Husqvarna SM 450RR

If we added up the prices for the special components on the new SM 450 RR and added in the development and manual assembly costs, we probably wouldn't have looked so closely when we saw the 14 mark on the price list. Who would have known how to weld together a light and fairly stiff frame specially adapted for supermoto, with a variable-angle head of the front telescopic forks, by adding material entirely by hand in a shielding gas, which machinists call the TIG process? Husqvarna racing engineers, of course. Winning the world championship in wild Aprilia, KTM, Honda and others is not a cat cough, and in honor of the victory they made the RR series.

The creases have little to do with the stock engine: the stronger and four centimeters shorter rear swingarm is anodized black (will scratches be very noticeable after falls?), the crosspieces that hold the thick front forks are cut from a single piece. from Ergal, the black and white wheels allow tubeless tires to be fitted, and the radial brake pump and Brembo calipers from the same manufacturer are the best parts to be found in the world of sports, where more driving in a straight line than in a straight line.

It features a hand-finished head, sport valves and a sharper camshaft, a 41mm Keihin MX forged piston and carburetor, a six-speed gearbox and an STM sliding clutch. “We are also installing an automatic ignition interrupt when switching, and it will fly. And I hope Akrapovich makes a two-pot exhaust.

With such a small series, the question is how many customers are willing to exchange a good sports arrow for a kit from Ivančna Gorica,” explains Uroš, last year’s national champion in the supermoto 450 and Open classes.

I confess I didn't even use the Huse at Raceland by 25 percent. I would fall into the ground if I threw a beauty across the floor, who barely left the factory and shone like out of a box. And it can happen quickly with temperatures of a few degrees above zero in January. But the driving experience is divine.

First you need to get used to the nearly vertical tilt of the front forks. This allows for extremely fast reloading in closed corners, which is why in tests Urosh outperformed by half a second per lap. Half a second! This can mean in the race, if there are no falls, about a seven or even ten seconds advantage over the pursuer. First of all, the unit deserves praise: the single-cylinder engine is extremely undemanding to drive, as I was able to drive circles in a lower operating range when warming up without annoying engine knocking. Well, at higher rpm and full throttle, the engine is dry, the front wheel constantly creeps in, the rear wheel slides into neutral. ... The devil needs at least another ten degrees.

Perhaps I will repeat the trip at the end of this year's season, in which Urosh will fight in the European Championship for a place in the top three, if you believe the bold plans. We will also see this at home races, so we invite you to see live what such a car is really capable of in the spring.

Test car price: 13.990 EUR

engine: single cylinder, liquid cooled, 449 cc? , electric starter.

Maximum power / torque: e.g

Energy transfer: Transmission 6-speed, chain, STM slip clutch.

Frame: steel pipe.

Suspension: front adjustable forks USD Marzocchi? 50mm, rear adjustable single Sachs shock.

Тормоза: front coil? 320 mm, radially mounted Brembo jaws, rear disc? 240 mm, Brembo jaw.

Tires: front 120 / 70-16, rear 5 / 170-55.

Seat height: 940 mm.

the weight: 115 kg.

Fuel: 7, 2 l

Representative: Zupin Moto Sport, doo, Lemberg 48, Šmarje pri Jelšah, tel. №: 041/523 388, www.zupin.de

Matevž Gribar, photo: Aleš Pavletič