LIKE most cliches, 'Racing improves the breed' does have some truth to it, and that's evident in Husqvarna's small-bore enduro weapons, the TE250 and 310.
Antoine Meo won eight rounds of the World Enduro Championship on the way to winning the title, and his knowledge and experience has gone into making these Husqvarnas even better.

The key feature of the 2011 TE250/310 is the new chassis where most of the re-working centred around the area below the cradle and under the footpegs to give the rider more clearance and less ‘snagging’ on rocks and tree roots when bouncing through the bush.

The steamlined chassis also gives more room for the rider's boots on both sides giving a better feel for the rear brake and gear lever and allowing the rider to move forward and back on the bike without hindrance. Hope that makes sense.
Meo has made valuable changes to the Kayaba forks and the Sachs shock while the fuel capacity has been increased to 8.5 litres thanks to the feedback from the Australian market.
The tank has a new pump, which enables 100 per cent use of fuel available.

Riders now have the ability to choose between two different CDI maps configuration via a handlebar switch, Mode 1 is a default full power setting while Mode 2 flattens the power out for the slippery or technical sections.
Both bikes are fed fuel by a Mikuni 45mm electric fuel injection system so throttle response is flawless.

The changes for this year to the TE250 and 310 also include: engine guards, graphics, hubs, crank-cases, air box, headlight support, suspension set-up, hand guards, and a myriad of other small items you won't immediately recognise.

TE250 - The ride

The tracks we tested on were perfect for the task at hand with some open sweeping turns coupled with rocky, undulating technical sections with plenty of twists and turns to keep me busy.
With a push of a button I fired the twin-cam, four-valve TE250 into life and shot off into the bush looking to get up to speed as quick as possible to see if Mr Meo had actually made any improvements or if it was just market spin.

After 20 minutes of belting my way through ruts, rocks, logs, jumps, hills and surviving a monumental moment when I hit a rock in the grass while in fourth gear pinned I was pleasantly surprised to find there are improvements to a bike that was new from the ground up just a year ago.

To best explain it to you, dear reader, imagine a dirt bike that is stable at speed, doesn’t deflect greatly when you side swipe rocks or logs (I misjudged a dirt bank at speed and the back end spewed off to the right while I needed to go right and I wasn’t stressed at all, I knew it would come back sooner or later) yet it dead-set turns on a dime.

The suspension handled everything I put it through. We know the Brembo brakes are always on the money, the hydraulic clutch had great feel and the Pirelli tyres are as good as any on the market.

Motor wise the 250 definitely likes a few revs if you’re really pushing to maximise 34.5 HP delivered at the 10,500 rpm mark but what I will say is it really is a smooth power delivery which is fun while trail riding and a hoot when your pushing for quick lap times.

The 250 motor is noticeably slower on Mode 2 and a lap with a slower motor gave me an opportunity to pretend that I was an enduro guru with the ability to ride the bike like a maniac without crashing...

TE310 – The ride

With both bikes weighing 106kg, the big difference between the 250 and 310 is the 304.5cc motor delivers just over 38 HP at 9500 rpm and supplies a nice torque curve through to its peak at 8500 so it definitely ‘gets along’ at a greater rate of knots when you're pushing hard.

‘Lugging’ the motor between turns was much more viable on the 310 compared to the 250 and getting from the bottom to the top of some of the hills was done in considerably less time on the 310, those few extra cubic centimetres really makes you pay more attention to your braking mark into the next corner.

Mode 2 on the 310 was as expected offering less ‘punch’ up some of the climbs and seemed to be a bit more responsive right off the bottom of the rev range but don’t hold me to that because that could just be the result of testing 5 bikes in one day....tough life huh?

As I sit down to write this test up I can only think back on my laps on the 250 or 310 as an absolute blast. We joke about riding like a lunatic or riding beyond your limits so I will admit to some pretty wild moments on both bikes, most witnessed by fellow journos, but to be honest, for all intents and purpose I never felt that I was out of control.

Such was my confidence in the new 250 and 310... thanks for your help Antoine Meo.

TE630

Husqvarna’s answer to the adventure riding market is its TE630. It might not be single trail enduro weapon but don’t underestimate the off-road capabilities of this ‘sleeping giant’.
The 630 features new plastics and graphics, front headlight, dashboard, 12 litre fuel tank, dual exhaust system, hydraulic clutch, cylinder head, Mikuni D45 EFI system, cooling system and radiator hoses, 6-speed gearbox… and best of all, 20 per cent extra power and torque over the old 610 motor.

Husky has managed to reduce the seat height by 30mm to a respectable 930mm and the overall feel of the 630 is not as huge between your legs as you might imagine.

I managed to sneak out onto the enduro loop on the TE630 and by the time I got out there the track was quite torn up with rocks, roots and ruts jumping out at me everywhere and to be honest, thanks to the smooth power I was able to go into steer and brake mode and keep a relatively good pace going.

The suspension is very plush so I hardly felt the smaller stuff as I ploughed my way around the track and it was only the real tight turns that made me take a little more attention than usual.

Once I did a few laps on the tight stuff I ventured out onto an open dirt road and you can see this is what the 630 was designed for. The long wheel base gives amazing stability at speed, it flew through the sweeping turns and the brakes are amazing under stress.

All up, I was impressed with the versatility of the 630. If this bike ends up on your shopping list don’t think you can’t match it on the trail with your mates on their 450s. Sure, you will work a little harder in the tight stuff but it will be ‘see-ya-later’ once you hit the fire trails...

$12,495 will get you on board the big 630. Go on, don't be shy.