RUST magazine: RUST #45

ENDURO
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FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE? EXC OR TE?
Firstly, is one bike inherently better than the other? The answer is, no.
However, out of the crate is one of the 250s better than the other for
racing? Hell, yes. Are they both expensive?, Good god yes. So to recap...
HUSKY TE250I
I’m disappointed, this bike is too small
for me, it’s like riding an 85cc as grownup.
I don’t like it. I land up being way too
forward over the front wheel when I’m
standing. When seated I’m struggling to
find where to put my legs, which pushes
me off my centre position on the bike
and too far back on the seat – so much
for centralising mass.
It doesn’t end there; the rake, steering
head angle and swingarm angle have
changed along with the new linkage
design, and I don’t like the changes.
Their new setup just doesn’t suit me.
I’ve thought long and hard about the
changes Husky has made and I suspect
that I don’t like them because I’ve
lost the feeling of familiarity with my
beloved Husky brand, this bike is that
different to previous years.
That said, the changes seem to have
balanced the suspension out and
improved the overall collaboration
between the forks and the shock. This
bike is going to suit smaller riders. I
can’t assess how hard it is for smaller
riders to cope with tall bikes but now I
have a better idea having ridden a bike
that’s too small for me. The Husky for
these riders is likely to fit like a glove
and for the right size pilot this is going
to be a cracking machine. The lower
seat height is going to make technical
riding loads easier and that combined
with a more balanced suspension setup
makes the Husky more stable and
nimbler in equal measure. These are all
to the good but somehow it seems like
the Husky is more suited in stock form
to weekend trail riding.
KTM EXC 250TPI
I like it. KTM has focussed on the
bikes’ handling and reliability. A
new appearance seems to have
been less important to them.
This results in a subtler series of
bodywork changes. The changes
are improvements and have all
been for the better.
This is the better race bike of the
two, it’s the more athletic, it’s slim,
lithe and more precise than the
TE. The motor is less constricted
and feels the more aggressive. I’d
confidently race the 250EXC TPI
in stock trim, although I would
ultimately try and get some midrange
punch from somewhere.
I loved the chassis and suspension
performance in tighter terrain and
found that I could run the 250EXC
TPI in a higher gear than the TE250i
over the same terrain. It’s just a
matter of getting used to the power
characteristics of the fuel injection.
I seldom used first gear, second
gear is great but the gap to third is
a little too wide, (even more so on
the Husky) – I’m sure the two bikes
run the same transmission but the
fuelling makes the KTM punchier
down low and this influences
which gear you’re able to select.
I’m left wondering what the KTM
XC or Husqvarna TX gearing is like
in comparison to these two. Would
the extra power and closer ratio
gearing and still having a sixth gear
make them better? I’m going to go
on the hunt for one or both to ride
and see… watch this space.
36 www.rustsports.com