2016 Husqvarna FS 450 Supermoto



Husqvarna is really starting to differentiate itself from sister company KTM and the release of the updated 2016 FS 450 Supermoto certainly contributes to that. While Husqvarna is busy hyping up the forthcoming release of their 701 Supermoto, the FS 450 Supermoto is actually a bike that doesn’t have an equivalent in KTM’s lineup.



That to us is far more interesting than the 701 Supermoto which is as far as we can tell just a rebadged KTM 690 SMC R. The new FS 450 Supermoto is derived from the heavily revised FE 450 Enduro which was announced just a few months ago and that means it gets a whole lot of great features that the previous years model did not.

That includes a new subframe which is made of a composite material that is 30% carbon fibre and features a three-piece construction, which is 1 kg lighter than its equivalent in the previous model. The new cast aluminium swingarm has been redesigned, is stiffer and lighter than before as well.


Like its enduro cousin, the FS 450’s motor gets a serious overhaul as well. The new engine is 23 mm shorter, 23 mm narrower and 9 mm lower than before. Total weight reduction for the engine is a very impressive 1.8 kg. Even the cylinder head gets some work to reduce weight.

The 5-speed gearbox comes standard with a slipper clutch and the clutch lever is hydraulic. The gearbox gets some tweaks to make it more compact and lighter too. The FS 450 also features a standard handlebar map switch which also activates launch control, a function that limits the amount of power to the rear wheel for approximately two seconds. This results in improved traction and the prevention of loss of control under hard acceleration.

If upon looking at the pictures below of the bike you were wondering why the exhaust headers looked suspicously like something from a 2-stroke, you’re not imagining things. The resonance chamber is integrated into the header pipe to resemble a 2-stroke expansion chamber which not only helps with weight distribution, but also reduces noise.


The proprietary WP rear shock has been specifically designed for Supermoto and features 266 mm of rear travel. It features fully adjustable rebound and high/low speed compression while up front you get 48 mm WP closed cartridge forks with 280 mm of suspension travel and is also fully adjustable.

The brand new 2016 Husqvarna FS 450 Supermoto will heat dealer showrooms in Europe this month and will hopefully find it’s way internationally soon thereafter.