The Husky TC 125 is an all-new bike for 2016 sharing very little but the transmission ratios with its previous model. Designed around dropping the weight, improving the performance with better rideability, a shared goal for the whole line, the 125 was not overlooked at all.
The engine is claimed to put out 40 HP at the output shaft. Once through the transmission and out the rear wheel, we’ll say the Austrian built Husky is the fastest 125 the brand has ever built and it has a full spread of power. The 54.0mm X 54.5mm bore and stroke help produce a very long spread of power that is also aided by the new externally adjustable exhaust powervale. It’s design has the rotating sub-exhaust ports, which are massive, opening later and at a different ratio than the main exhaust port’s flapper valve. On the track this translates to a longer power spread but a fatter one where the bike needs to work to be as fast as it can be. There is torque right from the bottom from a motor with very little flywheel mass but the engine never feels like it is resistant to building revs. As the RPMs increase so does the power in a very linear way without much hit and no real steps in the delivery. You use the clutch for that, just a small dose of clutch and you can have all the hit any 125 could give you. Where the bike is really impressive is definitely the top end. It does make a lot of power and if you are pulling full-stream, the bike will run with a 250F here, you are just going to have to shift before them, the tale of a two-stroke. Luckily the gear box is perfect in ratios and the Magura clutch, different then the similar KTM 125/150, really impressed me as being better even though it has a slightly stiffer pull. You get better action for the same amount of movement from your fingers.
There are very few full sized bikes that will feel as light as the TC 125 and they are very close siblings. It would take a back-to-back riding to tell if one is lighter than the other even though the sales brochure gives the edge to the KTM by a couple of pounds. Weight aside, what little there is, the handling has taken a nice leap forward with a chassis that is very balanced and surprisingly stable for how easily it turns. 125s typically get away with a lot since there isn’t tons of power to bring out the flaws in a chassis– but when things are right then you really feel how critical little changes can be. Every aspect of the handling, from the turn-in to the weight feeling are going in the right direction for the Husky. The bike lets you know if you are in the right position either standing or sitting on the roomy chassis. It will track following the front wheel or step out and slide depending on the rider’s preference. And it lets you know if you can get better suspension settings, it tells you if something is off. There was not a standout trait to the carbon composite sub-frame nor did the different airbox shape have the bike feeling muted in any way.
I ran the front fork a lot stiffer on compression and rebound (close to 5 clicks) to mostly raise the ride height of the front, as the 4CS fork’s adjuster’s work this way. It actually made the fork feel softer and allowed me to also run a little more rear spring preload for my weight and still keep the balance. Here the bike has excellent use of the stroke and resisted bottoming well. Husky has spent a lot of time getting the fork right since they know it has been an area of complaints in the last few years. There was not much forward/aft chassis roll either and I’m pretty heavy for a 125. The rubber mounted handlebar clamp helped with both vibration and the sharp hits to the chassis. The rear shock is now shorter overall and has a bit more stroke running through an all new linkage and all indications are that they got the suspension setup correct. Of note was that the bikes we were on were running the Dunlop MX32 not the standard equipment Dunlop MX52 due to the track conditions. Our experience between these two tires aside from the increased grip in softer conditions is the MX32 aids the bump compliance feel of the suspension.
Overall the TC 125 will be a serious contender for the best 125 out there. It makes power, handles great and through its small differences from the KTM will have some traits worth looking into. Yet they are small enough differences that a back-to-back riding session would be needed to reveal. Most of the differences are visual really, but for sure we did notice the clutch. Available in the Fall in US dealers be watching for more two-stroke Husqvarnas at a track near you very soon.
