2022 Husqvarna FE Range Review

Go to any off-road event in 2022 and you will see that one brand (or group these days) dominates the space under every quickshade. The investment in the off-road racing world, in R&D and marketing has culminated in a huge market share for the KTM Group; and it’s for good reason.

Now with three brands under the umbrella, riders who are looking for the best off-road weapon are now spoiled for choice with each brand offering slightly different specs and prices. The guys at bikesales and Husqvarna invited us to leave the studio and head out to Queesland Moto Park (QMP). Our mission was to test the all-new four-stroke enduro range for 2022 to see how these premium offerings stack up.

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When we arrived at the track, waiting for us was the 2022 Husqvarna FE 350, 2022 Husqvarna FE 450 and 2022 Husqvarna FE 501. Unfortunately, the 2022 Husqvarna FE 250 wasn't available to test at that particular time.

While on paper there hasn’t been any massive changes to Husky’s 4-stroke off-road range, the changes that were made contribute to a better all-around motorcycle.

When you first look at the bikes, you will notice that the trademark blue is gone from the frame and the plastics for a light grey look. I am personally a fan and I think any time something new comes out it tends to make the previous models look old regardless.

From a technical standpoint, the biggest change is a move away from Magura brakes and clutch lever in favor of Brake Tech. This is a big step in the right direction. Reliability had come into question in the past on the Magura setup and the clutch now has a more positive feel and there are no problems getting these bikes stopped.

The Husky range brings you all of the premium componentry off the showroom floor with the bash plate, handguards and mapping switch coming stock. The Huskies also have the billet clamps and they are equipped with the linkage system over the PDS shock.

We enlisted the help of Dee Wilson (motocross pro), Matty Macalpine (Owlpine Group big boss) and Sammy Moore (FIST Handwear extraordinaire) to give an overall ride impression of the new bikes as well as who they might work for and in what type of riding situation.

Dee Wilson is a pro level rider while Matt is a fast intermediate. Sammy and I will be giving you our thoughts as average riders. And for some star power, we invited Brisbane Lions AFL star Mitch Robinson to come for a ride with us as well. Robbo has been looking to get himself a 350 enduro bike so this was a great opportunity for him to spin some laps on the new Husky before he makes his final decision.

As far as the riding goes, QMP is a great place to test enduro bikes. We spent a bunch of time spinning laps on the natural terrain track, the MX2 track and also riding around the enduro loop. One of the great things about the modern enduro bike is that they actually can handle a day at the track almost as well as a purpose built bike. If you are a guy who wants to ride some motocross, race an enduro, and have a bike that you can ride on licensed roads, then it’s worth taking a serious look at one of these bikes.

The 350 is a great all round option if you are the type of rider mentioned above. Guys like Billy Bolt choose the FE 350 to race a mix between Enduro-X and Outdoor enduro for that reason. They are light and nimble in the tight stuff but with enough torque to get you up almost anything without having to rev the bike to keep it in the power causing it to spin and lose traction.

Matty Macalpine:

“The biggest thing that I noticed when I had my 2018 KTM 350 EXC-F is that it was slow and restricted. This FE 350 did not feel like that at all, in fact it felt extremely racey in the bush. It has a nice power delivery and the suspension was great which means you can just get on it and go.”

The suspension has in fact been stiffened by 2 spring rates for 2022, which is responsible for the more positive reaction from all of the boys on the day.

Mitch Robinson:

“The 350 was good! I have been really keen on getting a bike for myself recently. Something that I can go on-road with and off-road, and this is one of the better ones I have ridden. I absolutely loved getting out on track with the boys today and having them show me around a bit and I think I am sold on the 350.

“Getting on these things I didn’t really know what to expect from the power. But when you are coming out of the corners going from first to third it’s plenty quick for me and just the way it feels when you are maneuvering it through the turns. And on a bike you can take off-road and on-road, I just never thought I would see that back in the day.”

Dee Wilson:

Dee is a rider who is more than capable of pushing an enduro model bike to its limits on a motocross track and it was cool to hear how it stacked up for him on the day.

“The 350 is just what I had expected from the enduro model. Soft suspension and smooth power, but the power is still there. They are really made to excel in the bush, but that soft suspension is really going to make these bikes corner well on a motocross track. You do lose a bit of that initial grunt from the motocross bike and if I was just racing this bike in motocross the FC would be the obvious choice for me personally, but once you do get into the bush, that smooth power and soft suspension comes into its own."

The FE 450 was the surprise of the day for me. I would have told you that I almost certainly would have picked the 350 at the end of the day as the bike I enjoyed the most, but I came away really enjoying my time on the 450. The ability to change the maps and use the traction control really lets you dial it in for exactly what you need, and the 450 didn’t feel heavy and overwhelming like some do. I wasn’t the only one that loved the 450…

Matty Macalpine:

“I think my pick out of the entire range, because I've done the 350 thing for so many years now, is for sure the 450.

Dee Wilson:

“So initially when I was buying my GasGas I was tossing up between an enduro model and a motocross model. Riding the enduro models today around a motocross track I would have been happy if I bought an enduro model GasGas as the bikes are super capable.

“I did ride the FC 450 in the bush and as soon as I got back onto the enduro model I felt at home. Just hopping over rocks and barely feeling it, bigger rear tire, softer suspension and mellow power – you can still see that it has great power. lt's got that bucky torque but it's got smooth power delivery that seems to just work with the chassis. That’s my pick for sure.”

Last but not least the crew were tasked at wheeling around the big girl – the Husqvarna FE 501. When we were kids my dad was the proud owner of an XR600R and we grew up hearing stories of just how much of a handful the big bore 4-strokes were back in the day. Big, heavy, hard to start – a real man’s bike.

I had never been lucky enough to ride one of them, but I’ve always had a reverence for the big 4-strokes and was stoked that we got the chance to ride one today. Boy, how times have changed…An electric start means that you don’t need an iron leg and years of practice to start the 501 and thanks to the same ergonomics of the rest of the range, the 501 doesn’t feel any bigger than the other bikes.

It was the first bike I rode on the day and as soon as I started spinning laps on the big girl I was smiling. The Husky FE 501 is a super-ridable big bore bike that I felt comfortable on straight away. Yes, you are riding a big bike, but this thing was so much more manageable than I thought it would be. Straight away I wanted to give this bike to Dee to see what he made of it around QMP’s Motocross tracks (and as you can tell by the scrub shots, he was into it).

Dee Wilson:

“I was very curious on how the FE 501 was going to be. I was initially thinking that's too much power for me but, at the same time, they've just built an awesome motor that's very easy to ride.

“Overall I’m a big fan. I was kind of curious on how it was going to be having so much power but having these maps (i've never really been that into them) and changing between them was actually a massive difference. Being pretty slippery the traction control is very usable and just mellows out the power. It just stops that rear wheel spinning so much and being so aggressive.”

Sam Moore:

“The 501 felt cool and it was great to experience it, but it felt like a lot. That is cool on the motocross track, but in the bush, where the track was quite tight, it felt like it just wanted to go and had nowhere to go. It was still awesome though.

“The 501 is the pick if you're going to do a Cape York trip or something with a lot of straight roads and beaches. That would be unbelievable.”

Matty Macalpine:

“I've never ridden a 501 before, so I was super skeptical. But when I got on it I actually loved it. I ride a lot of high gears, and I like to do as little as possible on the bike. So using high gears and lugging a lot of the turns helps. When you ride like that your bike is less reactive so the 501 really compensated for my style of riding.

“I'd actually love to race a Transmoto on one because it was so easy to ride for a big motorcycle. The only thing that I didn't enjoy was that it didn't like the tighter stuff. I really just think as far as the power goes, it just wanted to eat a bit more.”

Overall the new range of Husqavarna 4-stroke enduro bikes was a hit for all of our test riders, but that really isn’t a surprise. This is a tried and tested platform that has won races and championships all over the world, and is represented heavily at every local track and event in Australia.

If you want the linkage suspension, the ability to change your maps, and have traction control, then the FE range could be your stallion within the KTM Group.

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ENGINE
Type: Four-stroke, single-cylinder
Capacity: 349.7cc (350), 449.9cc (450), 510.9cc (501)
Bore x stroke: 88/57.5mm (350), 95/63.4mm (450), 95/72mm (501)
Fuel supply: Keihin EFI, 42mm throttle body

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multiplate, Braktec hydraulics

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Chromoly, with composite carbon subframe
Front suspension: 48mm WP Xplor fork, 300mm travel
Rear suspension: WP Xact shock with linkage, 300mm travel
Front brake: 260mm disc with Braktec twin-piston caliper
Rear brake: 220mm disc with Braktec single-piston caliper
Tyres: Michelin Enduro tyres, Front 21-inch, rear 18-inch

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 106.8kg (350), 108.3kg (450), 111.8kg (501)
Seat height: 950mm
Ground clearance: 360mm
Fuel capacity: 9 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $16,110* (350), $16,525* (450), $17,155* (501) *price excluding on-road costs
Colour: White
Test bike supplied by: Husqvarna Australia
Warranty: Six months parts