Husky follow KTM and ditch the carby models for 2019
It was big news a few weeks ago when KTM announced that all their Enduro bikes would be fuel-injected only from MY19, including the two-strokes, thus it was fairly predictable that sister brand Husqvarna would follow suit in due course, and now they have.
In the 2017 and 2018 model years KTM and Husqvarna two-stroke enduro machines have been available in both fuel-injected TPI form and conventional carburettor variants, giving buyers a choice whether they wanted to take up the new technology, or not.
For model year 2019 that choice has been taken away as its fuel-injection only right across the board. The fuel-injected range has been prioritised within the European market to meet Euro4 requirements and this has been the main driver of the extinction of the carburettor.
But now with two full years out in the field and entering their third year of production that’s probably no bad thing, as any early problems would, or should, have been ironed out by model year 2019.
The two main advantages of the EFI bikes are that jetting changes for varying altitudes and temperatures are now a thing of the past. As is the requirement to pre-mix your fuel with two-stroke oil as the TPI machines have their own oil tank, which supplies enough oil for around six tanks of fuel.
In their first incarnations the top competitors in Hard Enduro seemed to shy away from the new technology but they too have now been won over with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna duo Billy Bolt (Extreme XL Lagares) and Graham Jarvis (Erzbergrodeo Hare Scramble) capturing victories in the opening rounds of the new 2018 World Enduro Super Series (WESS) aboard the Husqvarna TE 300i.
If you are not ready for the TPI models then you better get in quick to secure the last of the 2018 carburettor models available. An outgoing carby 2018 Husqvarna TE 250 will set you back $12,995 and a TE300 $14,495.
By the way, a tip for smart buyers is that the 250 is exactly the same as the 300 apart from the barrel, piston and CDI, and the kit to turn your 250 into a 300 when it comes time for your first engine rebuild can be had for about the same money as the price differential between the 250 and 300… Thus it can be a pretty smart move financially to just get the 250, then make it into a 300 once the first 100 hours are up…
Glenn Kearney – Motorsport Manager, Husqvarna
“To own a piece of history and keep a carburetted model will be something of value for a long time to come, so it’s a great opportunity to snap-up a current Husqvarna TE 250 or TE 300. The simple fact is that anybody who is hands-on can get in there and tinker with their bike to an extent and the sheer power-to-weight ratio makes them really fun to ride in the way they deliver their power and torque. At the same time, it’s very exciting to have the state of the art fuel-injected Husqvarna TE 300i and TE 250i models available in Australia and I’m personally excited to see where it leads in the future. I have spent time on the bikes myself and, at this point in my life, they’re perfect for what I’m looking for in terms of a nice trail ride and it’s genuinely exciting to be a part of it all.”
