62 |JUNE 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
MX TEST I 2019 HUSQVARNA FC350
O
kay,sothere’s
nothingnew
aboutthe350cc
class,weare
rapidly
approachinga
decadesince
KTMreleasedits350SX-F
motocrosserandusedTonyCairoli
tobashtheworldwithit.Itseems
thattheAustrianswerelooking
forabikethatwouldrivala 450 in
itspower-to-weightratioandbe
easiertoride.
Bydroppingafewcubes,KTM
figuredthebikewouldbelighter
andeasiertoridefastandthat’s
justwhatCairoliwentontodo.
Thisencouragedmanypeopleto
givethe350cccapacityagohere,
withmanyofthembeingspotted
aroundlocalracetracksandeven
beingpilotedbypros.Fastforward
severalyearsandthe350shavegot
evenfasterbutthesaleshavegot
slowerandI’mseeingmoreand
moreC-graderidersstrugglingto
puncha 450 aroundthetrackswhen they would be much more
suited to a 350.
Let’s face it, if you sit in an
office chair from Monday to
Friday and your fitness regime
consists of lifting your coffee mug
and dipping your donuts then you
probably don’t have the strength or
fitness to hang on to a 450. A bike
with that much horsepower (63hp)
is likely to end in injury.
Here’s where I reintroduce you
to the Husqvarna FC350. It’s the
SX-F’s fancy brother and I’m sure
you’ve heard plenty about it but,
for some reason or another, you’ve
decided it isn’t for you. For
shame. Let me tell you all about it
and then just maybe your opinion
will change.ENGINE
The engine weighs only 27.2 kg and
churns out 58hp. Husqvarna also
claims it is one of the lightest
engines in its class, whichever
class that is. For this year, the
FC350 features an updated cylinderhead casting process, which saves
200g. The head feature polished
camshafts and DLC-coated finger
followers, that allow the engine to
rev to 13,400rpm.
The 88mm bridged-box piston
can handle a compression ratio of
14:1 while the crankshaft features
plain big-end bearings with
force-fit shells that Husqvarna says
are good for 100 hours.
The 2019 features new bodywork,
refined ergonomics and a slimmer
profile. A new seat reduces height
by 10mm and is combined with a
gripper cover. The WP-
manufactured chromoly frame is
engineered with “calculated
parameters of longitudinal and
torsional flex”. So there.
The two-piece (down from
three) subframe is 70% polyamide
and 30% carbon-fibre, shaving
250g off the weight. The hollow,
cast-aluminium swingarm is
designed to offer optimal stiffness
and reliability at the lowest
possible weight. This year, theWORDS // MAT BOYD PHOTOS // MITCH LEESIF YOU EVER WANTED A BIKE TO HANDLE LIKE A
250 BUT WITH THE POWER OF A 450 THEN WE
MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU
middle
The