42 Powerful Reference

GSX-RI OOP: Blast faster or past master?

44 Cutting Edge I

Kinetic sculpture from Confederate. I

-by Mark Hoyer

50 Time & Design

Contemporary customs, eyed from

the Hurricane.

-by Craig Vetter

52 F124 Hellcat

Raucous rebel road rocket.

54 Flying Pan

The South has risen again.

-by John Burns

61 Chopped Ducks

Long-legged Latin lovelies?

70 Honda CRF250X

Big Red's little enduro.

76 Vespa Granturismo

La bella niotoscootori.

79 Aprilia Scarabeo 500

Italian for “automatic motorcycle.”

32 Honda CBR1000RR

Can a motorcycle be user-friendly

and fearsomely fast?

-by Brian Catterson

64 Husqvarna TE250E

Back in business-again.

-by Jimmy Lewis

86 Convertibars

Raise the bar. Or lower it.

90 Tank Locker

The key to tankbag success?

94 In Pursuit of Greatness

Kurtis Roberts: Like father, like brother?

-by Matthew Miles

10 UP FRONT

Art of the Chopper.

-by David Edwards

12 LEANINGS

The Age of Tough Engines.

-by Peter Egan

14 TDC

Cutting it close.

-by Kevin Cameron

16 Hotshots

22 New Ideas

32 Roundup

82 CW Library

128 Service

135 CW Showcase

146 Slipstream

Let me use a sports analogy here,

not that 1 know anything about

sports. Team Husqvarna is down by

4 in the third period, on their 5-yard

line and getting ready to punt from

the free-throw line for a goal with

their 2004 model line. In other

words, it's a make-or-break moment

for the historic marque. Not importing any

’03 models into the U.S. and sitting on a hot

new four-stroke line has made for tough times

for the Swedish-tumed-ltalian brand. Which,

by the way, celebrated its 100-year anniver-

sary last year, like a certain American motor-

cycle manufacturer that doesn’t make any-

thing quite so racy. But just because the

cash-strapped factory wasn't producing bikes

doesn't mean the race team wasn't busy

developing them-all the world enduro cham-

pionships in. the fast two years prove that.

Eventually, some money camein, the factory

spooled back, up and Huskys are rolling off

the assembly tine once again.

Out of the bjue came an invitation to attend

a centennial eelebratioh in Italy. Forget the

party duds. I’m. bringing my riding gear! At

the incredible Malpensa Grand Prix

motocrossJorciiif, Husqvarna assembled jour-

nalistS aihd distijbtifors to say, "We're ' ■

bdaackl”, All that stood in-the way were the ■ .

bi.kesAbey had toperform, , .

WeAqhericaij journalists had our own set

pf reserved U.S.-spec enduro bikes; The

molodross parkiwas nice, and there’ was even

a European-style grass-track for tis to test the p-..

headligtit-and-quiet-mufflet-equipped off-

road bikes oh. Not exactly what we Yankees

would call an enduro, but then t^pastai' •>

beer and wine were exceptiona|ZsO we’H call '

it even. J® ; : ■

Be that as it may. The enthusfe'm.of everv- >

one at the rejuvenated Husqvarna factory was: ;

apparent. Includine Giovanni Castiglioni (sort...