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Husqvarna TE449 RR by Speedbrain
Developed in conjunction with Husqvarna, the new heavy-duty bike has the 2013 Dakar Rally in its sights, where it will come up against the might of KTM and HondaHere’s a rally bike which will attempt to wrest the holy grail of desert racing -- the Dakar Rally – from the all-conquering KTM in 2013. It’s the Husqvarna TE449 RR by Speedbrain.
At the heart of the bike is the Husqvarna TE449 engine, which has been modified to handle the demands of rallying. Husqvarna is responsible for the development, design and overall performance diagnostics of the 450cc engine, and supplies the race-ready power train to the Speedbrain team.
The bike has its own electronics system, a bespoke development which is also the subject of continuous modifications and improvements. In addition, Speedbrain reworked and partly redeveloped the entire frame concept after the 2012 Rally Dakar. As such, the bike that lines up at the 2013 Rally Dakar will be a further development of the bike used in 2012.
Among the features of the rally version is a very compact, concept-driven package in the chassis area. This allows the optimal integration of the two-part central/rear tank in the bike, which in turn guarantees the rider maximum freedom of movement and enduro-like ergonomics.
The bike’s light weight is due, in part, to the carbon kevlar fairing and a special rear part. The carbon kevlar engine protection with integrated three-litre water tank gives the engine and the low rally header pipe full protection.
In the bike’s last audition before the 2013 Dakar Rally, Australian Matt Fish rode it to eighth place in the 2000km – 1550km of those special tests -- Morocco Rally in October, with team-mates Joan Barreda and Paulo Goncalves second and fifth respectively. The winner – ominously for Speedbrain – was reigning Dakar champion Cyril Despres on his KTM 450 Rally.
And Honda was also a key figure in Morocco, with its star rider Helder Rodrigues taking the new CRF450 Rally to multiple stage wins, and only a technical problem on day three prevented him from going head-to-head with Despres for outright honours.
The 2013 Dakar Rally will be held from January 5-20, and travel more than 8000km from Lima to Santiago. Fish will continue his association with Speedbrain on the TE449R, while another seven Australians will compete, including multiple Australasian Safari winner and off-road juggernaut Ben Grabham (KTM) as well as fellow desert guns Rod Faggotter (Yamaha), Todd Smith (Honda) and Warren Strange (Honda). The others are Dakar regular Simon Pavey (Husqvarna), Troy O’Connor (KTM) and Scott Andrew (Honda).
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Written byBikesales Staff
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