09 450 Husaberg - My thoughts

chrism

Posts: 338

« on: October 14, 2008, 10,18:26 PM »

So my opinions on the new 2009 Husaberg 450. I’m not a certainly not a pro, not even an experienced rider but these are more thoughts on the bike.

First of all a big thanks Andrew for letting me have a good play on the new bike I felt quite honoured to have a ride on a bike that so many people are talking about.

The section I rode the bike on was a dry reasonably rocky section probably about 5 - 10 km’s long with few small hill climbs.

The bike I ride is a 2008 Yamaha WR450f it’s basically stock but has had the suspension re-valved and springed by Chads off roads.

On I hoped and off I went the first thing I noticed was the difference in the power curve to the WR. The WR has WAY more power low down, I was riding the Berg like I ride the WR and to begin with and I thought it was low on power. I soon learned to rev out the berg similar to a 250 and once the revs built up a little there was no doubt it was a 450. Once I got use to riding the bike higher in the rev range I started to really enjoy the bike. The throttle response was awesome it was really easy to wheelie over puddles and logs at 60 or 70kmh’s which I sometime struggle with on the WR it just goes faster!!

The bike felt very nimble, but maybe it was my familiarity with the WR but the WR felt more stable while riding on the straight sections. Most of the time I was under throttle and there was no single track so I didn’t really get to test the handling. I know a lot of people talk up the WP suspension but I didn’t think it was anything special. The suspension on my WR certainly felt better most likely because it has been setup to suit my fat ass.

The brakes were good but again on par with the WR. Exaust noise was a little loader, the riding position was good. A few people had commented that the bike felt a little fat but I didn’t notice this. The seat height with my feet on the pegs seemed a little shorter than the WR

So will I rush out and buy one? Well no... but if I was in the market for a new bike I probably would. I really enjoyed riding the bike, I liked the power delivery and throttle response. I know I said it didn’t have the grunt down low but it was still very powerful. I kept it a gear higher going up one hill and backed off the rev’s to see how the EFI would handle it. And it was spot on the EFI didn’t over compensate despite me winding on the throttle .

I like the bike mostly because of the power delivery, the EFI throttle response and just the feel of the bike. It was fun to ride I like reving it out, but this would probably lead to higher maintenance.

It’s not revolutionary to ride, but the concept is certainly revolutionary. Will I buy one in the future? Probably... However if the WR was identical but with EFI I may reconsider! I’ve always been a little cautious of Husaberg but this wouldn’t affect me buying one as it comes with a 1 year parts and labour warrantee.

Thats it, I strongly suggest you take one for a spin and make up your own mind!


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sjkermode

Full Member 2012/2013

Posts: 112

Re: 09 450 Husaberg - My thoughts

« Reply #1 on: October 15, 2008, 08,09:04 PM »

My Thoughts.... I got to ride it on a bit of the tighter stuff and it was definitely easier to tip in than my WR. I found it deceptively fast, went into a few corners and only realised at the last minute that I was going a lot faster than I first thought. But I agree with Chris I really thought the EFI made the motor so much more responsive. You can just dial on what power you want when you want it. I also rode the Beta My ride on it was longer so I got more of a chance to try it out but the responsiveness of it was great too. It didn;t rev as quickly as the berg but both are so linear in power delivery. It also had a lower seat height which is good for somes of us. I actually thought the Beta was EFI until Kelvyn pointed it out that it is has a carby.

If I had the spare cash I would rush out and buy a bike with EFI tomorrow, just not sure which one. The Japs will need to pull their fingers out because once a few people try EFI I reckon there may start to be an exodus.


« Last Edit: October 15, 2008, 09,58:15 PM by sjkermode »	Logged

Paul Smith

Guest

The first incarnation of the engine was ugly !

« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2008, 06,17:39 PM »


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Angus B

Guest

Re: 09 450 Husaberg - My thoughts

« Reply #3 on: November 06, 2008, 01,54:51 PM »

I test rode the 'berg 450 last Friday and was really impressed.

The handling of the bike for cornering, jumps etc is just very well balanced indeed. That mass centralisation stuff seems to have worked well and is not just hype.

Does the bike feel lighter? - I'm a 2 stroke rider so cant really comment, except that it is not 2 stroke light. The bike is still 16kg heavier than mine and its hard to hide that.

Engine seemed good, usable power, crisp delivery. For approx $80 you can added a switch to give 3 power settings..soft, normal, and aggressive so its should be easy to choose the power delivery you want.

There are 3 different height of seats to choose from, a nice touch - it does not have to be the 'one size suits all' approach of other bikes.

So would I buy one? I very nearly did, but my emotions are still with 2 strokes.


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