HERITAGE HUSKY TX300 PROJECT

We have been working with Dick Wilk for many moons. He’s a crafty old desert racer turned tuner and suspension specialist who has a repertoire for building machines that flat motivate and relieves the rough edges of the planet that get transferred to the pilot with his upgraded suspension. Dick came by the office with his latest creation built around the Husqvarna TX300. In talking with him, we learned that he was flat stunned with the engine. He calls it the best 300 stock engine he has worked with. The motor was completely disassembled, spec’d out, inspected and left stock. This is an unreal statement for a guy who loves to make them breathe!

 

Dick spent considerable effort on the suspension, the air fork getting his Hybrid AER kit, which includes all-new valving and a spring setup. He focused on increased versatility, a plusher ride and better fore-to-aft balance. With the shock, the mods target improved tractability, feel in cobby terrain and versatility for better action from desert racing to woods riding.

He has a special place in his heart for Husqvarna, having raced them since the early 1980s. So, for his personal machine, he stayed with graphics that embrace the “Heritage” look, fit on special wheels, added comfort updates, highspeed handling manners and additional off-road protection. Here’s a look at his modified Husqvarna TX300, the mods he made and why.

• A Scalvini cone pipe and silencer handle the exhaust parameters of the TX.

• Being a full-blown Husky addict, Dick loves the Heritage look of the TX. Decal Works handled the graphics and Tusk rotors. Black hubs with gold rims, Dunlop tires and Nitromousse foam inserts were installed in both wheels.

• For off-road work, a Seat Concepts Comfort saddle offers enhanced feel, fanny traction and is easier on the bum. The comfort shape maintains a similar contour to stock at the front of the seat, so the rider’s legs are not spread farther apart but instead tapers out towards the mid-point to distribute rider weight over a greater area. The cover is their Element, which has four traction ribs.

Custom gold/black wheels, Dunlop MX33s, a Primary drive chain and sprockets, Flexx bars and a Scotts steering damper adorn Dick’s TX300

The rear end is all new as well and took some work to get it on the same level as the Hybrid forks. A stiffer spring for a 200-pound rider was used in conjunction with valving aimed at smoother action, spring-matched rebound and increased bottoming resistance. The new no-tools adjusters made testing easier, although the rebound was difficult to operate. He equipped his steed with Nitromousse foam tubes inside of Dunlop MX33 tires, Tusk discs, sprocket and gold O-ring chain. OEM white plastic replaced the stock stuff and was covered with Dicks Racing-designed graphics made by Decal Works. A P3 carbon fiber skid plate with linkage guard replaced the stock plastic unit.

Dick fit Flexx handlebars and a Scotts steering damper mounted to a BRP mount for feel, comfort and stability. An overlooked area was the vulnerability of the radiator hose between the frame and exhaust pipe. A rock could potentially come up from the front wheel and puncture the hose, causing engine failure. Dick offers a tidy-white plastic splitloom protector to solve the issue.

Dicks Racing has been refining the AER forks since their inception in 2017. He’s been using a Hybrid system utilizing a new cartridge that accepts a spring while still using the AER cartridge at a drastically reduced pressure (140 down to 55). This eliminates the initial harshness caused by the excessive AER pressure. The good traits are kept—lightweight, progression and adjustability. The action is plush, controlled and big-hit-capable. STR made special push-button bleeders to round out the package.

Dick Wilk felt that the new powerplant had amazing response and strength. The new throttle-body injection and, more important, the electronically controlled power valve have done wonders filling in the holes of the previous generation’s powerband. His only mod was adding a Scalvini cone pipe and silencer. He spent his development time on the suspension. An all-new frame required new settings to achieve the desired results. Both ends were harsh in rocks and too soft in whoops and G-outs.