FE350 -
Do All Bike
July 3, 2024
By: Danika White
The Unicorn Bike
Life is an adventure so why not have a bike that can do everything? My quest for the “Swiss Army Knife” of bikes started after riding and racing 350cc KTM and Husqvarna 4-strokes for a few years. I loved the power delivery of the machines and the ease of riding. I felt as if it was the happy place between the debate of “what’s more fun to ride, a two-stroke or a four-stroke?”. The 350 motor has this tractor like feeling of easy low-end power, with a free revving and manageable feel in the higher RPM range. Another great characteristic of the 350 powerplant is while letting off the throttle and rolling through corners it really gave me that freed up, free rolling two-stroke feeling. I love riding those bikes!
Then my eyes were opened at my first-time attending Babes in the Dirt as Husqvarna Motorcycles support crew. As support crew, we spent the weekend leading Husqvarna Motorcycles off-road demo rides at an amazing three-day lady only event in the high desert of Gorman California. The Husqvarna TE 150 and FE 350 were the bikes of choice for the all-level demographic at this event, and I got my hands on the FE 350s for three days and dreamt of the adventures I could take that bike on!
When I got home, I had a new goal to build a dirt bike I could ride and race at the motocross track, take off-road on single track trails and legally ride on the road. The idea of the unicorn bike came to life! We started with a brand new 2023 Husqvarna FE 350s from BFD Moto in Calgary, stock the bike is orientated more for off-road riding and small road commutes. So, we had to tailor it a bit more to the performance side of things to prepare the bike to handle what I planned on using it for and get that FC 350 feeling I loved so much!
Here are some of the modifications we made to the bike and why:
- SUSPENSION The suspension components in stock trim come with very comfort-based settings, the WP Xplor fork and Xact shock are great for off-road riding. We were looking for a more performance-based setup for the demands of racing moto on the bike. CJR Suspension in Calgary installed some WP 6500 cartridges and a WP Traxx rear shock, set up with a hybrid setting that handles the jumps and deep ruts at the motocross track, while maintaining enough initial movement/comfort to be able to take the bike to local off-road trails. The stock Xplor fork is shorter in length than the FC/TC models, the 6500 cartridges also help resolve the FEs low front end chassis geometry by lengthening the forks to the same length as the FC/TC models.
- GET ECU AND DE-SMOG KIT Stock the bike is very restricted and equipped with emission compliant components. Compared to the FC 350 the FE 350 is very tame and mellow, which can be an asset for some riders. Since I was planning on racing the bike competitively, we decided to open the bike up. To get the bike closer to the FC 350
power we deleted the emission systems, removed the intake restrictor and installed the GET ECU. The GET ECU is a plug and play replacement ECU system.
https://bfdmoto.com/products/gk-rx1pronm?_pos=6&_sid=960856692&_ss=r
- EXHAUST Now that we had the bike powered up with the removal of the emissions and the addition of the GET ECU it was time to address the restrictive stock exhaust system. We installed an Akropovic Evolution exhaust system. Akropovic makes top quality products and this system is the titanium version. We dropped some weight, gained performance and still have the option of running a spark arrestor when needed with this exhaust.
- LIGHTING The stock turn signals stick out quite far off the front number plate and rear fender/licence plate holder and are susceptible to damage in a tip over. SicAss makes some great flush mount LED turn signals for the rear indicators, as well as some lower profile front LED signal lights that are nice and tucked in. We also installed an Acerbis LED headlight for some better vision while riding at night.
https://bfdmoto.com/products/sicass-smoke-lens-led-flex-mount?_pos=5&_sid=daf546b04&_ss=r
https://bfdmoto.com/products/sicass-led-flush-mount-signals?variant=44093732046
https://bfdmoto.com/products/husqvarna-license-plate-holder?_pos=11&_sid=5291b1c2b&_ss=r
- TIRES The stock tires worked great for commuting around town and gravel roads but aren’t the greatest in an off-road situation due to the lower profile of the tires tread. Still wanting to be road legal but needing a more aggressive tire we ended up at the Dunlop EN91 tires. Dunlop makes this tire for FIM Enduro racing, it uses a very blocky tread pattern and is DOT approved for on-road use. They look very much like a moto tire, with a slightly lower knob height on the rear tire. Overall, they work great everywhere I have taken them! For race days I would still switch to Dunlop’s MX purpose specific tires.
https://bfdmoto.com/products/dunlop-geomax-en91-rear-tire?_pos=1&_sid=72dcdd2bd&_ss=r
https://bfdmoto.com/products/dunlop-geomax-en91-front-tire?_pos=2&_sid=72dcdd2bd&_ss=r
- Handlebars/Controls As with any bike, the points of contact with the bike are very important to personalize. Being smaller in stature, we did a few modifications to make the bike as comfortable as possible for me. I have small hands (Youth Large Gloves), so the Renthal full diamond soft grips are my favourite! They have a much smaller diameter to hold onto and still offer a comfortable feel in the soft compound. Being shorter and smaller framed, I also run a lower bend bar and trim 6mm off each end to have a bar that doesn’t feel big and wide while riding. We also installed the SicAss start/stop and headlight/signal light handlebar switches they are more water resistant then the stock switches and are built into more compact housings to take up less space on the more narrow handlebars. Lastly, we installed the Double Take folding adventure mirror, this set up folds down flat super easily when you are on more aggressive terrain to keep it out of the way and away from damage.
https://www.renthal.com/moto/mx-grips-full-diamond-soft-1
https://bfdmoto.com/products/sicass-multi-function-bar-switch-26-042?_pos=3&_sid=5291b1c2b&_ss=r
https://bfdmoto.com/products/sicass-17-22-exc-fe-over-under-start-stop-switch?_pos=17&_sid=5291b1c2b&_ss=r
- SECO GRIPPER SEATCOVER I prefer a gripper-style seat cover on any bike I am racing, its super helpful to prevent you from sliding backwards on starts, coming out of corners, or climbing steep hills. Seco is a Canadian company that makes great quality seat covers that are 100% customizable to the look of your bike.
What have I done on the unicorn bike?
- Raced multiple MX series in Ladies and Vet Intermediate classes.
- Rode from my house to the track, moto’d, went home.
- Took it to Babes in the Dirt to lead the Husqvarna Motorcycles demo rides.
- SurfinBerms track and trail Berms Crew lead laps.
- Taught BOLT Lessons onboard it.
- Stunt doubling for TV.
- Gone to the grocery store, coffee shop and of course post ride ice cream!
What’s next with the Unicorn Bike? More adventures! Stay tuned on specmoto.ca and follow us along the ride on socials.
From my perSPECtive,
Danika White
