Husqvarna WR250 (May 2006)

If you don't follow dirt bike racing you wouldn't have a clue who AJ Roberts is, but if you keep an eye on race results you'll know he's the current national off-road champion. This bloke is the king of the hill when it comes to blasting through the scrub on a dirt bike. e rides on the weekend with Australia's best off-road riders, on trails timed to the second, on a bike owned by a team that expects him to win and will do anything to make it happen. Apart from that, he's just like you and me.

AJ came to ride this bike from an odd angle though. When he was preparing for the 2005 season he was all set to ride a 125cc two-stroke for team Husqvarna Australia but all that got derailed. He weighs only 64kg so he reckoned the light weight and manoeuvrability of the smaller bike would be just the ticket, then he had a ride on a mate's WR250 and cut eight seconds from the time he'd cut on the same loop on his 125. Stroof!

 The 250 was faster, no doubt about that, but it needed changes if it was to be fully competitive though, and team Husky didn't let him down as they hastily prepared a brand newie.

WHAT'S UNDER THE BONNET?
It'd be nice to think that AJ's bike is so exotic, hotted up and lightweight that it'd make a race winner out of anybody. 'Fraid not. You'll be disappointed to know out that AJ's WR250 just isn't that modified, in fact I've probably seen hotter bikes at a local club race day. The most exotic thing is the Marzocchi factory fork. The rest of the mods are designed to make the fit AJ perfectly.

The fork runs a slightly heavier spring rate than stock, while a softer spring is used on the standard Sachs shock at the rear. AJ uses Renthal fat bars in the lowest bend possible, fitted to lower bar mounts, and he has the 'bars rolled so far back that even Ricky Carmichael would complain. Levers are protected by Cycra hand-guards and run in a fairly neutral position, with brake lever free-play adjusted very close to the grip. A steel throttle tube is used in case of an encounter of the worst kind and AJ is very fussy about the seat; as soon as it goes soft he likes to replace it. 

A 19-inch rear wheel was used for most of the 2005 season although sometimes AJ reverted to an 18-incher because it offers greater tyre choices. AJ has the full range of Michelins at his disposal and can choose whatever best suits the conditions, while Mousse tubes are used to eliminate punctures.

Team graphics and black rims give the bike that 'factory' look, but other than that the rest of the chassis is so stock it'd make you cry. It'd be nice to think the cylinder had been ported to the max by a sly little Italian back in Milan, but it's stock too, so is the pipe, silencer, carburettor and jetting. The only engine mod is a V-Force reed valve (which will be standard equipment on the 06 model WR250) and a heavier flywheel.

As you can see, Team Husky big on mods, but it is gig on maintenance. Race mechanic Sam Alleyn said told me the bike is torn down after each race and the top-end rebuilt after each major event. The team insists on Motul lubricants, and for our appraisal of AJ's bike we were told to use BP Ultimate fuel mixed at 40-1 with Motul 800 Racing 2T - "or else!"

QUICK! THAT'S NOT QUICK
I was really hoping that AJ had lied to me and that his bike would be a works missile. I was still dreaming that the cylinder was ported so like a block of Swiss cheese, the pipe was a works model in disguise and that the suspension was so strong you could hit a log at ninety clicks and bounce over it, just like the factory riders do, right. 

Only it wasn't. My mother could ride this bike. No wait, the Husky was so soft and easy to handle my grandmother could ride it. I was devastated! AJ's bike is testament to his ability, and while it wasn't a rocket, the best thing about it was that it was so-o-o-o easy to ride, after I rolled the 'bars forward a few notches. The heavier flywheel made the power feel almost four-strokish, and that meant that you could roll the throttle on out of the corners instead of going, clutch, braaap, clutch, braaaap, like you do on most two-strokes.

It was also easy to handle in slippery, rocky, snotty stuff, and the abundant bottom-end power made it simple to loft the front wheel over trail obstacles. Other standout points were that the chassis felt short and light yet stable, and the front brake had outstanding feel and stopping power. The fact that I could ride AJ's WR250 and go half decent on it was a surprise to me. Now I'm wondering how I'd go on Reedy's works YZF450. Don't think they'd deliver that one to my joint, though.