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Bike testing is a double edged sword, sometimes the rider tests the bike and sometimes the bike tests the rider. On the first of three Husqvarna Uk Enduro Test Days at Walter’s Arena near Glyneath, the weather tested everyone as wind and rain lashed the reclaimed open cast home of the Dawn to Dusk. Parked together with their awnings extended, the Husqvarna truck and the MPS Racing leviathan created a cosy community in the bleak landscape. With the addition of a Chapel and a Chinese takeaway it would have become a proper Welsh village. The Arena is in the process of becoming a wind farm and heavy plant have cut some new tracks. The test days were in conjunction with Off Road Skills and BMW instructor Si Pavey had laid out a 4 miles course that had a bit of everything. At 10.30am Gwyn Barraclough led the riders off on a sighting lap. Gwyn is also a BMW instructor and at 59 he has lost none of his enthusiasm. Having ridden the D2D a few months before in wet conditions I opted for a light WR125 on which I convinced myself I could impose my will. The 125 has improved ground clearance but it was a bit too tall for a standard pair of Welsh legs so Mick Seward fitted an MPS Racing lowered seat. It only took a moment with the single clip release. The 125 started first kick and pulled well at low revs but when the power kicked in it lacked something. In my case it was a pilot. When this bike wants to go somewhere it wants to go there very fast so if you are under 30 and less than 13 stone - this is the bike for you.
The next bike was a 4 stroke TE250. It has an electric start. As a purist I like a kick start. Somewhere in the mists of time a caveman smacked two stones together and created fire. As a purist I am a part of that heritage. On the other hand - as a bloke standing in a stream with a stalled bike halfway up a bank - the leccy boot is great. The 250 has both. I was a bit disappointed at first, the motor felt flat after the WR but the power delivery was very deceptive. After a mile I relaxed and found the rhythm. For secret strictly fans the WR is tango and the TE is a waltz. The 4 stroke felt a lot softer than the 2 stroke but I soon realised it was just as quick and a lot less work. A clever touch is that part of the clear tank can be seen below the seat where the pump draws off the fuel. This reservoir contains 2 litres and can be easily monitored to check the fuel remaining. After lunch the rain eased a little and - buoyed up by hot Minestone soup - I took out a TE310. I didn't think I would like the bigger 4 strokes. I was wrong. It was the best bike for me. It could be the best offroad bike I've ridden. The 310 is a bored and stroked version of the TE250. It had all the power that the WR250 delivered with the smoothness of the TE. The course was beginning to cut up and rocks were emerging from the slick clay but the 310 coped with them easily. It was a bit "poppie" picking up from tick over in a couple of tight places but I was asking it get "us" out of a lot of trouble that I'd got "us" into. You can always adjust the fuel injection with a laptop. In 20 years time I can see this bike on a stand for classics at the Dirt Bike Show. The last model on the rank was the TE450. Although the 450 is 10 kilos more than the 310 it didn't feel a lot heavier but it did seem to carry more momentum. The 450 features the Husqvarna CTS - Constant Traction System. On the uphill it was a plus but on the slick cambers and cornering it took a bit more getting used too but remember at 60 years of age it takes me a while to get use to anything new. I suspect that with a bit more time and practice the 450 would be my transport of delight at the Hafren Rally next year.
Carl Tiley was also testing the new 2011 range at Glyneath and his report will make interesting reading. He is unlikely to criticise the build quality as he gave the shocks and rims a good pounding over the rocky going. Husqvarna Motorcycles Uk has a network of 18 dealers including the latest at Touratech and they ran a dealer day on Thursday before the public test day on Friday. I'd like to thank Husqvarna, Off Road Skills and MPS Racing for great day out. As you can see from the picture at the top of the page that despite the cold and the rain it was almost dark before I reluctantly put the 310 back in it's box. |
On the second lap I moved on to a WR250 and I immediately felt at home. The
kick start folds away after use. Unfortunately it also folded away before use
and with a lot of compression that was annoying but on a bike this good it's hard
to find a niggle and that was mine. Once I was under way the power and the
handling were spot on. Si's course included a climb that Nick Plumb used as an
hard section in the D2D and the WR250 ate it. It delivered all the excitement
I wanted without sapping my finite energy. 
As competition machines you need to look no further than the Husqvarna
teams performance at the recent 85th FIM International Six Days Enduro held in
Morelia, Mexico, where Antoine Meo on a TE250 and Sebastien Guillaume on a
WR300 won the Enduro 1 and Enduro 3 classes respectively. Meo went to
the Six Days having already secured the Enduro 1 World Championship. Juha
Salminen also secured a strong second on the TE450.