I was the first to
hop on the machine. It felt tall to me, with a firm seat, of which is to
my liking. Starting it was relatively easy, as long as you had the
method dialed, which for me was to just kick hard from the top of the
stroke. I think it is slightly difficult to start, not because of the
360ccs, but because of the unorthodox curve of the kickstarter. Like all
new bikes, it was jetted rich, but with a little common sense, and some
understanding of the needle, pilot, and main jet, we got the bike jetted
clean.
A silencer would
probably be a good investment also. The long silencer/spark arrestor
combination seems to stiffle the bike somewhat.
Soon after the
bike was warmed up, I headed out to the desert to open it up. The Husky
delivered a smooth, strong pull, coming straight off idle. I didn't know
what to expect, not having much experience with open class 2-strokes. I
was surprised that the power was very controlable, yet noticeably more
than a 250.
Craftsmanship
seemed top notch. I like how the seat can be removed by the twist of one
hook at the top of the seat. The hardware used is high quality, and the
tear down process if quick and easy. The only complaint here is one that
applies to almost all manufacturers: The gas tank needs to be removed to
access the carb for jetting; it just makes it much easier.
The suspension is
where Husqvarna is different. The forks seemed very stiff, which could
just be an issue of my weight. I'm sure I could get them dialed pretty
close with the adjustment of oil weight, and oil level. The shock seemed
to soak up G-outs really well, and the bike tracked straight under
accelaration. Anything at high speeds, it was ok, but in the slow rough
sections the forks didn't move too much.
Overall, with some
personal touches and fine tuning, I would really like racing this bike, in
certain parts of the country. This would be a good bike for the
midwest of east coast, but the lack of top end for the west, hurts the
360. The motor is abrupt, but tame, and the ergos are comfortable for my
style.
Test
Rider
Age
Skill
Level
Weight
Bikes
Currently Owned
Dana VanStee
26
Pro
180
'01 TE 570
Husqvarna
Comments:
I'm a desert guy,
so the bigger the motor, the better. The 360 had a potent motor, its not
a KX500, but a lot more than any 250. I took the bike out in the
Adelanto sand and whoops, where an open class motor accels, and the
Husky faired decent, but lacks top end.
At first I thought
the bike had odd turning characteristics, but once I realized that I
just needed to sit way up on the seat, the bike worked much better in
cornering
I felt the 360 was
twitchy and under powered from mid to top RPM. I thought the bike would
work great if ridden in tighter terrain. The motor has decent hit on the
bottom but was choked by the muffler/spark arrestor from there up.
The suspension
worked fine if you charge but was harsh on the small hits. The ergos
were alright but the stock bars won't do. The turning takes some getting
used to. Overall the bike was twitchy and lacked mid to top pull.
I never race a
bike with stock suspension, so it is hard for me to really judge the
Husky's suspension. In my eyes, all suspension should be specifically
tuned for each person by a professional. That being said, the WR 360's
suspension needs some work to get it to my liking. The front end was
really stiff and unpredictable..
Test
Rider
Age
Skill
Level
Weight
Bikes
Currently Owned
Rod Gorzny
52
Vet Expert
185
'99 KTM 200 E/XC
Comments:
Ergonomics- The
Husky fit me very well, never really noticed the hard seat, I have a KTM
so I am very used to a very firm seat. Once I adjusted the bars and
levers to my liking, it worked great for me
Brakes- Worked
very well, never noticed a problem so they must be alright.
Suspension- I
don't believe that I ever bottomed the back end out, maybe more time on
the machine would loosen it up, tracked relatively straight. But
overall, the front and rear are harsh for rough, rocky terrain.
Handling- Front
forks were pretty stiff for my liking, but I am from the mid-west and ride in alot of woods; need softer suspension for log
crossing etc. Forks would most likely have to be re-valved for me.
Details- Bike was
well detailed and everything seemed to fit very well. Nice looking bike.
Motor- Nice
powerful motor without a big kick that gets an older guy in trouble.
Starts easy and shifts just fine. Motor lugged down way low and came
right back into the peak of the power band with no hesitation.
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