New and Old

Posted: December 3, 2011 | Author: Bill Jones | Filed under: Ride | Tags: 426, brother, camera, family, Husqvarna, motorcycle, riding, sand, weekend, Yamaha, YZ | 3 Comments

I bought a 2011 Husqvarna TC449 yesterday from Gateway BMW/Hsuqvarna. Today was my first chance to ride it. I loaded it and my 2000 Yamaha YZ426F, picked up my little brother John, and went to Saint Joe State Park. It was a beautiful day. Both bikes worked great. The Husky is taller, longer, and stiffer feeling than the YZ. It’s engine is simultaneously powerful and friendly. Where the YZ spins its rear tire and wants to bring the rear artound on the throttle or on the brakes, the Husky is super stable and just drives out of corners with no drama at all. Even when you break the rear loose on purpose,, it just hangs out there, lazily, never threatening to swap.
I had gone for an hour, charging whoops and powering out donuts in the sand before I had my first spill – in the middle of a feet-up power slide through loose sand, I sideswiped an old stump, and launched myself over the high side. No pain and no damage, just a mouth full of sand for my carelessness. All part of the fun.

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