Aprilia RXV 450 Husqvarna WR 250

• Video: Erzberg, 2008

Its 17-kilometer climb on gravel road, which is 12 meters wide in some places and rarely below 100 km / h, offers excellent terrain to check out what happens to the bike at top speed. Driving at 150 km / h on gravel is even more fun and scary at the same time. This is an extreme situation.

Of course, we didn’t dare to go to the extreme race for which Erzberg's rodeo is famous, not least because it was not our intention to throw two beautiful products of Italian technology on the floor. Well, it's fun to climb a steep 100 or 200 foot slope where the engine can breathe at full throttle and show what it's capable of.

We supplied the Aprilio RXV 450, a two-cylinder, four-stroke machine that is unusual when we think of hard enduro, but at the same time a machine that has successfully turned into a supermotor, and a Husqvarna WR 250! We dared to spit in the face of four-stroke engines, saying that two-stroke engines are still very competitive.

More. Look overseas a bit, to Italy, and you'll find two-strokes are returning to their former glory and glory. Virtually negligible maintenance costs and a low starting price (at least 20-25 percent lower) compared to four-stroke engines and light weight are even more important attributes in this fight.

Let's start with the mass. The difference is felt immediately. Aprilia is said to weigh 119 kilograms dry, which is not too different from its rivals, four-stroke engines of the same size. It is true that it is the heaviest of all, but due to its geometry, low center of gravity and less rotating masses in the engine, it works easily in the hands.

Until the first steep climb, when you need to get off the motorcycle and push it to the top! But there is a Husqvarna master. It weighs ten kilograms less, which will come in handy after a day in difficult terrain. It is also very light at fast changes of direction and in the air as you fly over the back of a jump.

However, when there is a debate about aggregates, acceleration and higher speeds on long crushed aircraft, Aprilia takes a step forward. It achieves higher speeds on airplanes, and above all, it has the greatest advantage when accelerating on poorly gripped surfaces, and that's definitely rubble. The RXV literally shines on smooth gravel roads as well as on more challenging "single tracks" or narrower trails as wide as the rear tire.

It is stable and pleasant to ride here. More knowledge and experience is needed to transfer Husqvarna's power more efficiently to poor traction surfaces (so that the wheel turns less at idle speed), and a newcomer to Aprilia cannot miss it here.

It's the same with long climbs, where the unit does its best, but here both bikes are surprisingly level. What Husqvarna loses through power it gains with less weight, while for Aprilia it's the other way around. However, when it is necessary to quickly get out of a hole over rough terrain, the two-stroke engine shows itself in its best light.

The instant throttle response immediately transfers power to the bike, which in turn is sent to the ground and with some throttle feel, there is actually no lean that the WR couldn't climb.

Which one is right for you, judge for yourself. Weigh the pros and cons, especially where you plan to drive, and the decision will definitely be easier.

Race: Red Bull Hare

Last year, Teddy Blazusiak struck like a bolt from the blue with his victory in this prestigious race, and this year he confirmed his superiority only on a KTM two-stroke, with which he set an incredible time of an hour and 20 minutes. The result is even more surprising when you consider that the organizers and judges set a time of two hours as the fastest time for the first competitor to reach the finish line. The Pole caused a lot of panic, as he was almost too fast even for the organizers.

Another surprise was prepared by BMW with the German test court Andreas Lettenbickler; this led to a third gearbox, and then slowed down due to a broken pedal and gear lever. The BMW G 450 X, which goes on sale this fall, has proven to be an extremely lightweight and durable enduro motorcycle.

The fact that the 450cc four-stroke is climbing to the very top of such a challenging race, which is closer to a trial than an enduro, is definitely a sensation. For the first time in 14 years of history, a two-cylinder engine appeared at the finish line? Aprilia took care of this historic event, with factory driver Nicholas Paganon in 12th place.

We also saw a Slovenian at the finish line for the first time. Micha Spindler has more than perfectly evolved from a motocross racer to an extreme enduro racer. Firstly, he was shocked by the eleventh place in the prologue, which serves as a grid for the 1.500 registered drivers and only 500 continue the race.

And usually only the riders in the first and second rows (50 + 50 riders) have a real chance to see the finish line. In his Husaberg, Micha was just two seconds behind Dakar winner and superstar Cyril Despres and overtook six-time world enduro champion Italian Giovanni Salo.

Despite numerous falls and a broken gear lever, Mikha only managed to reach the finish line in Sunday's final race with morale, talent and exceptional desire. And his efforts paid off as he was soon invited to another extreme race, the Red Bull Romaniacs, which will take place in Romania in early September.

There he will compete with the elite for an even higher position. The national champion Omar Marco AlHiasat also reached the finish line, winning the allotted time by one minute and finishing in 37th place. Undoubtedly, this is proof that enduro sport in Slovenia is developing rapidly, despite the conditions of the stepmother.

Red Bull hare scramble race results:

1. Taddy Blazusiak (POL, KTM), 1.20: 13

2. Andreas Lettenbichler (NEM, BMW), 1.35: 58

3.Paul Bolton (VB, Honda), 1.38:03

4. Cyril Depre (I, KTM), 1.38: 22

5. Kyle Redmond (USA, Christini KTM), 1.42: 19

6. Jeff Aaron (ZDA, Christini KTM), 1.45:32

7. Gerhard Forster (NEM, BMW), 1.46: 15

8. Chris Birch (NZL, KTM), 1.47: 35

9.Juha Salminen (Finland, MSc), 1.51: 19

10.Mark Jackson (VB, KTM), 2.04: 45

22. Miha Spindler (SRB, Husaberg) 3.01: 15

37. Omar Marco Al Hiasat (SRB, KTM) 3.58: 11

Husqvarna WR250

Test car price: 6.999 EUR

Engine, transmission: single-cylinder, two-stroke, 249 cm? , carburetor, kick starter, 6-speed gearbox.

Frame, suspension: chrome-molybdenum tubular steel, USD-Marzocchi adjustable front fork, Sachs rear single adjustable shock absorber.

brakes: diameter of the front reel 260 mm, rear 240 mm.

Wheelbase: 1.456 mm.

Fuel tank: 9, 5 l.

Seat height from ground: 975 mm.

Weight: 108 kg without fuel.

Contacts: www.zupin.de.

We praise and reproach

+ low weight

+ price and service

+ climbing properties of chamois

– oil must be mixed with gasoline

– more idling of the rear wheel at high acceleration

– Front brake could be a little stronger

Aprilia RXV 450

Test car price: 9.099 EUR

Engine, transmission: At 77 °, two-cylinder, four-stroke, 449 cm? , email Fuel injection,

e-mail starter, 5-speed gearbox.

Frame, suspension: Alu perimeter, front adjustable fork USD - Marzocchi, rear single adjustable shock absorber Sachs.

brakes: diameter of the front reel 270 mm, rear 240 mm.

Wheelbase: 1.495 mm.

Fuel tank: 7, 8 l.

Seat height from floor: 996 mm.

Weight: 119 kg without fuel.

Contact person: www.aprilia.si.

We praise and reproach

+ high engine power

+ maximum speed

+ design difference

- weight

- soft suspension

– price

Petr Kavcic, photo :? Matevž Gribar, Matej Memedović, KTM