We just finished riding the all-new 2011 Husqvarna TC449 motocross bike in Italy. First we spent the morning with the enduro line of TE models, including the 2011 Husqvarna TE250, 2011 Husqvarna TE310 and 2011 Husqvarna TE449.

I was pretty bummed because I didn't get as much time on the 449 as I would have liked, and I have already sampled the smaller models last year with the TE250 First Ride and TE310 Bike Review, even though the 310 has a new engine this year. Fortuntely, I was able to make up for it with the afternoon session on the TC version. We were supposed to share bikes but it ended up that we had our own for the entire afternoon. Husky had a full staff on hand to make sure the journalists were able to get dialed in. I don't want to give away too much info just yet, wait for the complete First Ride soon, but I will say that I was surprised with the TC. The bike rides easy and I was able to make big strides with the suspension and handling. Sometimes at an intro, with groomed tracks and manicured bikes, everything is so perfect that it's hard to tell what needs adjustment. However, other riders hit the track before us in the morning so it was broken in a bit and challenging. I like feeling like I'm sorting things out and making improvements for my style/ability, and we definitely accomplished that today.

Top three things I like about the 2011 TC449
Friendly power
Free Akrapovic pipe with purchase
Surprising linkage performance

Top 3 things I don't like about the 2011 TC449
Feels heavy
Clutch cover has a bulge that interferes with finding the rear brake
Rear end offers no grab point and the wide fender hits your ass.