2015 Husqvarna FE 350 S and FE 501 S - First Look

When KTM's parent company bought Husqvarna from BMW just over a year ago, and then completely revamped the Husky product line, there were a few holes left in the range. The most glaring? The dual-sport category in which Italian Husqvarna had done such a great job with bikes such as the TE310, TE250 and earlier TE450. Now the good news: Two brand-new Husky dual-sports have been announced for 2015.

Like much of the Husky model range, these new dual-sports have close mechanical ties to KTM platforms. Which, frankly, is the best thing to happen to Husqvarna in ages. One of our favorite motorcycles currently in production is the KTM 500 EXC, a multi-time Ten Best winner. The fact that the new Husky FE 501 S has much in common with this incredible KTM doesn't bother us in the least. The same goes for the FE 350 S, which is very closely related to the KTM 350 EXC.

Like their orange cousins, both new Husky dual-sports are fitted with all the necessary equipment to make them street legal in all 50 states, including mirrors, turn signals, and a license-plate bracket.

As in their KTM counterparts, the two new Husqvarnas have engines with unique cylinder heads. The FE 350 S is a dohc four-stroke, but with a heavier crankshaft than that of the engine used in the off-road-only FE 350. The FE 501 S, on the other hand, is a sohc four-stroke design that features titanium intake valves and a diamond-like coating on its rocker arms.

Both of the new Husqvarna models share WP’s 4CS (four chamber) fork and link-mounted Dual Compression Control shock, with settings optimized for dual-sporting. Final specifications and pricing for these new street-legal Huskys have yet to be released, so check back with us for updates.