Road Legal Huskys
Discussion
If you want a crf but think a 250 may be too slow, get a crf 450.
The 450s of all the endure bikes are less stressed on road, but heavier and a bit more brutal off road.
Modern Husky is a KTM with a linkage in the rear shock basically, which is no bad thing. The 350 f is a cracker. The 450 is quick, but for the money, a CRF 450x is hard to beat as an all rounder. £6k brand new from most dealers, 450 Husky will be £8k plus new.
The 450s of all the endure bikes are less stressed on road, but heavier and a bit more brutal off road.
Modern Husky is a KTM with a linkage in the rear shock basically, which is no bad thing. The 350 f is a cracker. The 450 is quick, but for the money, a CRF 450x is hard to beat as an all rounder. £6k brand new from most dealers, 450 Husky will be £8k plus new.
poo at Paul's said:
If you want a crf but think a 250 may be too slow, get a crf 450.
The 450s of all the endure bikes are less stressed on road, but heavier and a bit more brutal off road.
Modern Husky is a KTM with a linkage in the rear shock basically, which is no bad thing. The 350 f is a cracker. The 450 is quick, but for the money, a CRF 450x is hard to beat as an all rounder. £6k brand new from most dealers, 450 Husky will be £8k plus new.
Is the CRF Honda more reliable ? I’m assumimg 4 Stroke? Available used road converted ? The 450s of all the endure bikes are less stressed on road, but heavier and a bit more brutal off road.
Modern Husky is a KTM with a linkage in the rear shock basically, which is no bad thing. The 350 f is a cracker. The 450 is quick, but for the money, a CRF 450x is hard to beat as an all rounder. £6k brand new from most dealers, 450 Husky will be £8k plus new.
Tyres good for road use ?
Sorry for so many questions !
Search a CRF450X model, which is the Enduro model and loads about road reg'd. And a 2017 one is the same bike as a 2014 model, which is basically the same as the 2008 model CRF motocrosser, no bad thing, it took Honda about 5 years to better the 08 model in the MX range.
Having said all this, if it is 90% road, you need to condsifed maybe a more "road friendly" off roader or dual purpose bike. The CRF and all the compettion style bikes carry less than a litre of oil, so oil changes are very frequent! My CRF X that I raced for three seasons had oil changes every 10 hours. A piston "officallly" is needed every 50 hours, (although most people run 150 to 200 hours on them). No cush drive on the rear wheel, so they can be a bit snatchy on road.
So maybe think about that venerable off roader, the Suzuki DRZ400? Twice the oil capacity, big filter, c. 33hp not 50 or so that the competition bikes make, so much less stressed overall. Still need to do some spannering, but much less than the competition spec bikes, ie KTMs, Huskys, CRFs etc.
Also, endure bike tyres on the road are quite dubious! Knobblies that work well off road, are a bit s
t on it, and road use knackers them for off road also. So you end up running more dual purpose tyres, which will be har work off road on a 50hp bike!
So a DRZ is maybe the sort of thing you are looking for. Even an older XR400 , or if you fancy a cult bike, an XR650. Bit of a beast, but great on the road. Then it may be worth thinking of a 660 tenere Yamaha etc.
Having said all this, if it is 90% road, you need to condsifed maybe a more "road friendly" off roader or dual purpose bike. The CRF and all the compettion style bikes carry less than a litre of oil, so oil changes are very frequent! My CRF X that I raced for three seasons had oil changes every 10 hours. A piston "officallly" is needed every 50 hours, (although most people run 150 to 200 hours on them). No cush drive on the rear wheel, so they can be a bit snatchy on road.
So maybe think about that venerable off roader, the Suzuki DRZ400? Twice the oil capacity, big filter, c. 33hp not 50 or so that the competition bikes make, so much less stressed overall. Still need to do some spannering, but much less than the competition spec bikes, ie KTMs, Huskys, CRFs etc.
Also, endure bike tyres on the road are quite dubious! Knobblies that work well off road, are a bit s
t on it, and road use knackers them for off road also. So you end up running more dual purpose tyres, which will be har work off road on a 50hp bike! So a DRZ is maybe the sort of thing you are looking for. Even an older XR400 , or if you fancy a cult bike, an XR650. Bit of a beast, but great on the road. Then it may be worth thinking of a 660 tenere Yamaha etc.
Edited by poo at Paul's on Sunday 3rd December 19:49
Was the original plan a 250L? If so, a proper enduro is going to be worlds apart. If you were never looking at the L, fair enough.
Just realised you were after the 250L on the other thread - you can take an L (and people do) and ride it round the world without much bother. An endro bike is a bit different in terms of stuff you need to stay on top of.
Just realised you were after the 250L on the other thread - you can take an L (and people do) and ride it round the world without much bother. An endro bike is a bit different in terms of stuff you need to stay on top of.
Edited by Tiggsy on Sunday 3rd December 19:53
poo at Paul's said:
Search a CRF450X model, which is the Enduro model and loads about road reg'd. And a 2017 one is the same bike as a 2014 model, which is basically the same as the 2008 model CRF motocrosser, no bad thing, it took Honda about 5 years to better the 08 model in the MX range.
Having said all this, if it is 90% road, you need to condsifed maybe a more "road friendly" off roader or dual purpose bike. The CRF and all the compettion style bikes carry less than a litre of oil, so oil changes are very frequent! My CRF X that I raced for three seasons had oil changes every 10 hours. A piston "officallly" is needed every 50 hours, (although most people run 150 to 200 hours on them). No cush drive on the rear wheel, so they can be a bit snatchy on road.
So maybe think about that venerable off roader, the Suzuki DRZ400? Twice the oil capacity, big filter, c. 33hp not 50 or so that the competition bikes make, so much less stressed overall. Still need to do some spannering, but much less than the competition spec bikes, ie KTMs, Huskys, CRFs etc.
Also, endure bike tyres on the road are quite dubious! Knobblies that work well off road, are a bit st on it, and road use knackers them for off road also. So you end up running more dual purpose tyres, which will be har work off road on a 50hp bike!
So a DRZ is maybe the sort of thing you are looking for. Even an older XR400 , or if you fancy a cult bike, an XR650. Bit of a beast, but great on the road. Then it may be worth thinking of a 660 tenere Yamaha etc.
Great points . Having said all this, if it is 90% road, you need to condsifed maybe a more "road friendly" off roader or dual purpose bike. The CRF and all the compettion style bikes carry less than a litre of oil, so oil changes are very frequent! My CRF X that I raced for three seasons had oil changes every 10 hours. A piston "officallly" is needed every 50 hours, (although most people run 150 to 200 hours on them). No cush drive on the rear wheel, so they can be a bit snatchy on road.
So maybe think about that venerable off roader, the Suzuki DRZ400? Twice the oil capacity, big filter, c. 33hp not 50 or so that the competition bikes make, so much less stressed overall. Still need to do some spannering, but much less than the competition spec bikes, ie KTMs, Huskys, CRFs etc.
Also, endure bike tyres on the road are quite dubious! Knobblies that work well off road, are a bit s
t on it, and road use knackers them for off road also. So you end up running more dual purpose tyres, which will be har work off road on a 50hp bike! So a DRZ is maybe the sort of thing you are looking for. Even an older XR400 , or if you fancy a cult bike, an XR650. Bit of a beast, but great on the road. Then it may be worth thinking of a 660 tenere Yamaha etc.
Edited by poo at Paul's on Sunday 3rd December 19:49
The bike will not get tons of use as it’ll be kept in a garage at a coastal flat for use when I’m there and to wizz about with my lad so I need it to be reliable and not have to faff about with it before getting out and riding it .
I did look at the original 600 Tenere for pure cult value but thoughts turned to having something a bit more modern .
It’s gotta be 4 stroke are my thoughts so I’ll check out the DR400 too plus the others you mention.
Lots to contemplate .
The 250 I love the idea and looks of and all reports are great other than coming from big race bikes im concerned the power will be an issue , who knows really
Tiggsy said:
Was the original plan a 250L? If so, a proper enduro is going to be worlds apart. If you were never looking at the L, fair enough.
Just realised you were after the 250L on the other thread - you can take an L (and people do) and ride it round the world without much bother. An endro bike is a bit different in terms of stuff you need to stay on top of.
Yes mate good points need it to be reliable and I'm not much use with a spanner Just realised you were after the 250L on the other thread - you can take an L (and people do) and ride it round the world without much bother. An endro bike is a bit different in terms of stuff you need to stay on top of.
Edited by Tiggsy on Sunday 3rd December 19:53
I was talking to a dealer about a Husqvarna 701 supermoto the other day and he very briefly tried to steer me towards a Honda CRF450 with supermoto kit but when I explained that I'd be using the bike for regular commuting he told me to forget the Honda and go Husky but ignore the 6,000 mile oil changes and do them every 1.5~2k
If you want to take a pillion, you done want a 450 competition endure style bike! You'll struggle to keep the front down and yourself hanging on as it is! Plus no pillion pegs.
I'd look at the smaller "adventure" style bikes for what you describe, XT660 s, even the KTM Duke with some dual sport tyres on it. The newer 2008 on Tenere 660 is cheap, reliable and pretty decent for buzzing about on.
I'd look at the smaller "adventure" style bikes for what you describe, XT660 s, even the KTM Duke with some dual sport tyres on it. The newer 2008 on Tenere 660 is cheap, reliable and pretty decent for buzzing about on.
Tango13 said:
I was talking to a dealer about a Husqvarna 701 supermoto the other day and he very briefly tried to steer me towards a Honda CRF450 with supermoto kit but when I explained that I'd be using the bike for regular commuting he told me to forget the Honda and go Husky but ignore the 6,000 mile oil changes and do them every 1.5~2k
Why change oil so often?? KTM 690 Enduro R is basically the same - mine drank oil at a rate of 750 ml/1,000 miles, so the oil was constantly changed. It had Metzler Sahara 3 OEM tyres, which were great in everything except really deep mud. Excellent on tarmac. I would have another of these, or the Husky equivalent, in a heartbeat.OP, apart from the L model CRF, the rest are competition machines - from experience, they are not nice on the road. The same goes with the smaller Huskys.
The bigger Huskys are KTM Duke/SM derived - these are road bikes with longer service intervals and better transmissions for day to day use on the road.
I don't mean to sound patronising but I guess you are new to bikes/off road bikes? As a general, very simple rule of thumb, for what you are using the bike for, if it's sold with indicators & mirrors from the dealer, it will be more suited for your needs (there are exceptions to this, I know, I've got one).
Like suggested above, the CRF250L is fine, so is the DRZ400 albeit most are a few years old. The 701 Husky is a great bigger/newer version of both of these but again, it will still need more care than something like a 650Versys.
The bigger Huskys are KTM Duke/SM derived - these are road bikes with longer service intervals and better transmissions for day to day use on the road.
I don't mean to sound patronising but I guess you are new to bikes/off road bikes? As a general, very simple rule of thumb, for what you are using the bike for, if it's sold with indicators & mirrors from the dealer, it will be more suited for your needs (there are exceptions to this, I know, I've got one).
Like suggested above, the CRF250L is fine, so is the DRZ400 albeit most are a few years old. The 701 Husky is a great bigger/newer version of both of these but again, it will still need more care than something like a 650Versys.
I have a soft spot for Husqvarna’s, had two and test rode another for a friend who ended up buying it only last week. Albeit all my experiences have been Supermotos, but I’d buy another in a heartbeat. They’re great bikes and well put together, but probably not much difference over a CRF, YZF etc.
I can recommend the older 570 engined bikes (absolutely fking savage things) and the 510 I rode last week, both fantastic machines. Just keep them well maintained and you shouldn’t have any huge dramas.
I can recommend the older 570 engined bikes (absolutely f
king savage things) and the 510 I rode last week, both fantastic machines. Just keep them well maintained and you shouldn’t have any huge dramas. graham22 said:
OP, apart from the L model CRF, the rest are competition machines - from experience, they are not nice on the road. The same goes with the smaller Huskys.
The bigger Huskys are KTM Duke/SM derived - these are road bikes with longer service intervals and better transmissions for day to day use on the road.
I don't mean to sound patronising but I guess you are new to bikes/off road bikes? As a general, very simple rule of thumb, for what you are using the bike for, if it's sold with indicators & mirrors from the dealer, it will be more suited for your needs (there are exceptions to this, I know, I've got one).
Like suggested above, the CRF250L is fine, so is the DRZ400 albeit most are a few years old. The 701 Husky is a great bigger/newer version of both of these but again, it will still need more care than something like a 650Versys.
Tks.The bigger Huskys are KTM Duke/SM derived - these are road bikes with longer service intervals and better transmissions for day to day use on the road.
I don't mean to sound patronising but I guess you are new to bikes/off road bikes? As a general, very simple rule of thumb, for what you are using the bike for, if it's sold with indicators & mirrors from the dealer, it will be more suited for your needs (there are exceptions to this, I know, I've got one).
Like suggested above, the CRF250L is fine, so is the DRZ400 albeit most are a few years old. The 701 Husky is a great bigger/newer version of both of these but again, it will still need more care than something like a 650Versys.
How about something like these this with or without nobbly tyres?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-DRZ400SM-2006-FU...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-suzuki-drz400-e-12...
FocusRS3 said:
Tks.
How about something like these this with or without nobbly tyres?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-DRZ400SM-2006-FU...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-suzuki-drz400-e-12...
Both of these are 12+ years old. I did look at the prices of CRF250Ls after replying on your other thread and thought how good value they were, personally I'd rather a 2/3 year old CRF over a DRZ of these ages.How about something like these this with or without nobbly tyres?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-DRZ400SM-2006-FU...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-suzuki-drz400-e-12...
Don't get me wrong, the DRZ is a great bike but when it comes to the ££ the newer CRF make sense.
graham22 said:
Both of these are 12+ years old. I did look at the prices of CRF250Ls after replying on your other thread and thought how good value they were, personally I'd rather a 2/3 year old CRF over a DRZ of these ages.
Don't get me wrong, the DRZ is a great bike but when it comes to the ££ the newer CRF make sense.
Yes point taken. Don't get me wrong, the DRZ is a great bike but when it comes to the ££ the newer CRF make sense.
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