There is so much bad press and speculation / crap info out there on this bike. Lots seem to just want to hate it because of the obvious BMW influence and Taiwanese motor. Mags seems to struggle to understand a bike that is flat EZ to ride fast. I personally do not get the haters and speculators but am finding everyone who rides mine LOVES it, and everyone who has bought one LOVES it and finds it s step forward. I compiled a few quotes from a few sites from real paying customers. I just thought the bike needed a fair shake from REAL customers. None of these are mine...

"This is the most satisfying dirt bike I have had in the last 20 years. I love the leap in concept and techology."


"Took it out again today. Concentrated on single trails today. This bike will chug and lug through anything. I can literally let this bike idle and lug me through tough, rocky stuff with an occasional blip of the throttle. I can't overstate how light this bike feels while it's in motion. I really love this bike. It seems to do everything well."


"Amazing how light the bike feels. It is so smooth and the suspension works so well you don't even know your going so fast. I love this bike. I can't believe how EZ it is to rail the tight stuff."


"I am parking my 2011 GG 250 and racing my TE449 in a real enduro next weekend. I havent had a chance to get mine on some real trails yet but just messing around, it feels really good. I have to admit, it feels better than I thought it would."


"I got to take the new 449 on a great 30 mile ride in a variety of conditions including tight rocky, rooty, rutty single trails, fire roads, rail beds, coal banks, and transition roads. The first, and most pleasant discovery is the flawless EFI and electric, perfectly predictable power delivery. What a great motor!
As has been discussed by others, the bike handles and feels a lot lighter than it is. I was expecting a wrestling match in the tight stuff, especially in the watermellon sized rocks. The 449 plowed through all of it, firmly planted and predictable. I was fully prepared to feel "beat up" and tired after riding, but I was pleasantly surprised."


"i rode Kelly's 511 today at hood river, varied connditions of trails, slick, rocky, hills ruts etc..... the bike is way better than even he can explain, the engine is magical and the suspension is just about as good as you can get. If i was purchasing a ds the 511 would be it hands down. It's that good. "

________________________


If you have any interest in this bike at all do yourself a favor and go bum a ride on one. It is a fantastic bike that is unfortunately saddled with misconceptions. Your missing out by not looking at this model. I have two friends currently looking into buying one after riding mine. Don't miss out on an amazing motorcycle.

Ride said:

Who is trashing it? What I have seen in Dirt Bike and Dirt Rider was pretty positive. I read that Cycle World didn't like it, but that is a good thing.

I don't recall reading anything trashing this bike, or the BMW G450X. That doesn't mean everybody loves it, or that they beat out all their competition.

I'm reasonably confident that this will be a new era for Husky, provided BMW doesn't just fix it up and sell it. Will they become a KTM, nobody knows.

Tony Williams said:

I hope not a ktm. :bonk:

where did you get the gasgas quote? I really wanna know more about the gasgas vs the bmw

MegaDeTH said:

ScottyR. He is a dealer in Canada. Just bought the GG and then got the 449. Posted on the other husky site.

5th post is also from an owner of a 2011 GG300 but is not replacing the GG just adding to the stable.

yanni23 said:

pretty EZ to ignore if you don't want the info. As I get countless Emails, calls and PM's it seems some are interested. Not a lot of real world experience out there on this bike so just trying to keep people informed on the husky site about a new husky.

yanni23 said:

Sorry you feel that way. Neither is the truth. Not insecure, not at all, nor is anyone going to make lots of money off this bike. It really needs very little, pretty much nothing, much less than most. Just excited about a new husky model and there is little info out there. what wrong with "cheerleading" in a husky forum about huskys that many of us seem to like? Seems the right place to do it. Sorry if it offends you to post positive stuff about a new husky offering in the husky forum. Yes, i like huskys a lot, thats why I come here. Feel free to ignore me.

Lots of my posts on this bike are informational like the MT43 tires and cutting the CAT out / EFI settings, oil change procedures, air filter cleaning, etc. Lots are direct responses to questions. There is very little info out there so I thought I was adding to the forum.

yanni23 said:

I reposted others comments from other forums to the point that it just not me.

I just got done reading the "I love my Beta" post in the exotic forum and liked that everyone was allowed to say they loved the bike without being called out for something. Buying a bike, especially a expensive unknown is personal and risky so yeah, i am happy and excited the bike turned out to be real good and not the huge turd it could have been.

yanni23 said:

Buy one, then comment. Until then... shut up. :bonk:

yanni23 said:

OK, got it worn out my welcome. Whatever. Disappointing.

yanni23 said:

Yep, I got one of those. A 2011. It's already falling apart. HAPPY GREEN Yanni. Happy green. I hope all your GREEN dreams come true.

Douche bag! What was the point of that? The 511 feels loads lighter than my 08 450 exc-r and my buddies 530. Them's the FACT'S boys. I own 2 ktm's, the Huskies styling is really not my cup of tea but the Huskabeamer is a winner in my book:thumbsup:

The new 449 and 511 are great bikes.

Lets move on. :thumbsup:

I love my new TE449 because:

1) It's got everything I need right out of the crate. Change gearing depending on whether Im heading to the desert or the woods, and that is it.

2) It want's to be ridden the way I like to ride........heavy on the front end. As much as I tried yesterday, I could not get the front tire to push, let alone tuck, and in situation that would have landed me on my head on my YZ250.

3) deceptively fast. This bike generates speed at an alarming rate. It takes some getting used to for sure, and it's so smooth and quiet that you dont realize how fast your going until you blow right through the corner and have to use the power and incredible traction to make up for it on the exit.

4) CST.....no smoke and mirrors here, it works!

Did I buy a first year of a new model? Well yes and no, BMW did all of the leg work in the previous 3 years as far as the motor is concerned, they also determined what suspension components did not work, and Husky did not reuse those or the chassis. Will there be problems along the way, maybe, but none that concern me to the point that I did not spend my hard earned money on this bike, and I would certainly recommend it to anyone that is looking for the perfect all around bike.

I have a friend planning on upgrading from a 525 to a TE511 in the next month, after only a few minutes on my bike over the weekend, and he has been on KTM's for a long time.

yanni23 said:

Do you ever get that not so fresh feeling?

this is a great thread as i too am considering a new husky to replace my DRZ - what is the maintenance like?

how often do you do an oil change?
how often do you do valve clearances?
is this bike suitable for a short commute no faster then 60-80km/h
no longer then 20min?

thanks

09drz400e said:

Changing oil on a dirt bike really doesn't become a brand specific thing. If it's really dirty / dusty, you'll change the oil more than if it's not.

If you're really abusing the clutch (assuming a wet clutch like virtually all dirt bikes have), you'll need to change the oil more. If you're getting the engine hot, or otherwise working the engine hard, you'll change the oil more often.

If you're putting down the highway at 50, why do you want a Husky :p

Quote

I'm sure there's an official BMW/Husky interval, but it's probably best to ask the guys who have been riding this engine for the past 3 years as a BMW G450x. I'm not aware of any valve issues with the engine so far.

Quote

If that's all you're doing, keep the DRZ. If not, I'm sure it will do that just fine.

Tony Williams said:

i don't agree, dirt bikes are not all the same they each have their own idiosyncrasies its like saying all cars are the same etc etc.. to use an example a Subaru will require more frequent oil top-ups / checks than a Honda. from time to time it certainly can be a brand specific thing because they use proprietary components and have engineering differences. eg; the boxer engine can burn more oil.

Tony Williams said:

can i assume then 8-10 hourly intervals?

Tony Williams said:

a short, daily 15min commute to work and a 20min commute to my favorite riding spot.:thumbsup:

Tony Williams said:

sure - so 5000km valve checks then?

Tony Williams said:

like everyone else -time is not something i have allot of, therefore spending hours in the shed working on my bike is not a luxury i have - the DRZ is wonderfully low maintenance however a little on the boring side in the trails.
just thought i would get a few opinions from other people with similar expectations and requirements.


thank you.

Ride said:

I think the bike looks very nice. I am an old time husky rider 82' 430xc and have always liked them . Locally the husky dealer is not very supportive of the brand so I naturally moved elsewhere and the Beta worked out great for me. I see yamafreek got a 310 I believe and it looks great. I really like the styling of the husky and from what I know it has a good reputation.

Here's yamafreek:



:thumbsup::ride:

09drz400e said:

Well, I believe you will find that Subaru and Honda recommend similar intervals for oil changes for like vehicles.

Obviously, the Honda Jet (it's an airplane) would not share the same interval as a Honda car, or a Subaru car.

A Honda dirt bike, a Husky dirt bike, and a Subaru dirt bike (just around the corner, I'm sure) will all also have similar oil change intervals recommended by their respective manufacturers.

My point was that those recommendations don't take in all the considerations that you might use to determine what interval you should change oil. They're not brand specific.

8-10 hours is probably a good starting point, as you suggest. Adjust for specific conditions (dusty, heavy clutch, overheat, sat a long time, high moisture, etc).

On the valve checks.... gosh, I don't care what the manual may say for intervals; I'm probably going to check it within 100 miles, and then maybe 300, and if the valves are not changing, then maybe 1000. I doubt I'd ever go 5000. The big thing you're looking for is change. It's tough to catch that over such a long time without checking, particularly with engines that generally are going to require some heavy maintenance before 5000 miles.