TRAIL ZONE

TRAIL BOSS BLOG:

HOT NEW HUSKY 450 MXer ... WITH BMW FLAVOUR!

In the now combined world of BMW and Husqvarna (remember BMW now owns Husqvarna!), there's two things the brands have made very obvious in recent months:

1). Husqvarna is gearing up to bring a vast array of new models to the market in coming months and years.

2). Many of those new Husqvarnas will clearly show a BMW influence.

Check out these sneak peek images of Husqvarna's brand new 450cc MX bike, that will make its debut in the FIM World Motocross Championship next month, before going into production as a 2011 model.

Look deeper than the jet black plastics and Darth Vader styling of the new Husky thumper and the BMW influence is all too obvious.

Note the BMW engine, the combined countershaft and swingarm pivot point, the EFI, the under-seat fuel cell and the flat seat that stretches all the way to the steering head -- they're all features we've seen in BMW's ground-breaking G 450 X enduro bike.

But then note the rear suspension linkages that sit atop the swingarm, the KYB fork and shock, the Akrapovic exhaust and the raft of detailing touches that all signal this new Husky 450 has benefited from a sharing of R&D from both the BMW and Husky camps.

Best of all for us tree-huggers in the TRAIL ZONE, there's also an enduro version of the new Husky 450 four-banger under development, which will make its debut in the FIM Maxxis World Enduro Championship next month.

By taking the technical developments introduced on the G 450 X and 'transplanting' them into a new Husqvarna, BMW can be assured of far greater acceptance of the new machine by labelling it under the Husky brand.

As a pure off-road brand with a far greater dealer network in all major markets around the world, the penetration of the new Husqvarna 450 will be far, far greater than any BMW 'dirt bike' could ever achieve.

Husqvarna is aiming big for the 2011 model year and beyond and this first glimpse of the new 450 is just the first signal the Italian-built, German-owned brand is well on the way to kicking goals and going big in the years ahead.

-- Clubby, www.trailzone.com.au (want to comment? Then email clubby@trailzone.com.au)