Husqvarna Sm450r Vs. Ktm 450 Smr

Husqvarna SM450R vs. KTM 450 SMR

Supermojo supermotos

MARK CERNICKY

READY TO RACE SUPERMOTO? KTM AND HUSQVARNA ARE, both European companies offering thoroughly capable 450cc four-strokes that they claim are race-ready. Oh, really now? We’ll be the judges of that. Who’ll get to the checkered flag first? Read it here in black and white.

From the word go (or should we say dough?), suggested retail price is $6799 for the Husky and $7298 for the KTM that’s delivered with the “good stuff’-Dunlop KR106 slicks as standard fitment. The Husky comes with treaded Dunlop D208As because in its country of origin (Italy), it's available as a road-going model-after bolting on lights, of course. To achieve equal footing before squaring off for our Grudge Match, we ordered a set of Dunlop slicks for the Husky ($319 from Sporttire Services, 800/776-8473; www.sporttire. com).

Both bikes use a 120/70 front and a 165/55 rear tire on their 17-inch rims, soft compound in front and medium at the rear. But where the Husky sports a 4.25-inch-wide rear rim, the KTM's measure 5.0 inches, creating a more gradual curve out to the shoulder and a subsequently bigger tire contact patch, and making turn-in transitions less dramatic.

With both bikes now on equal footing, any questions of traction inequality were put down to rim size.

To put the two bikes to the test, we met up with the Godfather of Freestyle Motocross-turned-Supermoto evange-

list Mike Metzger at Grange Motor Circuit in Apple Valley, California. Metz, back-flipping globetrotter that he is, doesn’t sit still much, and with a mega-hectic to-do list right before X Games X (for which he helped usher in the Supermoto competition), an afternoon was all he could spare.

Pulling up to the oasis that is the Grange, I was stoked to see Metz’s flyingeyeball-painted fifthwheel rig being unloaded. After going over the game plan, we gave the bikes the once-over twice and gassed 'em up. Metz and I rode around alone for a while-a little soul-slide session, if you will, that was loose at first, then began to jive and worked into a rockin’ good time. After a brief, awkward period of getting used to the bikes and each other-and with our racer egos set on the backbumer-we spent the better part of the afternoon working with the “filmmakers,” OF staff photographer “Smokin’” Jay McNally and Perpetual Motion Films' Jason Markham.

HUSQVARNA SM450R

$6799

Ups

Electric start Kickstand Sneaky fast

Downs

Heavy-ish Needs 5-inch-wide rear rim Finding a dealer

To conclude our testing, we ventured to Apex Kart Track in Lake Perris a few days later. At first, some cha-cha-chatter had to be worked out of the two bikes’ front ends via suspension adjustments, fiddling with tire pressures and trying to find the body position sweet spot. Only then were we able to make some qualitative assessments.

The KTM has a very aggressive, “darty” feel centered around the steering head. This translates into an ability to get it way sideways with the confidence that you’ll be able to reel it back in. Every iota of feedback is transmitted to the pilot though the hard, grippy seat and fat Magura tapered handlebar. Magura also supplies the hydraulic hand controls, which have a good range of lever adjustment and work flawlessly. The single six-piston front-brake caliper at your fingertips is like FedEx-you just know it’s going to be there. Aside from the brake pedal’s sharp teeth being too grabby for boot bottoms, the wave-rotor rear brake had no problem helping engine braking hang the bike’s ass-end out while hacking into comers. The 46 rear-wheel horsepower and 31 foot-pounds of torque that the KTM’s single-cam, four-valve motor chums out is delivered responsively. It accelerates so hard, I suspect that’s where Fast Orange hand cleaner got its name!

Husky’s hundy-year anniversary is commemorated in subtle blue pen lines on black bodywork, giving the SM450R a swank look. The Italian bike feels more cush, its soft seat a welcome deviation from that of the KTM, especially toward the end of a long day. The Husky uses the same Magura hydraulic-clutch master cylinder/ decompression lever combo on the left bar end, while across the traditional crossbar handlebar, a Brembo brake system with outboard reservoir and four-piston Brembo caliper puts the pinch on the round rotor. These brakes worked just as well as those on the KTM, assuring us that stopping wouldn’t be a problem. Under Belgian Eddy Seel, the Husky holds the World Supermoto Championship, and during braking the Husky holds the rear wheel more in line behind its steering head. It likes to use engine braking to hack out the back end entering corners, with very little rear brake necessary, helping to minimize brake-induced wheel hop. The Marzocchi fork and Sachs shock feel more supple than the KTM’s WP components, so the pilot gets less feedback from the lazierfeeling chassis. And its 45 ponies and 30 ft.-lbs. of torque come on softer than the KTM’s power, even if it allows for early throttle application out of corners.

KTM 450 SMR

$7298

Ups

Trackside support Extensive hop-up parts Sold with slicks

Downs

Hard to kick-start when hot Very hard seat You hate orange

It was definitely a surprise then when Shane Hawkins, an instructor at Apex’s kart school who kept the track open after-hours and recorded our lap times, revealed that the KTM’s best time was 34.45 seconds while the Husqvama posted a 33.48.

So, the Husky was quicker, and thus is the winner here. But the KTM isn’t far off, and is no less capable of propelling a budding racer into the realm of supermoto superhero.