With over 100 years of manufacturing experience, Husqvarna has the know-how to build a competitive machine, from beginning to end. Just ask Travis Preston, winner of the 2001 Houston Supercross 125 Main Event

Agile enough to power slide...

What many US racers don't realize is how strong the Husqvarna name is overseas. Or do they realize how dominant the European off-road racers are. As I mentioned in the prequel article, Stephan Merriman is most likely the fastest off-road racer in the world. For Americans, it is hard to believe that there is someone out there more talented than someone like Rodney Smith, Steve Hatch, Ty Davis, Destry Abbott, etc. I'm sure its more of an issue than raw talent, but we won't go into the details. By the way, Stephan Merriman rides a Husqvarna.

Now Its Our Turn

We picked up the bike, and brought it back to our Las Vegas office to start the numerous days of testing. At first glance, the Husky most definitely has a different appearance, from the shroud design to the unique yellow and blue color.

Our plan was to test and evaluate the bike, in as many different settings as were available in our area. Of course, that means a lot of rocks, dust and more rocks. Actually, there are places in the area, where one can ride right up to the snow.

The Husky works best when the trails have a slolam-like rthym.

Before we were about to render the bike "used", we shot our static photos, to get them out of the way. At this point, I hadn't even started the machine yet. Believe it or not....it fired on the first kick. The curved kickstarter requires adaptation, but as long as you start the kick at the top of the stroke, it will fire right up.

Testing Grounds

Personally, I had quite a few different experiences on the WR 360. One Saturday morning, I set out with a local desert racer friend of mine that has lived in the valley for well over 10 years; he knows the area very well. The morning was a little gloomy, and cool, perfect jetting conditions for the Husky. The trail begins through a very rough and extremely rocky section of desert, before we arrive at some fast, top gear washes. The biked reacted quite well in the constant clatter of rocks, mildly twitching from straight to straight. With only weighing 160 lbs. with gear, it is sometimes difficult for me to dial in suspension.

We eventually worked our way up to an elevation of tight pine trees and brush, actually becoming stuck in a canyon, while being bombarded with snow. Scott and I hunted around the canyon to find an escape route, which was finally found after 20 minutes of searching. The motor's smooth, dependable pull from the bottom was vital when facing a sudden, giant uphill.

To the Specifics

What's New:

There were no major changes made to the engine, other than jetting. The significant changes were made to the frame and suspension.

The steering head was stiffened and enlarged, as well as raised slightly (12mm). The steering angle was pulled in a hair -1 degree. The purpose for these changes was to raise the handle bar position for roomier ergonomics, quicken the steering a little, while not sacrificing the good stability. The shock was greatly revised as well as
the linkage.

The Detailed Opinions - Here's What Our Test Riders Thought

Husky Support Guy, Dana VanStee, noticed that the further up on the seat he was, the better the bike turned.

Motor: 348cc's of smooth power. We were surprised to learn that the motor was smooth and un-intimidating. Bottom to mid is the bike's strength, with a solid pull right off idle. That being said, the Husky motor does lack top end rev. Once the motor has peaked in the rpm curve of a specific gear, thats it. But once that happens, shift up and the bike will pull. The 360 would fit best in the east, where the smooth grunt of the motor would pull your arms off from tree to tree.

The ORC staff had to jet Mikuni TMX down quite a bit in the main and the needle, but once we got it dialed, the bike had a crisp, "open bike" bark. The WR360 preferred a mix of race gas with 92 octane pump gas, just as most bikes do. We suggest investing in an aftermarket silencer, to bring out some more top end that the machine is lacking.

Forks: The front of the bike is suspended via Marzocchi 45mm inverted forks with adjustable rebound and compression dampning.

This we felt that this is the weak spot of the Husky, in stock form. Our testing grounds mostly consisted of fast, rough terrain, in which the forks seemed rigid and twitchy. Bottoming was not the problem, though, at all. Not once did we slam the forks metal to metal. The ORC test riders definitely felt that we did not do enough testing and tuning on the suspension as a whole, all though. Most of us ran the compression in the mid range of adjustment; oddly enough, the softer we tried to go, the worse the action. Typically, this problem can be attributed to the rear shock, also, which we all agreed that worked well.

Suspension worked well for moderate, high speed kickers.

You will definitely want to take some time to test and tune, to make the forks work best for you, meaning alter the oil weight, levels and spring rate. The harder and faster the terrain was hit, the better the forks worked. They have great bottoming resistance, but too great, we think (for the most part, we did not even use the last 3 inches of fork travel!).

Shock: Husqvarna chose the Sachs Progressive "Soft-damp" with hydraulic single shock absorber; spring preload, Hi and Lo speed compression and                                               rebound stroke adjustment.

The rear end of the bike seemed to work relatively well. With the Hi and Lo speed compression damping adjustments, we could really get the personal tuning close or spot on to our liking. When exiting a rough corner, the 360 sometimes had difficulty staying true and straight. Once we set the sag at a solid four inches, the manners of the bike smoothed out some of the awkward instability.

Ergonomics: Every rider is different, yet the Husqvana seemed to suit each of our test guys' styles. After rolling the stock steel bar slightly forward, just past center, the rider compartment opened up immensely. There were no problems with the seat/tank/shroud juncture as some other manufacturers have. Of course, we would have liked to see aluminum bars as stock equipment, but few companies go that route. The handlebar height to footpeg placement relationship was roomy enough for each of us, not cramped like the Yamahas can be.

Clutch: Not too much to say in this department: The clutch pull is hard, if you're used to either a hydraulic clutch, or a mechanical clutch of a 250. After lubing the cable, friction was reduced somewhat. Once on the bike, the clutch pull goes relatively un-noticed. Even after motoing in the sand whoops of Adelanto, the clutch did not fade.

Brakes: The company Brembo is employed both front and rear in the brake department. Without even bleeding, both front and rear worked just as they should. The Brembo front brakes can be a little touchy, but no complaints were made. A nice touch to the rear brake set up, is the ride height adjustability of the pedal.

It was only 102 on our last test day....with many elevation changes, the jetting stayed clean.

Details: Overall, as we spent time with the Husky in our shop, certain details stick out some good, some bad. When it came time to clean the air filter, the seat was off in seconds. Popping off the front wheel assembly is also a quick job. Of course, like almost every bike, spark plug changes aren't the easiest. In addition to the previous, the tank should be removed to do any jetting.....but again, that is the case with almost any bike.

So what did we think? It all depends on what you're looking for in a bike, and what type of riding you do. We aren't going to tell you that this would be the best bike or the worst bike; our purpose is to just give our opinion, in hopes that it will convey a better idea of how the bike would suit you.

Kevin Gorzny