The death of the 70 degree Husaberg FE570 saw much gnashing of teeth, rending of garments and crying into the night. I have foolishly just sold my FE570 so dedicate this video tribute in memory of the FE570 - last of the true big bore dirt bikes. :-( This bike test is going to be something a bit different to what you may be accustomed to. I’ve just spent hours on a machine that in my opinion is one of the great dirt bikes of the modern era, and I want to talk about the ride it delivers, not the angle of the dangle or length of a lug. You see, regardless of its entirely modern engineering, the Husaberg FE570 is all about the on-bike experience, not just the things that make it possible. We’ve covered the latter before and so have 42,000 websites and 12,000 magazines. They might feel a bit over the top if you haven’t tried them before, but once you’re used to them it’s then difficult to appreciate any other system. ‘Bar raisers might be needed for taller riders and handguards aren’t standard. Another note of caution is that besides the simple stuff, this isn’t the easiest bike to work on. The tank is fiddly to remove and the rocker covers reside within very little real estate. Not something you’d be mucking about with much, but time consuming all the same. The Husaberg FE570 is greater than the sum of its parts and as far as I’m concerned, as long as those parts are working I don’t give a rat’s which way they pointed and how fast they spun. You may remember I raved about the Husaberg FE 390 last year. That bike simply blew me away; it’s the best four-stroke I’ve ridden. The thing is, I didn’t really gel with its big brother, the Husaberg FE570. I wondered if it was a case of the bigger the ‘Berg, the less I liked it. I was way off. Husaberg is in an interesting position. Australia is its biggest market, but you rarely hear the name mentioned as a prospective purchase. The usual suspects remain at the top of that enduro list in Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna and Honda (though less so these days). The Neken ‘bars are wide so KTM and Sherco riders will feel at home, while the switchblocks are identical to those used by KTM. We’d recommend removing the left-side block and freeing up some space for the clutch lever. It houses the horn button and blinkers, which should all be ditched before hitting any serious trails anyway. The Husaberg FE570’s shroud decals are injection-moulded, which is one of the best ideas we’ve seen for a long time. Stickers don’t last long and they cost a fortune to replace. The seat comes off by pulling a plastic ring at the rear, which then reveals the air filter and the EFI’s brain. The air filter is the easiest to work with in the known universe and it sits in a translucent tank. The braking is handled by Brembo and they’re brilliant. But make no mistake, the Husaberg is a better bike to ride than any of the others. Husaberg is making the best four-stroke enduro bikes in the world today. They look different and they feel different, but they’re better. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that Husaberg is the only manufacturer (with the exception of BMW) to make any sort of major design leap in the enduro market for a bunch of years. The FE 570 isn’t overly thin. It feels like a cross between the KTM 450 EXC-F and BMW’s G 450 X. The ‘pegs feel a little high and the ‘bars a little low. The seat is comfortable and you can get well forward before your best mates start getting cosy with the fuel cap.
26 май 2014
