Husqvarna Te250

HUSQVARNA TE250

Barely Legal

Quick Ride

YOU KNOW YOU WANT it, and Husqvama has delivered: street-legal competition-spec enduro bikes. That’s right, street legal. The new-for-2006 TE four-stroke line comes complete with all the necessities to win off-road races and fully comply with DOT streetbike standards in 50 states. Radical! Or should I say, finally, yes finally, a company has taken the steps to make this possible. Now you can legally ride dirtbikes wherever the road or trail may lead. At the press launch last fall in Hancock, New York, I had a chance to try out the whole fleet. My favorite of the bunch is the $6399 TE250. Although the bigpower TE450 and 510 Thumpers are great, I’m a sucker for a light, agile bike. Also, the 250 has a lower seat height, allowing shorter legs to easily reach the ground. Yes, it is slower than the bigger models, but when you’re tooling around on the trail it keeps up just fine. In fact, you often feel faster and more confident on the 250 because of the lightweight, flickable handling that allows easy

maneuverability around or over trail obstacles. Think it and the chassis responds.

The liquid-cooled 249cc four-stroke packs some punch, a ton more than you can expect from any 250cc dual-sport and very comparable to its off-road-only enduro-class competitors. A six-speed gearbox maximizes use of available power. For 2006, Husky concentrated on improving engine performance, aiming for more power and reliability by revamping the topend with a new piston design. There’s also a longer crankshaft, larger intake valves (29mm vs. 30.5mm) and exhaust valves (24mm vs. 25mm) along with redesigned intake and exhaust ports. A new exhaust system tops it off, keeping the 250 quiet without murdering the power.

On the suspension side, the TE250 uses a Sachs shock and a 45mm Marzocchi fork, unlike the two big-bores that received new 50mm ’Zokes. In this case, bigger is not always better, for on a lighter bike like the TE250, a 50mm fork would be too rigid. A little flex at the front is a good thing, because if the bike is not absorbing the bumps your body will be. So with this smaller unit, TE250 does the work so you don’t have to-to a certain extent anyway! Let’s just say I wasn’t tired at day’s end.

As with previous Huskys, the TE250 comes fitted with specialty parts, such as Takasago Excel alloy rims, Brembo brakes, extra large footpegs, handguards and a Magura hydraulic clutch, to name a few. Also, a more powerful headlight comes standard, although it is still below par for nighttime work. A minor drawback with the TE line is that Husky kept the usual yellow-and-blue color scheme rather than changing to the striking red-andwhite combo used on the new motocrossers.

Nit-picking aside, this is a solid off-road package wrapped up in what we would consider gold: street legality. Buy one and ride everywhere! -Ryan Dudek