Husqvarna 250 Motocross
HUSQVARNA 250 MOTOCROSS
CYCLE WORLD TEST
AS THE NEW HUSKY MOTOcrosser barrelled out of the tight turn, its front wheel in the air and its rear knobby showering a roost of dirt on the bike and rider following it, almost everyone in the pits stopped whatever they were doing to watch. “It's hard to believe that’s a 250 Husky," one witness commented. “Listen to how quickly the engine revs ... it even sounds fast."
He wasn’t the only one impressed; all of CYCLE WORLD'S test riders were pleasantly surprised by the engine response and power delivered by Husqvarna’s newest 250cc motocrosser, a late-arriving 1987 model that has just been made available to dealers. Husqvarna hasn’t had a competitive 250cc motocross engine since, well, since sometime back in the Seventies, when the Japanese started dominating the sport. But the people at Cagiva, the Italian firm that now owns the Husqvarna name, apparently figure that if they're going to bother selling a motocross bike, it at least ought to be reasonably
competitive.
They went about giving the 250 Husky its newfound engine quickness through a number of significant changes. This latest engine has a longer-stroke design that incorporates, obviously, an all-new piston and connecting rod, along with different cylinder porting and a new exhaust pipe. And the 250 also uses a simple, innovative exhaust-control mechanism that is activated at the prescribed engine rpm by an electronic solenoid.
These changes have resulted in an impressive 250 engine from Husqvarna. a company with a reputation for building slow-revving, mediocre 250cc motocross motors. In fact, other than a slight hesitation just off idle (a common problem with flatslide Mikuni carburetors), and a level of vibration that is normal for Husqvarnas (but still annoying), a knowledgeable rider might believe that this Husky has a Japanese MX engine. The motor doesn't put out much power on the very bottom, but it quickly springs to life as soon as the revs build slightly. The 250 then accelerates with real authority all the way up through the mid-range; and although the power fades just a bit on the top end. it still provides decent acceleration up there.
All motocrossers are not alike
HUSQVARNA 250 MOTOCROSS
Our test bike ran a little fat with the standard jetting; but we dropped the needle one position and filed a small, half-round groove into the back side of the carburetor slide (centered in its bottom). That brought the engine to peak form.
Even so, it could use just a touch more power to be fully competitive in the Expert class. Drag-raced against a strong-running '87 Honda CR250R, the Husky consistently lost by from one to three bike-lengths. But compared to past 250 Huskys, which would get flat killed in similar races, the new engine is a monumental improvement.
This new Husky also has a smooth, easy-shifting five-speed gearbox that can be shifted under full-throttle with just a slight tap on the clutch lever. That helps its performance on the start line as well as on the fast straights. But as with past Huskys, the clutch engages rather slowly, which makes clutch-fanning when exiting corners almost worthless. And the clutch also heats up quickly when subject to repeated fanning. But despite those leftover clutch symptoms, this new engine feels nothing like previous Husky MX engines.
There are quite a lot of differences in the chassis, too. A White Power fork eliminates past complaints about fork flex and greatly improves the Husky’s steering precision. But while the fork has excellent damping rates, its springs are pitifully soft. The front of the bike dives radically
when braking hard, and the front wheel often wallows and skates through the turns. So we immediately replaced the stock fork springs with 21 -pound ATK springs.
With the heavier springs, the Husky’s front end worked superbly. The fork soaked up the small-to-medium hits comfortably, but didn’t bottom on the big bumps and exhibited very little dive under hard braking. Fronttire skate was reduced considerably (as long as the rider kept his body weight as far forward on the seat as possible), and the wallow disappeared altogether. The Husky also could motor through long sections of whoops while allowing excellent rider control and comfort.
Matter of fact, with the heavier springs installed, the new 250's fork performed better than any White Power fork we’ve ever tested. Headto-head comparisons against the highly acclaimed Showa cartridge fork us'ed on late-model Honda CRs proved eye-opening; there was little perceptible difference between the two of them.
In the rear, an Ohlins shock is mated to the latest version of Husqvarna’s progressive linkage that allows lighter damping and springing rates. But like the front fork—although to a lesser degree—the shock is sprung too softly for an Expert racer. The rear end works well for Novices and most Intermediates, but bottoms too often with an Expert or fast Intermediate aboard. And at the same time, the rear end is harsh on smaller bumps.
But Mark Zoller of Z-Racing [(714)524-5441] already has the cure. He revalves the shock to lighten the low-speed rebound damping, and
installs a stiffer spring. This reduces the harshness on smaller bumps and eliminates the bottoming on big ones.
Adjusting the shock’s damping, however—normally a, simple job—is somewhat frustrating on this machine. The compression-damping adjuster knob is placed close to the silencer, and the rebound adjuster knob is a tight fit next to the shock linkage, making both almost impossible to turn by hand. We had to resort to using a screwdriver for both knobs.
Once you get the Husky’s supension dialed-in, the handling is very good but somewhat different than that of a Japanese motocross bike. Riding a Husky fast has always required a lot of movement on the part of the rider, and this new 250 retains that trait. Its rider must move forward for tight corners; and when
he does, the bike goes where it is pointed, carves around wide turns with little steering effort, and tracks straight and true regardless of the roughness of the course. Really tight turns require more muscle and determination from the rider, though; with its long, 59.5-inch wheelbase and equally lengthy 4.7 inches of trail working against the 27-degree rake, the Husky’s brand of turning seems better suited for faster, grandprix-type racetracks, or even desert racing.
But the Husky’s strong, predictable and easy-to-operate front brakes are suitable for any kind of off-road racing. A solidly mounted front disc (replacing the previous floating disc) lets the heat of braking transfer into the hub so fade is reduced. And a floating, double-piston caliper and new master cylinder reduce the musele power required to operate the lever. The brake has excellent feel, too; it’s strong and progressive, but won’t lock up if the lever is grabbed a little too hard on slippery surfaces.
The rear brake is Husqvarna’s familiar-looking drum unit that now boasts a lightened hub. The fullfloating design offers excellent control and fade resistance, and it doesn’t cause the suspension to lock up during hard braking across rough ground. The brake isn’t the latest in high-tech, but it works.
Even so, some motocross riders
will undoubtedly scorn the 250 Husky—not just because it lacks a disc rear brake, but because it’s, well, different. Obviously, this isn’t a bike for them. But there also are riders who will admire and appreciate the 250 Husky because it’s different.
We fall into the second category. We think winning on this motorcycle would make for a much sweeter victory, simply because it isn’t just like everything else on the starting line. And for a change, it is possible—with a little fine-tuning on your own—to even think about winning a moto-
cross on a Husqvarna.
But whatever glory that Husky might get from this new MX model will be short-lived. In 1989, the motocrossers in the Husqvarna line will be discontinued, and replaced by MX models of Cagiva’s own design. And this late-1987 250 is likely to go largely unchanged between now and then.
So take note, motocross historians: The 1987 Husky 250 Motocross will probably go down as the very best Husky motocrosser ever built—and the very last. 13
HUSQVARNA
250 MOTOCROSS
$3295
