The Husqvarna TX300 Heritage project with Dick’s Racing for 2023 aimed to pay homage to Husqvarna’s history while incorporating the latest technological advancements in their 2-stroke off-road competition bikes. Dick Wilk, a seasoned desert racer turned tuner and suspension specialist, collaborated with us on this project, using his expertise to build machines that impress us.
Dick dedicated significant effort to enhancing the suspension. The air fork received his Hybrid AER kit, which includes new valving and a spring setup. The goal was to improve versatility, provide a smoother ride, and achieve better fore-to-aft balance. As for the shock, modifications were made to enhance tractability, improve performance in rough terrain, and offer versatility for both desert racing and woods riding.
For off-road riding, a Seat Concepts Comfort saddle was chosen to enhance comfort, provide better traction, and reduce discomfort. The comfort shape maintains a similar contour to the stock seat at the front, ensuring the rider’s legs are not spread too far apart. However, it tapers towards the mid-point to distribute the rider’s weight over a larger area. The seat cover features four traction ribs and is called the Element.
Dick’s TX300 is equipped with Flexx bars and a Scotts steering damper, complemented by a BRP handlebar mount system.
Custom gold/black wheels were installed along with Dunlop MX33 tires, a Primary drive chain, and sprockets.
Dicks Racing has been continuously improving the AER forks since they were introduced in 2017. For this project, they utilized a Hybrid system that incorporates a new cartridge accepting a spring while still employing the AER cartridge at a significantly reduced pressure (from 140 to 55). The wheels were fitted with black hubs, gold rims, Dunlop tires, and Nitromousse foam inserts.
Wilk considers it the best stock engine for a 300cc bike that he has worked on. The engine underwent a complete disassembly, inspection, and measurements but was left unmodified. This is quite impressive coming from someone who enjoys enhancing engine performance!
The only engine performance modification made was the addition of a Scalvini cone pipe and silencer. Dick’s Racing invested time in developing the suspension, as the new frame required new settings to achieve the desired results. The previous setup was too harsh in rocky conditions and too soft in whoops and G-outs.