Well, we got out on our new demo bike this weekend and it was AWESOME! We aren't even close to being done with her set up but we had to break her in and have some fun since after all its a BRAND NEW BIKE!!!!!
We took Elsa (that is her name) out to Peach Valley Recreation Area which is just North and East of our shop about 10 minutes. After letting her warm up for a bit I sent her out underneath numerous different riders and then took her for a spin myself. All in all we put about 1.5 hrs on the bike and it was a blast. Like I said, we haven't even come close to finishing the bike but here is my first impression of the new girl.
First and foremost, even though it is just a differently dressed KTM, the Husky feels different. From the moment you throw a leg over it to the first set of whoops you hit, there is something unique about the TC. The first thing I noticed and really liked is how firm the seat is. I know people complain about seats being stiff and all that but last I checked you weren't supposed to sit on a race bike very often. The Husky's seat is nice and stiff and they have put some sort of cool grippy cover on it too which is really sticky. After we took off on the ride I was nervous about how it was going to handle since I keep reading and hearing how terrible the new 4CS forks are. Well I can say that this amateur rider really liked the suspension on the moto bike. I can't speak for the enduro models but the TC rocked. It was stable in the whoops and not nervous in some choppy stuff. It turned on a dime and gave me some serious confidence. We didn't take Elsa into the rocky world because we don't have all the guards on it yet so I don't know how she will handle that yet, but we are also having our local suspension guru set her up perfectly soon. That being said, I think I could ride this bike bone stock just fine.
The next big worry I had was about the carburetion. We have struggled to get the 14 and 15 KTM enduro bikes jetted as clean as the older ones so I was concerned about how this new bike would run but again, I was pleasantly surprised. I used the book specs and a little tweaking of my own and it was great. I still have some work to do on the bottom end but it ran really well. No hesitation, no burble, just clean power all the way through. I did some research and found that for whatever reason the TC's come with a completely different needle series than the enduro bikes and maybe that is the ticket. I know the ignition mapping is different too but I just don't see that making a huge difference. Either way, I am really happy with the factory suggestions on this carb.
After about 1.5 hrs of riding and about 10 different riders we all came up with what we believe to be the best single word to describe the new Husky: SPIRITED!!!!!
That is exactly what she is. So lively and light. After riding it for a while I put her away and got back on my 2012 300XC and went out for some rocky stuff. I love my 300 a lot and in the gnar it is flawless and easy to ride but honestly the fun factor was higher on the new bike and I don't think it is just the newness. I think the light weight, moto feel of the motor, and different geometry make the difference and I am excited to make this thing into the best offroad race bike we can. Stay tuned, its going to get exciting!!!!
