2010 Husaberg FE390 review

First off let me give you some background. I'm 44, been riding constantly since 6th grade and put on a LOT of miles. I work in the industry so I get to ride a lot of bikes. I like the different stuff, mostly from Europe and have been a Husky head for years. Never really cared for KTM's, i know they are great bikes but just don't do it for me for some reason. Last year i was invited to a private demo of the then all new FE450 and FE570. Having never ridden any Berg i was really interested in this new design. What I was not ready for was how good those bikes were. I was bracing myself for amazing handling (which they have) but was initially taken back but the motors and the amazing EFI controlling it. I have been dreaming about them ever since. Ridden them several times since.

Flash forward a year and Jeff (from Taskys where i bought my last 6 bikes because they rule) calls me and says "I have a 2010 390 Berg Demo bike here you need to try. Turns out i was headed out for an annual 4 day ride trip and he said take it. Cool, a real world ride test in my favorite ride area. NICE.

1st ride:

I took it up one afternoon to a local ride area to get a feel for her. Was alone and had time to get used to the bike. After about 5 miles i was giggling uncontrollably in my helmet. The motor, like the 450 and 570 is amazing. The EFI ridiculously good metered fuel perfectly. the handling was very good, felt light in from like a 2 smoke and turns predictably. It does have a different feel and for some takes a little adjustment to get used to. For others like buddy Jake it was immediately EZ to turn and feel right at home on. So after my 30 mile shakedown ride i was calculating who many of my trusty steeds i need to sell to acquire one. It was that good.

the real test...

So I load the bike up and head out to my favorite ride area between Mt. Adams and Mt, Saint Helens in Washington State. This area has long single track trails, some quite technical and fun. I love riding here and have ridden many a bike. I went to a "play day" event a local club does for it's members yearly. Cool people, great friends, awesome place to ride. The perfect setting for this bike.

The first day is a ride with long time friend Adam who owns a 07 WR250 2st husky. Nicely setup bike with a rekluse, damper. LTR suspension etc. We ride a cool trail system that is semi technical and fun with lots of elevation changes, rocks, roots and river crossings. We trade off at one point and his WR feels heavier. It is slightly lighter but does not feel it. It does have a huge IMS tank on it and was full so it did add tot he sensation. Adam LOVED the bike. Felt right at home on it instantly which is odd for him. We both took turns arguing over who would ride it. :>) His WR is a very good bike. the Berg shined and we both LOVED it.

the next day was the "event" a super fun day with an official start time and short "enduro cross" like start. 85 miles of technical single track and great friends.

so what did i think of the bike after 3 days and 200 miles?

Fit and finish:

Fit and finish on this bike is very nice. Everything in it's place and well looks well designed. It uses a lot of toques fasteners which my 09 KTM200 riding buddy says are actually really nice once you get used to the idea. I did no maintenance on the bike as it was new so i have no idea or input on how that might be as a long term owner. Seems like everything is obvious and EZ to get to.

Ergonomics:

Unlike most KTM's this bike fits me very well. I slightly prefer my huskys but then again i have a lot of miles on huskys. the bike seemed to fit a variety of rider sizes. One A enduro rider that tried it liked the bike but said "feels like your typical Euro bike, you sit on top instead of in it" Makes sense and he is right. He is a short guy and rides a Yamaha and those site lower and you feel in the saddle in them. The bike is a little tall, I am 6 foot averaged sized guy and i had no issues with it but I am used to tall huskys and like lanky setups.

Handling:

The motor layout does in fact come with a new feel. Some were a little taken back by it and some felt instantly at home on it. To me it feel lighter at the bars / front end than any other 4 stroke. Feels very 2 stroke like in this regard. At first it can be slightly unnerving and the front end can feel like it might wash out. After a few miles the sensation goes away and you realise this bike likes to turn. Took me about 10 miles to get over the feel and fall in love with the cornering manners. Fells light and flicable.

Suspension:

since my FE450/570 experience last year I still don't understand why i really like the Berg but not KTM's. Seems the suspension is virtually the same. maybe it is the motor placement, the frame, the geometry. what ever it is i find the stock suspension pretty darn good for a stock bike. Swallows roots and rocks very well. Stays planted and drive straight through the nasties. Never experienced the KTM kick from the rear and seemed very competent on the rough slow stuff or the fast whooped stuff alike. Very confidence inspiring and controlled.

Motor:

I purposely saved the best for last. As good as the light feel, nice suspension and turning manners are the motor steels the show. EVERYONE who rode it instantly commented on how good it was. This motor displacement with that fantastic EFI is amazing. I ran it on the advanced map the whole time. It spools up quick and is VERY responsive yet never gets out of control. it will pull uphill a gear or two high until you can count the revolutions and crack the throttle and it just pulls smoothly away. I am currently on a 09 WR125, had a 08 TXC450 before that and a TC300 (kitted 250) before that. I like all sizes. i always thought 350 would be the perfect displacement for a 4 stroke woods bike. Turns out 390 with EFI is. I just can't say enough about the motor. super flexible, lots of power but does not wear on you like a 450. It just feels like the perfect amount and quality of power. i really like the 250F on steroids feel. Sippy yet quite powerful without beating you up with to much power. It is PERFECT to me.

Transmission:

Very nicely spaced 6 speed gear box has a nice low 1st and perfect spacing to a very tall 6th. This would be a very good DS bike. will do 80 mph no problem and climb the nastiest hill without issue. A very good gear box. that said my one gripe with an otherwise near perfect package is the clunky shifting. I found it kind of notchy and hard to find neutral some times. it's far from horrible just noticeable because the rest of the package is so polished. Maybe it will loosen up. Maybe not. It's not a big deal just not perfect.

Summery:

I love this bike. Light feel, great suspension, excellent turning, amazing power. Whats not to like. Well OK. the prices are a little shocking but IMHO you really are paying for the cool new tech and fortunately in this case it flat works. the bike is extremely well balanced in every major department. For more open stuff the 450 would be better as power rules. The 570 is a rocket ship. This 390 IMHO is the right bike for woods riding where you spend a majority of time in 1-3 gear. Like i said, i ride a lot of bikes and love many of them. This bike really is very good and to those with the $$$ to land one i don't think you could be disappointed. The 390 for tighter woods work, the 450 for DS and an array of riding and the 570 for going faster than anyone needs to. Husaberg hit the nail on the head for me with the 390. It is different enough from the 450 to make it viable. Feels like a SUPER strong 250F. One of the bast balanced and usable bikes i have ridden.

Next up 2010 TXC250 husky with the super light EFI motor. The fun continues.

Thanks for the write up:thumbsup:

Excellent report.

nice report, thanks.  You mention DS,  are the bergs plateable ,do they have anything factory for DOT eqpt.

awesome, thanks soo much! Great read indeed, thanks again

Sethro

Nice write up,still flip flopping between the 390 and the new 400exc think your report will do it, just flopped again.

Wow that's incredible, the trail that is. The bike is cool too. Thanks for the report:thumbsup:

Great review and fantastic looking riding area! Couple of questions:

How does the new low fuel level warning light work?  Since the tank is black you can no longer see how much fuel is in there.

Does the suspension have the same spring rates and bascially "feel" the same as the FE450?  There was some talk of the valving and springing being a little softer on the FE390 compared to the FE450

Can you notice any turning or stability difference with the new 22mm triple clamps compared to the 19mm 09 clamps?

Can you notice much difference in the EFI maps from soft to full power settings?

Did you decide to buy one?

love your work

Very nice and detailed report thanks for taking the time to do so.  Hey I know what you mean about the KTM's ride/feel my son has two; 08 SX450 and 08 SX505 and I can't get along with either bike.  Glad the Berg feels better.     Great work and can't wait to read your TXC 250 ride, thanks.

I don’t know how it feels the 390, but the 450 in the end it’s just a 450, regardless of the cylinder position. It’s big end heavy when braking and cornering. That BS that it’s like a big 250f it’s the biggest marketing lie. I make a comparison side by side with my 300f and the 300f feel like a 2T compared to the 450.
Sorry but I don’t expect the 390 from the points of view I named earlier to be much different, in the end is the same bike just a little down sized.
More so when you are stopped and you have to push it or take it by the fender to change the position, for hard enduro you have to be a power lifter….
Hope that Husa will come out with the 250 like it was a rumor, then we can talk about a real woods bike.

highmarker said:

In some states you can get a plate but they do not come factory legal. They do have some nice switch gear.

mxengineer4 said:

I have seen it come on on the 450 but this bike it never did. We did a 84 mile loop but there was gas at 40 some miles. I got 32 mpg with it in technical 1-3 gear stuff they is steep!!! That means the stock 2.25 gallon tank is good for about 70 miles.

mxengineer4 said:

Feels about the same as the 450 to me, maybe slightly lighter sprung. I'm probably 220 or so with all my stuff (water, tools, etc.) and I really liked the suspension. I usually am the guy twisting clickers all day in search of the optimum settings, this bike I felt no need and just rode it. I did back off the high speed comp on the rear when i got it to deal better with the rocks and root.

- When i picked it up it was taking laps at a private test track with Lance Smail at the helm.

mxengineer4 said:

Yes, it is slightly more stable. Still slightly twitchy IMHO.

mxengineer4 said:

Yes, between the advanced and soft is very noticeable. The soft would be excellent in the mud and slick clay. The standard and advanced felt about the same. I left it in the advanced all the time.

floting said:

Have you ridden one? I have done several demo days with 30 plus riders and that is almost always the reaction "feels like a 2 stroke". I think it is that the weight distribution takes away the heavy at the bars feeling. It certainly does not feel like your traditional 4 stroke. I had a 260 pound 08 TXC450 last year and this year I am on a 215 pound 09 WR125, i think i know what bikes weigh and feel like. I ride LOTS of bikes. In the last few months i have ridden WR125, TXC450, TXC250, TE250, TXC510, WR250 yami, KTM450, GG300, GG250, WR250 husky, KTM200, ATK 406, ATK 490, SM610, VTR1000, v-Strom 650, KTM250F, and I;m sure there is more. I think i have a good feel for bikes.

The bike is 250 pounds and does in fact feel a little heavy lifting onto the stand. It is a big bore 4 stroke with e-start. When riding it back to back with other bikes it is obvious that motor layout or some magic dust is making this bike ride much lighter on the trail than other 4 strokes i have tried. No it does not feel like a CRF250 on the trail but it also does not feel like a KTM450.

You forgot to mention these bikes sound test under 90 db, and still make great power.

the berg looks right at home in the north woods,,,how about in rides garage???????
I neeed to ride one,, thanks for the report, R

ktm300 said:

Your right, it is very quite but make very good power :thumbsup:Never pops on deceleration ether.

I rode Shane Cuthbertson's personal Husaberg FE 450 this summer(he just placed 9th in Romaniacs).

I thought the bike felt very light at the bars, steering felt very 2 stroke like. As long as you are moving along nicely and not using to much "force" to try and muscle it around, cause the weight still exists, and in some situations it is not there (rolling along a nice trail with some rhythm), and in other stuations (push, pull and drag) it is there.

Lifting it feels very heavy, due to the motor being closer to the lift point as opposed to pivoting that weight off the front wheel as you hike the back end onto your hip to lift it out of a mud hole.

Overall, I agree with the comments that Ride made in his excellent review.  Yes the bike still weighs about the same as some other 4 strokes, but in most case it did feel lighter to me.

I personally feel that (what I call) the new generation of 4 strokes, with better mass centralization reallly do feel lighter than the "old school" thumpers.  The New Honda CRF450r, the Husabergs, the BMW G450x all feel lighter than they should feel, I bet that the new Yamaha yZ450 will also join this club!!

Thanks for the great review, that took a lot of time to write it, and many people want real world info from an experianced rider on this rare bike!!!

What's more impressive to me is that everyone that tried the bike absolutely loved the suspension and KTM still didn't get it right.

Either geometries and angles are basic to make WP stuff work or test bikes have some valving work.