Husqvarna Te250
CYCLE WORLD TEST
HUSQVARNA TE250
A fun and not-so-husky Husky
RYAN DUDEK
ONCE UPON A TIME, Husqvarna was a bigtime player in the dirtbike market. It dominated most forms of off-road competition and even was a major force in world-class motocross. But most of that glory came before the company was sold to Cagiva in Italy, before Japanese dirtbikes took center stage, before fourstroke engines replaced two-strokes as the primary means of propulsion for off-road motorcycles.
It also was before Husqvarna was bought by BMW in 2007. Since then, the company, still working from its factory in Varese, Italy, has been pushing hard to re-emerge as a serious contender in the off-road category. Its latest entry in that effort is the TE250, a 50-state-legal dual-purpose enduro powered by an all-new fourstroke engine in an all-new chassis. And in most ways, it’s an awesome little bike.
Actually, the TE is an offshoot of the carbureted TC250 motocross bike introduced late in 2009, just before announcement of the TE. The two share most major components, the difference being in details like lights, wheel sizes and transmission ratios. Not to mention the TE’s electronic fuel injection and electric starting.
At the heart of the TE is an exceptionally compact, 250cc, liquid-cooled, dohc four-stroke Single tightly packed with a sixspeed gearbox. Husqvarna claims this mini-Thumper is 13 percent smaller than its previous 250cc engine and weighs just 48.5 pounds. It’s cradled in a new backbone-style steel frame that also is lighter than that of the previous TE250, helping bring total bike weight down to just 250 pounds dry. Up front is a 48mm KYB fork instead of a Marzocchi as traditionally used on Huskys, though as usual, a Sachs shock holds up the rear. Brembo brakes matched with Braking rotors are a nice, top-quality touch, as are the Excel rims.
All of this adds up to a small bike that is big fun to ride. It feels exceptionally light and agile, so you can flick it side to side and snap it into corners with amazing ease, almost like it was a barebones motocross bike. East Coast riders in particular will appreciate the TE250’s ability and willingness to change direction in tight offroad conditions. The engine makes a surprising amount of power, but only if you rev it and sometimes even fan the clutch like it was a 125cc two-stroke. Even though there’s not a lot of power at lower rpm, the little TE will still chug around the tight technical stuff just fine and even motor up hills. Don’t be fooled, though; this thing likes to run wide-open with its revs kept in the upper rpm ranges.
But as much fun as the TE250 is to ride, it’s far from perfect; it has a few character flaws that potential buyers will have to consider. One is the stock emissions equipment, which involves a throttle stop, a charcoal canister, a catalytic converter, an air-filter cage and an 02 sensor. With all that stuff in place, the TE’s performance was so severely restricted that it was impossible to get a fair gauge of the bike’s true potential. So, all of it was removed, making the bike illegal for use on public roads, but we felt we had no alternative. Whether or not an owner decides to do likewise is a personal choice.
Once it was able to breathe normally, the TE250 ran as previously described except for a lean spot right off of idle that caused a slight hesitation. Revised EFI mapping that will fix that lean spot should be available from Husky dealers by the time you read this. Otherwise, the Mikuni injection works smoothly and crisply, without any bogs, flameouts or backfires.
We also were not entirely pleased with the gear ratios. Second through fifth were just fine for off-road use, but first was a bit too tall for easy work in really tight technical sections. Sixth, meanwhile, was too low for open-road riding, causing the bike to buzz uncomfortably at speeds above 65 mph.
Other gripes include the lack of a heat shield on the exhaust, which can turn the left leg of your riding pants into toast. And when standing on the pegs and leaning forward going up steep hills, your right leg can bump the toggle-on/ toggle-off kill switch, shutting down the engine. Ouch! Our test bike also had a faulty clamp on the oil breather hose; that was an easy fix but not before oil was spewed everywhere during just one ride.
No complaints about comfort, though. The riding position is very open, and the seat is flat enough to allow the
rider to move back and forth easily. The bodywork is slim, further aiding rider mobility, but it comes at the expense of a too-small fuel tank; the 1.85-gallon capacity is not nearly enough for extended trail rides. An aftermarket 2.6-gallon tank will be available from Husqvarna.
The TE250 will probably be ridden more often by smaller riders, so the factory suspension settings are on the soft side The fork provides consistent damping throughout its stroke but the shock runs though its range very quickly, especially on jump landings and off-road g-outs. As a result, the bike soaks up whoop-de-dos too much rather than staying firm and gliding over the tops of them.
On the plus side, the suspension does a great job of tackling smaller obstacles like rocks and choppy stutter bumps. That’s great when hitting that hidden rock—you know the one I’m talking about, the one that makes your heart stop as the bike flies out of control sideways. The TE lessens the chance of such a disaster by pretty much soaking up the jolt. That came in handy during our photos in the snow where every rock was hidden. Give some credit to the TE’s lightness, too, which makes the bike easier to control.
Still, considering all of the complaints and shortcomings we found with the TE250, you might be wondering why we earlier called it an awesome bike. We did that because despite those flaws, the TE is a complete blast to ride. You can toss it around like a lightweight two-stroke, it does just about everything you ask it to do, and wailing along the trails with its four-stroke engine screaming at high rpm is pure fun.
Husqvarna does need to address a few matters with this bike, such as the too-tall first and too-low sixth gear, the absence of an exhaust heat shield and the soft calibration of the Sachs shock. Those all are easily fixable by the factory.
But not so the emissions predicament; getting the TE250 EPAand CARB-approved forces Husqvarna to lash all that performance-strangling gear on the bike. Owners therefore will have to decide whether to live with sub-par 250-class engine performance by leaving that equipment in place or to achieve above-par performance—and risk what could be a substantial fine—by altering or removing it.
In all probability, though, riders who buy a TE250 won’t be using it as a daily commuter or for travels on freeways and the open road. A 250cc dual-purpose bike as expensive as this one ($7599) will likely be bought by a dedicated offroad rider who wants a street-legal mount just so he or she can use short stretches of public backroads to connect trails or to ride into a nearby town for gas or food.
So in the end, there are no major deal-breakers here. With the TE250’s incredibly agile chassis and rev-happy engine, the good far outweighs the bad, and the result is an awesome lightweight trailbike. □
HUSQVARNA TE250
$7599
