PH2: Husqvarna unveils TR 650 Strada and Terra

The liquid-cooled 652cc single-cylinder engine has an improved fuel injection system, altered camshafts, a new forged piston and a redesigned cylinder head. The net result is an increase in compression from 11.5:1 to 12.3:1, and power boosted by 10hp to 58hp at 7,250rpm. Interestingly both the power and torque are made 750rpm higher in the rev range on the Husky compared with the BMW.

On the chassis side of things the tubular steel split-backbone chassis with the sub-frame bolted on looks fairly similar to the GS, but the steering head geometry has been altered to 64 degrees for the Strada and 63.5 degrees on the Terra (the BMW is 61.9 degrees). In keeping with Husky's more upmarket positioning, both TR models get chunkier 46mm inverted forks rather than the GS's weedy 41mm telescopic units.

With the Strada aimed at on-road riding (see what they have done with the name...), it comes with 10 spoke cast alloy wheels with a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear and ABS as standard. The off-road inspired Terra runs 21-inch front and 17-inch rear spoked wheels with ABS an optional extra.

Styling-wise both bikes get the traditional Husky red cam cover, an LCD dash and under-seat pipes, but the off-road Terra comes in red with a high mudguard while the road-based Strada is black with a more traditionally mounted mud deflector. As you would expect, Husky has a whole range of extras including panniers, a taller screen and heated grips. No word on price/availability as yet.