Husqvarna TC 250 2023 Review

Even a quick glance around Australian motocross paddocks at the moment reveals a fascinating undercurrent that is hard to ignore.

Amid the onslaught of tech-savvy four-strokes – and further afield, electric bikes – it is clear the two-stroke is undergoing a renaissance of sorts. It isn’t uncommon for alloy and steel-framed Yamahas to fill pit tents, while nostalgia around older Kawis, Hondas and Suzukis is unprecedented.

The KTM group is ready to take advantage.

The new 2023 Husqvarna TC 250 is a clear evolution of the humble smoker, introducing fuel injection, electric start and host of other changes.

We sampled the TC 250 briefly at the national Husqvarna 2023 motocross launch last year, but now we’ve got it at the home of the Two-Stroke Cup, Wollongong Motorcycle Club (otherwise known as Mt Kembla), for a more thorough test.

What are the major changes to the 2023 Husqvarna TC 250?

Husqvarna says it pursued five key development targets for the 2023 TC 250, along with the rest of the 2023 two-stroke and four-stroke motocross ranges.

Along with retaining predecessor kerb weight, engineers sought more standardisation between models, reliability of components, serviceability and a new benchmark in reliability.

The upshot is there are a mere seven carryover parts between Husky model years: the Brembo brakes, wheels, voltage regulator, throttle body, start relays, ECU and ODI grips. That’s it.

The TC 250 adopts fuel injection at the throttle body, virtually aligning with technology already available on Husky’s TE two-stroke enduro range.

MX machines intentionally miss out on oil injection like the enduro bikes, the thinking being that most MX riders won’t ride more than 30 minute moto, so therefore it’s easy to simply premix your own fuel and refill the bike back in the pits. This also spares weight.

The TC 250 also features electric start, switchable riding maps and an electronic power valve.

WP’s air fork continues on for 2023, with a new internal hydro stop for a more progressive action towards the bottom of the stroke. At the rear there’s a new shock measuring 15mm shorter than before and is fully adjustable using hand adjusters.

There’s a new suspension linkage with new linkage points but identical curve as before, plus new triple clamps with integrated hour meter.

Husqvarna models sit 20mm lower in the seat height than their KTM counterparts, purportedly creating more stability for the rider. One-quarter of that measurement is owed to the newly designed seat, the rest is the new shock.

The 250 two-stroke scores a standardised 7.2L fuel tank with a new fuel pump, while there is fresh bodyworks and plastics across the range, including a very Scandi grey and white colourway with yellow accenting.

The changes coincide with a circa $1000 increase in price, with the TC 250 marked at $14,138 including dealer delivery and assembly.

What’s the fit and finish of the Husqvarna TC 250 like?

There’s no arguing the Scandinavian styling on the 2023 Husqvarna TC 250.

There is arguably more white, light grey and yellow accenting on show than an Ikea store, complemented by quality Brembo components, a hydraulic clutch, braided front brake line, DID Dirtstar wheels, wide footpegs and noteworthy standard inclusions like an hour meter.

Kerb weight is a big talking point; even with the integration of the new tech, the TC 250 tips the scales at 99.6kg fully fuelled.

The other big boon here is the tool-less adjustment of the fork compression and rebound, plus tool-less adjustment on the shock compression, rebound and even high-speed compression. It means you can literally pull over to the side of the track and set your bike up to the conditions.

Closer inspection (and subsequent use) reveals those pretty white plastics are prone to scuffing and even gouging from knee braces. Furthermore, a new white plastic guard designed to protect hand-adjustment dials on the rear shock is prone to falling off; it did so three times across our test, with multiple people trying to secure it.

For what it’s worth, we’ve seen several similar-vintage Husqvarna motocross models with broken rear guards.

We also took issue with the square seat, which feels cumbersome during weight transitions along the seat upon corner approach and corner exit.

The rest of the bike feels sound, however, with a considered rider triangle and plenty of adjustment.

We fuel the bike using the recommended 60:1 fuel-oil mixture (you read right!) and gear up for Kembla.

What’s the 2023 Husqvarna TC250 like to ride?

It’s clear the 2023 Husqvarna TC 250 isn’t like a traditional two-stroke. Initially, it feels decidedly more mellow.

Firstly, the adoption of an internal engine balancer means it isn’t afflicted with the unmistakable vibration found on older Japanese two-strokes (our YZ250 project bike is a major case in point).

The start-up process is much more civil as a result: simply depress the starter button and the TC 250 gently turns over before settling into a muted idle.

If your ears are trained to pick out the crispness and sound of a perfectly jetted two-stroke, you might feel initially lost with the Husky. It almost feels and sounds as though it’s fouling or bogging – especially in the softer white map setting – and at no point does it offer a clear, blow-the-cobwebs-out soundtrack at idle.

That perception is challenged upon entering Mt Kembla, where the TC 250 offers relatively clean tractable power delivery.

There’s a surprisingly amount of grunt and traction down low, seguing gently into the mid-range and fizzling out at the higher end of the dial. While it isn’t as smooth as a modern four-stroke, there’s no typical two-stroke kick in the back either.

It’s a weird middle ground, one that improves slightly in the more aggressive green mapping – which opens the powervalve a lot quicker – but never quite delivers the signature two-banger kick when required.

Furthermore, we found the TC 250 is between gears over some of Kembla’s bigger obstacles; whereas our trusty YZ250 will rev out comfortably in third gear, there are occasions where the Husky needs to be shifted into fourth.

It makes the riding process a little busier than it ought to be, even for a two-stroke.

The upside of this ease of use is that the TC 250 does away with some of the squirrely top-end characteristics that two-stroke aficionados often try to avoid. You can ride a gear higher, rely on the torque and be smooth – to a point.

So, we’ve established a relatively mellow and useable engine. How about the chassis?

In something of a contradiction, it feels relatively aggressive, offering strong manoeuvrability, decent feeling, front-to-rear balance and feedback. The bike feels relatively light in the air and through turns, though the middle section around the seat feels wider and more cumbersome than a two-stroke should.

The brakes and hydraulic clutch are big highlights – lightly weighted and super effective.

Where we struggled initially, in terms of set-up, is the suspension.

Whoever rode the bike before us was either heavy, fast or potentially both. The air fork was running 166PSI and the sag measured at 110mm in the rear for your correspondent’s 80kg, 176cm frame.

We figured we’d at least try the set-up and found it slowed down the fork’s action through the stroke, but felt quite brittle and hard on initial ride compliance. It also made the front end feel dead, and took away your ability to feel what the front tyre was doing.

Dropping out some air pressure – which more or less acts as your spring rate with air forks – makes the initial compliance busier and the fork more susceptible to blowing out suddenly through the stroke.

In the end, we settle on 151PSI in the fork and 105mm sag as our base, and then went about getting the clickers correct.

The happy medium of the day – a fairly chopped out, hard-pack surface by the end – was  12 clicks out on fork compression, nine clicks out on fork rebound, 11 clicks out on shock compression and seven clicks out on shock rebound. The high speed compression was 1.5 turns out – and we changed all these settings without a screw driver!

Doing so allowed the fork to sit quite high in the stroke, avoid pogoing and be manageable enough on initial compliance. These traits were balanced out by a rear end that no longer deflected aggressively and squatted neatly under power, providing more consistent drive.

Irrespective of all the above, the WP air fork clearly does not provide the compliance and predictability of a traditional coil-sprung fork (the Kayaba SSS forks in the YZ250 are still the gold standard as far as we’re concerned).

It means the TC 250 doesn’t quite nail the engine-suspension synergy we are hoping for. No doubt more fine-tuning and adaptation on our part would improve its appeal. So, too, would a thicker and looser track surface – or better yet, sand!

Verdict

The Husqvarna TC 250 is a barrel of laughs and no doubt future proofs the humble two-stroke for a few years yet.

With that said, it’s not the easiest bike to master and many riders will prefer the feeling and feedback of traditional coil-sprung fork, meaning more money will need to be outlaid to get it right.

Doing so would be palatable on a traditional, affordable two-stroke. But at $14k, the Husqvarna TC 250 loses some of its shine.

ENGINE
Type: Two-stroke, single-cylinder
Capacity: 249.0cc
Bore x stroke: 66.4/72mm
Fuel supply: Keihin EFI, 39mm throttle body

TRANSMISSION
Type: five-speed
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multiplate, Brembo hydraulics

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Chromoly, with aluminium reinforced Polyamide subframe
Front suspension: 48mm WP XACT fork, 305mm travel
Rear suspension: WP XACT shock with linkage, 292mm travel
Front brake: 260mm disc with Brembo twin-piston caliper
Rear brake: 220mm disc with Brembo single-piston caliper
Tyres: Dunlop MX33, Front 80/100-21, rear 110/90-19

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 99.6kg
Seat height: 939mm
Ground clearance: 346mm
Fuel capacity: 7.2 litres

OTHER STUFF
Ride-away price $14,138
Colour: White/yellow/grey
Test bike supplied by: Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia
Warranty: Six months parts
*Ride away price including delivery and assembly