HUSQVARNA FE501: Limitless

One look at the Husqvarna FE 501 and you know it means business. The FE 501 was designed to be taken straight off the showroom floor, put on the pickup and into the elements; and it looks the part. Adorned in the classic white, blue, and yellow of the Husq­varna brand the FE 501 is noticeably slim for a dual sports motorcycle. In fact, it is a featherweight by dual sports standards. The WP Xplor 48 front forks provide 300 mm of travel while the WP shock absorbers with linkage provide 330mm in the rear. A massive clearance heaves the Husky 370 mm way off the ground, enough to tackle anything on your path. With a seat height of 970 mm, riders are perched heads and shoulders above other bike riders. But it may also mean shorter rid­ers have to sit this one out (unless you’re extremely comfortable on your tippy toes and can resort to mild acrobatics in bumper to bumper traffic).

 Put together the entire package and you have a fun loving machine that really does not want to stop

What it promises in appearances, the Husqvarna FE 501 backs up in performance. At the heart of this sleek machine is a 510 cc engine with a single overhead cam that activates two titanium intake valves and two steel exhaust valves.

Starting the engine is pure bliss, stab and go. Twist the throttle and the engine responds with a tremen­dously resounding grumble. The clutch comes smooth and easy and turns on the power, which is imme­diate, smooth and almost mirrors the crack of the throttle. Bottom range grunt is phenomenal and it yanks you from a standstill with vig­or. What really takes you back is the buttery smooth delivery of power from what is essentially a dual-sport inclined to enduro riding.

As a result, things come extremely naturally to the Husky and the rider when you ride the FE 501. For an average Nepali rider with the aver­age Nepali height, like me, riding this machine is no walk in the park. However, the Husqvarna FE 501 has a good center of gravity, which meant I was really able to have my way with it. Whether it was slalom­ing through traffic, ripping through the asphalt, or flying through the terrains once the tarmac ends, rid­ing the FE 501 was an exceptional experience.

That said, it should be kept in mind that this is a dedicated off-road machine. Sure it’s an abso­lute hoot on the road, but you’ll be burning through your tires at an appalling pace. You can also expect noticeable wobble on the tarmac, thanks to its knobby tires. That still does not mean that it is dif­ficult to handle. Taming the machine gets much easier once you get a handle on the power, mapping and traction control.

Take it to unchartered terrains and it really comes into its element. The tires perfectly fit the dirt sling­ing instincts of the Husky, and the power output help you take on any obstacle in front. Handling is sub­lime and inspires confidence. Shift your weight onto the front tires, look ahead and guide the rear tires to where your heart desires.

The six-speed gearbox provides the meat of the power in the low­er end and spaces the gears out well throughout all ranges. Popping wheels even in third gear was easy. The forks do a good job of flattening terrains and cushioning the rider on all fronts. The rear suspension setup was softer than we’d like, so given another go we’d definitely tweak it a bit.

Put together the entire package and you have a fun loving machine that really does not want to stop. When you do want to take a pause, the disc brakes do the job of bring­ing you to a complete halt. It has a powerful engine that has unparal­leled low range grunt that carries on through all gears. It is one of the few motorcycles with which we really have no complaints.

Pair that with the supreme han­dling, braking, light maneuver­ability and the Husqvarna FE 501 is unstoppable. Direct it to where you won’t go and it won’t think twice about getting there. It simply blows you away. Every time you conquer a route you’re left wonder­ing what you could throw at it to ever waver its confidence. If you’re riding it on the tarmac a lot, we sug­gest you snap on some dual sports tires on this baby and the possibili­ties are limitless.