2011 Husqvarna enduro range

If someone has a direct line to the weather Gods, can they please pass on their details to the Gold Coast-based Paul Feeney Group (PFG), Australia’s Husqvarna distributor?

Quite unbelievably, for the second year running a scheduled Husqvarna national media launch has been effected by excessive rainfall in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. To say it’s caused a few anxious moments is a massive understatement.

Last year PFG improvised by moving the launch’s location a few hours up the road, but that was small fry compared to this year’s gut-busting reload: the event was shifted from the rain-lashed Kyogle (NSW) to Braidwood, about a 45-minute drive from Canberra! And all locked in over a 24-hour period.

It was a gargantuan effort, but when we turned up at the launch site in Braidwood it was for all intents and purposes business as usual: a number of enduro loops freshly cordoned off, and the full suite of two and four-stroke enduro bikes gleaming under the Husqvarna annex.

The bikes represented at the launch were the two-stroke WR250 and WR300, as well as the three TE four-strokes: the 250, all-new 310 and 630. And the supermoto SM630, which shares the same engine as the TE630, was also thrown in for good measure, and I was able to take that for a short but intense blast on some superbly sinuous blacktop late in the day.

Keep an eye out for SM630 and TE630 quick spins over the next few weeks, but first cab off the rank will be a full launch report on the WRs and smaller capacity TEs, with the 310 the major focus.

Meanwhile, Husqvarna’s much anticipated 450cc motocross bike wasn’t at the Braidwood launch, but we expect to ride that one in December.

The TE250, which shares the same engine as the TC250 motocrosser, has received a number of tweaks for 2011, including a new silencer, CDI with dual selectable maps, airbox, suspension settings and handguards. The tank is now 8.5 litres, up from 6.2.

Meanwhile, the TE310 also has the same engine as the TE/TC250, but with a bigger bore and stroke of 82.0mm x 57.3mm to lift capacity to 302.44cc. The throttle body is the same as that on the TC250 -- a 45mm Mikuni 45mm, compared to a 42mm unit on the TE250.

The exhaust system is specially designed for the 310 and, as in the other models, has a new heat protection on the silencer. The bike is 6kg lighter than the previous version, and now tips the scales at 106kg.

Otherwise the TE310 has the same features as the TE250, with the new reinforced chassis, new Grimeca hubs, a Kayaba 48mm fork and Sachs shock absorber. Fuel capacity is also 8.5 litres and there’s the dual mapping, too.

The changes on the WR250 and WR300 are relatively minor compared to their TE brethren, but the two-bangers do have revised suspension settings and the new Ducati Energia ignition is claimed to increase power and torque, as well as stamping out the old ‘hole’ between 3500 and 4500rpm.

The WRs are thrill-a-minute tearaways: pure and simple. I initially found it quite a challenge to harness all those fast-twitch fibres, but I eventually warmed to the task with a level of exhilaration that’s hard to match.

But the TE310 is my crown jewel, because it’s still light enough to throw around in the tight stuff, handles beautifully, and has the performance to carry off everything from on-the-limit antics to lazy trail riding.

More about that in the full launch report. In the meantime, pricing on the 2011 models is as follows:

WR250 -- $9995
WR300 -- $10,495
TE250 -- $10,795
TE310 -- $11,495
TE630 -- $11,995
SM630 -- $12,495

Finally, expect to see Husqvarna on the start line in next year's Australian Off-Road Championship, with PFG planning to enter all three pro classes -- E1, E2 and E3 -- with its updated hardware. Riders are expected to be announced in coming weeks.

Pic: Paul Feeney Group