the rear fender now bolts to the seat attachment strap. The troublesome steel seat base of the past has finally been changed to plastic and the front of the base has a slit that slides onto a frame protrusion. It’s much easier to use than the old bolt and nut attachment.
The heat shield has been removed from the rear section of the pipe in favor of a plastic side cover. The cover fits well and lends a modern look, but unfortunately Husky didn’t design it with an FIM-legal side plate. Instead, the 390 has the same flat, bolt-on side number plates used last year. The right side plate isn’t as objectionable as the left, which bolts to the silencer, and protrudes several inches. Heat from the silencer quickly burned a large hole in the front of the plate, which then fell off. After losing two left side plates we put the third one on with rubber grommets between the muffler and plastic plate. That solved the problem but a quality bike like the CR deserves better, integral number plates.
A beautiful 2.2 gal. aluminum fuel tank with unpainted sides looks like Husky tanks of last year, but fuel capacity has been increased slightly, and the rear strap mount—the one that used to cut the front of the seat cover—has been replaced with a strap that hooks around the frame below the rear of the tank. The gas cap is the same one used by Husky since the beginning of time. It looks nice, but only one in 10 seals right. Our test machine had one o»*' the worst we have encountered. It leaked profusely. We replaced it with a Petty cap and cured the problem. No big thing, just one that has gone on for too long.
Husqvarna introduced a new superstrong Swedish chrome-moly frame last year and the same frame is used in 1980, the only change being removal of the rear frame loop. It is a large single down-tube design with two large backbone tubes. Triangulation under the seat is good and the design allows for a real airbox, a first for Husky last year. The air cleaner is made from a quality foam, and removing or replacing it takes only a few seconds. The only problem with the design is the> lack of a drain in the bottom of the box. Repeated water crossings, or one deep crossing, will fill the box until the water is drawn through the foam filter. Overlooking such an important function of the airbox on a first year design is excusable; on a second year production run, it isn’t.
Husqvarna is one of the few companies that hasn’t changed their swing arm material to aluminum. It remains oval shaped chrome-moly steel. For 1980 the straight swing arm has been lengthened 1.25 in.
The rest of the running gear hasn’t changed much. Wheels are still 21 in. front and 17 in. rear. Hubs are virtually the same. Brakes and backing plates, ditto. A new waterproof rear backing plate was rumored but didn’t make it this year. Wheel rims are still the deep center jobs from Finland. Last year a problem arose from improperly prepared rim surfaces and the gold paint flaked from some rims. Husqvarna offered a deal on replacements to owners of affected bikes, though. Now that the paint is applied at their Husqvarna factory, the problem is said to be cured. Spokes and spoke nipples are the same as before, but higher quality materials are used and an old problem with isolated breakage is solved. As proof, we raced and won the open pro class at several local motocrosses, and the spokes didn’t loosen once.
Tires are Trelleborgs. The rear works well on a variety of terrain, the front is best changed to something else.
Chain tension is taken care of by a large, spring-loaded roller. After using one of the best non-moving tensioners on any bike, Husky has taken a step backward to a spring loaded unit. We didn’t have any trouble with it and it has a heavy spring and good roller, but last year’s design was superior.
Suspension action is first class on the CR. Remote reservoir, dual spring, Ohlins and the longer swing arm produce 12.4 in. of perfect rear wheel travel.
Husqvarna-made forks are used on the front of the open class stormer. Travel is 11.8 in. and like the rear, damping and spring rate are flawless. The stanchion tube material is the best Swedish chrome-moly tubing available. The lower fork legs are pressure cast from magnesium and give an inch more stanchion tube engagement than last year. These minor changes have cured the rubbery, flexie feel the ’79 forks had. The bike goes exactly where pointed but the feedback through the bars isn’t nearly as strong as it is on bikes that use larger diameter tubes. The 35mm stanchion tubes look too small for the big motocrosser and they are. The forks held up well until one of our pro testers entered a local stadium event. After the race, the big Husky had a chopper look. The fork tubes had bent forward just below the lower triple tree. The bending had stretched the wheelbase 1.5 in. Small diameter stanchion tubes were fine when forks had 6 in. of travel, with 12 in. they need to be much larger.
Husqvarna isn’t convinced larger tubes are better, but most other motorcycle manufacturers are. Suzuki uses 38mm stanchion tubes on their RM 125 and the 1980 Maicos are supposed to come with 42mm tubes. We can’t help but wonder how much better the big Husky would be with 40 or 42mm stanchions.
Suspension compliance at both ends is perfect. Small ripples and bumps go unnoticed. Large whoops, ditches, ledges and gulleys can be taken faster than most riders are capable of riding. Neither end kicks or jolts the rider and bottoming is very unusual.
The longer swing arm helps keep the front wheel on the ground during starts but it can still be lofted at will with a quick blip of the throttle. The longer wheelbase and stronger forks have eliminated the “front wheel flexed or lifted over the berm” problem the ’79 390 CRs had. The front wheel stays in the groove and the rear follows, as it should. The longer swing arm has stretched the wheel base to almost 60 in. Steering rake has stayed 30.5°. Even so, the big bore Husky turns well. It can be pitched into a tight first gear hairpin with minimum effort or run wide open in sixth> over the roughest terrain with the same good manners.
HUSQVARNA CR39O
The 390 Husqvarna engine has been refined into a beautiful powerplant. Power is smooth, abundant, responsive, and the power band starts at idle. Starts are almost always first kick once you’re used to the oddly-shaped kick lever. Shifting is smooth, positive and easy. Gear ratios are perfect and the six-speed furnishes one for any situation.
Husky’s have always had a tall, lean feel to them, and the newest is no exception. The seat height is a whopping 38.3 in. The narrow, lean look is further enhanced when looking down on the bike from the seating position. The new seat is more square, like most of the Japanese bikes, and the up-swoop at the rear is gone. The flatter, reshaped seat makes the rider feel more on top of the machine, a position preferred by most modern motocrossers.
Control layout is typically Husqvarna— perfect. The footpegs are placed in the right position, the brake pedal is under foot when needed, the bars are the correct height and width, Magura dog-leg hand levers work smoothly and the throttle is a Gunnar Gasser.
Riding a Husky is different from riding any other motocrosser. Hitting berms or sliding corners requires a more vertical attitude. The “drag the handlebar’’ style of riding isn’t right on a Husky. It can be done, but the bike is more comfortable when upright. Huskies are also happy if the rider rides on the rear wheel much of the time. Wheelies are natural on a Husky, anyone can do them. When crossing ruts at an acute angle, the Husky doesn’t try to follow the rut. Most bikes will drop the front wheel into the rut and give the rider a quick thrill, the Husky crosses them as if they weren’t there.
Brakes on the CR are okay but not outstanding. The front is strong and progressive, the rear not nearly as good. The rear is full-floating and doesn’t chatter, but it isn’t as strong as many other open motocrossers. The rear is almost useless after an encounter with water, and dries slowly. A redesigned backing plate is overdue.
Our only other complaint is a pipe that burns the rider in hard lefthand corners. The larger tank on Husky’s OR model keeps the rider’s leg off the pipe but the small MX tank allows leg contact.
Husky’s newest open motocrosser is competitive, as we proved by winning several local pro events with it. But its looks are somewhat dated.
The competition has aluminum swing arms, plastic trickery and single-shock rear suspensions. On the race track, the Husky may come out ahead, but on the dealer’s showroom floor, it may not. IS
