2015 Husqvarna FE 350 S - WHAT I'VE BEEN RIDING

What happens after the buzz of a bike's debut wears off? Average motorcycle ownership lasts four or five years but in a press fleet we may only see it for one or two. What happens after that? Sometimes we end up buying one, like this 2015 Husqvarna FE 350 S, and find out.

In 2015 its debut reaped acclaim and awards. And why wouldn’t it?

Its spec sheet is littered with the best parts of KTM and Husaberg. From KTM a DOHC 350cc four-stroke motor, Brembo brakes, and WP suspension. From Husaberg, a linked shock and polyamide rear subframe. From Husqvarna, that color scheme and links to 110 years of motorcycling heritage.

Complimenting all this engineering is a design birthed from a tantric evening between an F-22 Raptor and a mountain bike.

The result weighs 240 lbs, outputs 45 horsepower through wide-ratio six speed transmission, and on the ‘S’, has a license plate.

When it was new, we named its stablemate the FE 501 S the best Enduro/Dual-Sport of 2015.

None of this mattered to me, though. I happened to be wedged underneath all this premier componentry after falling into a muddle puddle in Bufu Illinois.

It was my first outing on my new-to-me 2015 Husqvarna FE 350 S. Its purchase came from an equal measure of ego, impatience, and a heaping measure of rationalization.

On the ego side was this: street riding in Chicago is boring. Riding on the dirt will make me faster and be more fun. Think of the activities. Think of the radness.

On the impatience side: browsing for used dirt bikes is about as much fun as finding an avocado in the trashcan. Sure you can get lucky, but most times they’ll be rotten to the pit. I was over sifting through claptraps in Monster decals, and $5K DR-Z400s.

And the rationalization. It's a good deal I told myself, newer too, and with a PLATE. This is no flippant buying decision, this is a rational, adult one. And it will be way more reliable than some secondhand heap.

I was signing the papers at BMW of Countryside before this internal argument was over. Hi Bob!

I was brilliant. My fiancee’ disagreed. Like most things, she was right. Kind of.

An initial street ride post-purchase would vouch for my brilliance. There is a reason dirt bikes with license plates ignite the hearts of even the most jaded of journalists. They are a shot of moonshine when beer doesn’t do it for you.

Lithe and light, they respond rapidly to any input, and flatter your riding. Bereft of the clunk and weight of street bikes, they connect to your brain stem, not your hands.

The power delivery of the 350 is smooth and confidence inspiring. So much so, you’ll be lifting the front before you make it down the block.

But like moonshine, the Husky on the street is best in small doses. The seat is incredibly firm. The brakes grabby (on road and off). The Michelin knobbies are DOT rated but dedicated to throwing you into tank slappers. Although you can go 90 mph on the freeway; I would recommend this only if you’re constipated and looking for a fast solution.

And every second of every ride there’s the mischievous little voice in your head. You know the one. It leans in, starts to speak through an increasing smirk, and whispers, “You have to change your oil soon.”

That’s right, thoughts of what you’re damaging while you push through slab miles.

To daily ride one is akin to chopping down a tree with a samurai sword.

The post-purchase glow began to dim.

I didn't buy this bike for commuting though. The plate was only to open up the riding envelope. I bought this to shred the dirt. Or learn to. So I went to find some.

Here’s a tip to all you first time dirt bike intenders out there. The press is lying to you. If you Google dirt bike you’ll see jumps. You’ll see adventures in lands foreign and domestic at speed with picturesque roosts in their wakes. You’ll see lens flare. You’re seeing a fantasy.

What you won’t see is reality. And the reality is throwing a bike in the back of a van or a truck and driving two hours to a place to ride, nearly falling on your ass trying to pull the bike out of said truck, and falling down. And having people dressed head to toe in camo laughing at your bougie mishaps.

It’s part of the game. You will derive much pleasure and much hatred from the process.

Back to the bike. That's why you're here, after all. Not to hear my brave struggles with tie-downs.

As for how the bike performs in the dirt, in a word, wonderfully. The motor is flexible and powerful, striking the balance between 250 momentum and 450 wallop. The rear shock was pillowy soft and predictable.

But the front end, at this moment, is pillowy soft and unpredictable. I had a hell of a time trying to find out what it wanted to do, and I have a hunch the previous owner fiddled with it.

However, from the tight mud trails in Marseilles, IL, to the WOT double track of the dunes in IN, the Husky made the dirt an experience different from what I’ve had before: fun. It was light, it was nimble, it had enough power to get out of jams but not to overwhelm my limited experience.

If these impressions sound vague, there’s a good reason. I’m straight up garbage in the dirt.

In fact, if the bike had to review me, the verdict would not be kind:

Meatbag Joseph Gustafson is of average weight and height. His actions are often sharp and violent. He has a propensity to panic under duress and swear at high volumes. He also takes too long to pick me up after drops. 5/10 do not recommend.

Luckily, the bike can’t talk, and if it did, it would be in an awkward Austrian/Swedish dialect that no one could understand.

The important part is that the bike was confidence inspiring and challenging all at once. And the best part was since it had a plate, I could mob on out of the off-road park to grab gas or food instead of loading up all over again.

That’s a pretty expensive perk for a McDonald’s run though.

That depends. The fedora hordes of r/motorcycles and equivalent forums will tell you to buy the cheapest, smallest capacity dirt bike you can find.

And that isn’t wrong, but it isn’t right for everybody, either.

In my case, I wanted something I could plate without involving the DMV and conjuring spells. Sure, you can title any dirt bike, but it involves some interstate trickery and extra time and effort. I wanted an electric start. And I wanted something that could hit the street, the trail, and the track in one fell swoop.

The FE 350 S does all those things. Only weird part is unlike its KTM brother, it has electric start only. After really taxing the battery last weekend I will probably install the optional kickstart kit.

Other than that, if you’re a journalist who doesn’t have to maintain or pay for one, it’s ideal.

But I do, and that’s where I may have been very, very wrong. The maintenance schedule is violent. The fork seals are already leaking. It’s due for its first oil change. I will be very busy in the garage.

I’ve ridden it twice. TWICE.

If I had a DR-Z or an XR650L I could ride it to the moon and maybe contemplate changing the oil but then never do it. And it would still take me to Argentina. However, that would come at a penalty of both weight and power, sometimes as much 100 pounds if I compared it to the XR650L.

And that’s a lot of weight to be picking up over and over and over again. So the maintenance may be worth it to you in exchange for lighter weight, or the convenience may be worth it to you for less performance and higher weight.

In 2014, Blake Conner put the new Husqvarna FE 350 and 501 thusly: We have no doubt that Husky is instantly on even ground with KTM in this segment. This current marriage between the two companies is exactly what Husqvarna needed to spark a true resurgence that the previous Italian and German owners were never able to execute. If you are looking for a hardcore dual-sport machine, Husqvarna has to be on your short list of options.

In 2017, I say, "WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! (CRASH) How much is this going to cost?"

Could I have gotten away with the cheaper, heavier options? Absolutely, and so can you, and it may be a smarter choice too.

Was this bike the wrong choice, though? Not for my needs and desires for a balanced, high-spec dual sport with a plate. But the jury is out on whether it becomes a maintenance pig as the season wears on, or if it really is the perfect do-it-all dirty bike.

Make my pain your gain. What would you like to know about long-term, three year old dual-sport ownership?