Husqvarna TR650 2013 Review

The perception of the Husqvarna brand depends a lot on your motorcycle experience and your age. Those into and past their 40s can’t forget the brand’s starring role in the final segment of the iconic On Any Sunday movie, in which Steve McQueen, Malcolm Smith and Mert Lawwill roosted their Husky dirtbikes on a California beach. But for enthusiasts who are considerably younger, Husqvarna, in business since 1903, is a bit of an enigma. No, the company that makes Husky’s bikes (Husqvarna Motorcycles) doesn’t manufacture chain saws (Husqvarna AB) or sewing machines (VSM Group AB). The motorcycle division split from its Swedish roots when it was acquired by Cagiva in 1987, later becoming part of MV Agusta S.p.A. Then, in 2007, BMW bought...

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Posted in: Husqvarna Reviews,Motorcycle Reviews

Husqvarna TE250 2012 Review

When the subject of today’s high-performance 600cc supersport and 1000cc superbikes enter the discussion, you’ll often hear the exclamation, “it’s a race bike with lights!” In the dirt realm a similar declaration applies toward certain motorcycles’ often thinly veiled intentions versus their true calling.The 2012 Husqvarna TE250 dual-purpose machine is very much a serious off-roader first, and pavement-capable motorcycle second. This Husky is a dirt bike with a license plate, no doubt about it. And the company is refreshingly honest about the TE, saying it’s “designed for 90% dirt and 10% street.” Truth in advertising wins the day.Husqvarna (now a BMW property) has always been a brand dedicated to the dirt, with a strong racing heritage...

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Husqvarna Lineup 2012 Review

Husqvarna has been playing in the off-road shadows since its heyday in the late 1960s and early ’70s. But now with the might of BMW as parent company since 2007, the historic brand is making great strides in producing motorcycles that are competitive with its contemporary rivals. Spearheading the effort on these shores is Kris Odwarka, President of Husqvarna Motorcycles North America, a youthful and affable 49-year-old who was formerly the sales director at Alpina GmbH, a tuning company affiliated with BMW’s automotive group. Odwarka has worked for and around BMW for 20 years and was selected to head up Husky NA because of his extensive dirtbike background. He used to race Huskys in the late 1970s and is familiar with the brand’s...

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Husqvarna TXC i250F 2011 Review

Husqvarna designed its TXC line of four-strokes for North American-style cross-country racing, combining elements of the TC motocrossers with the TE dual-sport bikes. The TXCi 250F uses the fuel injected, electric-start TE engine, softer suspension settings and larger fuel tank. The resulting hybrid seems like a good idea on paper, but how does it compete with converted Japanese motocross bikes or the XC-F line from KTM? Over the past three months we’ve been riding our TXCi test bike at different locations, from singletrack to motocross to mountain trails to Endurocross to grass tracks, to find out. How fast is it? The carbureted motocross TC250F we tested last year was fun to ride but didn’t quite have the raw power to hang with...

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Posted in: Husqvarna Reviews,Motorcycle Reviews

Husqvarna TE 449 2011 Review

When BMW and Husqvarna joined forces a couple years ago nobody was really sure what the outcome would be. BMW had just released its G450X enduro bike, which received some poor reviews but was raced to success time and time again at the toughest enduro races in the world by the European BMW aces. Basically the engineering was sound, though the bike itself was overcomplicated and somewhat fussy to maintain. Husqvarna, on the other hand, has long held a reputation for building world-class enduro bikes that are exceptionally simple to maintain. The new Husqvarna TE449 looks to be the marriage of those two schools of thought; BMWs cutting-edge engineering and Husky’s simple yet effective execution.The TE449 retains the forward-canted BMW...

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Husqvarna TC 250 2010 Review

Husqvarna has been making motorcycles since 1903, winning championships in just about every discipline of racing since day one. It practically introduced motocross to North America in the 1960s and dominated all forms of dirt racing in the early to mid ‘70s before gradually fading.Company ownership changed hands, the dealer network faltered and manufacturing moved from Sweden to Italy. Things improved under the Italians, and success began to creep back on the track, if not in sales. Recently BMW bought Husqvarna, injecting cash and new life into the brand. These efforts are showcased across the entire Husqvarna product line but shine most brightly in the new TC 250.The TC 250 has the lightest weight of any bike in the 250cc thumper...

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BMW Set Single Month Sales Record in April 2013 – New R1200GS Represents 27.7% of Sales Volume

BMW announced it set a new company all-time sales record for a single month, delivering 14,587 motorcycles to customers in April 2013. That represents an 11.5% increase from the 13,088 motorcycles sold in April 2012. The record month helped push BMW‘s overall sales over the first four months to 39,319 motorcycles and scooters, a 5.0% increase from the 13,088 units sold in the same period of 2012. “Five per cent growth as compared to the first four months of the previous year is certainly satisfying as far as we are concerned,” says Heiner Faust, vice president of sales and marketing for BMW Motorrad. “It was April in particular that got us off to such a good start in 2013, having been the best month for sales in the entire history...

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Posted in: Motorcycle News

Suzuki Reports 2012-2013 Fiscal Year Results

Suzuki reported an operating loss of 11.9 billion yen (US$117.1 million) from its motorcycle business for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. The loss stems from a 10.7% decrease in motorcycles sales and a 9.6% decline in motorcycle revenue from its 2012-2013 fiscal year. According to Suzuki‘s year-end report, motorcycles accounted for 230.3 billion yen in sales revenue, down 254.8 billion yen reported the previous year. The drop in sales contributed to the 11.9 billion yen operating loss, compared to a loss of 2.4 billion yen reported in the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Suzuki sold 2.312 million motorcycles in its fiscal year, a year-on-year decrease of 10.7% from 2.589 million motorcycles. North American sales were down 8.6%, decreasing...

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Posted in: Motorcycle News

Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC Track 2012 Review

If you’ve been following our escapades here at TopXmotor.com for a while, you’ll notice our affinity towards Aprilia’s RSV4. We’ve tested the base R version numerous times and for good reason – it’s one of our favorite sportbikes in recent memory. Not so much for one particular category, but more so because of its overall package. We’re fond of its supremely precise chassis and its snarling, communicative power delivery. Though it hasn’t quite taken the objective victory in our literbike shootouts, many of us on staff would choose it as our subjective favorite. Now, with Max Biaggi reclaiming the World Superbike title by half a point over Tom Sykes aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R this year, we’re taking another look at the R’s more sophisticated...

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Posted in: Aprilia Reviews,Motorcycle Reviews