Husa pretty boy then?
By TMX Archives on 4th Sep 08
PURCHASED by those looking for something different', Husaberg's four-stroke enduro bikes have never exactly had mass appeal. Loved by those that, well, love them, while seldom given a second glance by most riders in the market for a new four-stroke enduro bike, 'bergs have long been ignored by the masses and thought of as being different, old-school and a little on the agricultural side. But following the international media launch of the now KTM owned company's all-new '09 models in Greece, all that is set to change. And set to change in a major way. From low-tech and largely unchanged in the half dozen years, Husaberg have now entered the 21st century with a bang.
Offering new from the ground up 450 and 570cc FE models bristling with innovative new designs, Husaberg look set to change the way people think about their bikes. At the heart of the two new models is the SOHC motor that as well as being compact and of a ‘modern design' also feature a completely new layout with a cylinder that faces forwards, rather than upwards, and a crank that sits on top of the gearbox rather than in front of it.
Also featuring an EFI system, a 100 per cent new chassis, and with sporty and distinctive new bodywork and a plastic only sub-frame, the new 'bergs are as visually different as they are technically. But the best news as far as Husaberg and four-stroke fans are concerned is that the new bikes go as well as they look.
Check out next week's T&MX News for a full test by Jonty Edmunds on Husaberg's radically new enduro machines.