Trail Rider Magazine

April 2014 21 We also used this multi-day test to do a little experimenting. With my KTM XC suspension being serviced by Enduro Spec, we took the head and ignition off the XC and installed it on the Husqvarna. The stock performance with the red power valve was fine but the XC head and ignition box gave it an across the board boost in the power plant. Does this mean you need to out and buy an XC head and ignition box? No. For most of us, the stock set-up with crisp jetting and red power valve spring installed will do the job. Aside from that, the only thing we did was ditch the 50 tooth sprocket for a 51. The change in gear- ing helped to even out the transmission and provided a little more pull off the bottom. We also had a chance to try out the new Dunlop MX 32's For- tunately our KTM rep Brooks Hamilton had a 19 inch wheel to lend us, as there isn't an 18-inch version as of yet. The 32's were straight-up awesome in the sand and mud and looked new at the end of the week. If you have an opportunity to try these out, don't hesitate. So is there any- thing not to like? Not really. One thing we did notice was that the static weight felt slightly heavier than the XC-W or Husaberg. This may be attributable to the polymer sub-frame, which is heavier than the aluminum one, used in concert with the linkage. The linkage is reported to add roughly five pounds when compared to the PDS. These two items together make us wonder about the claimed dry weight of 230 pounds. In fairness, this isn't something that is noticeable on the trail. So can we call it a snivel? Sure, why not. Our week with the Husqvarna was time well spent. While not revolutionary in any way, the Husqvarna is an excellent enduro specialist off the showroom floor. And like the other bikes in the KTM line up, it is easily and quickly tuned up or down to suit a wide vari- ety of terrain. It will be in- teresting to see if the KTM and Husqvarna make a technological divergence at some point in the fu- ture. Until then, it is nice to see Husqvarna back in its glory day's attire with a fighting chance at a re- claiming its place at the top. The Air Group Radiant Racing team of Nick Fahringer and Ryder Lafferty are fielding the Husqvarna TE 250 2-strokes for the 2014 season. You would think that with the likes of these two riders and the competitive nature of the National Enduro series, these bikes would be tricked-out. That's re- ally not the case. For the most part, the modifications to the Air Group bikes are available to laymen. The first modifica- tion includes running the KTM XC head and ignition box, like we did with our test bike. They then added V-Force Tassinari Reeds. This combination gives the bike the more aggressive spread of power that Nick and Ryder require. The transmis- sions are then converted from wide ratio to close. Gearing is changed from 13/50 to 13/51 before adding an FMF Fatty Pipe and Turbine Core exhaust. The suspension is revalved by Factory Connection to suit each rider's style. Nick runs 22mm offset triple clamps while Ryder runs the stock 20mm triple clamps. Mika bars, Enduro Engineering guards and a BRP chain guide close things out. Air Group Radiant Racing Husqvarna 250 TE

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