They say bright sunlight lifts your spirits. Here's a little secret: if you want to multiply that effect by a thousand, kick your leg over a brand-new, straight off the shop floor, limited edition, 2023 model Husqvarna FE 501 Heritage enduro bike — but do it amongst the lush pine trees of the iconic Sunny Corner forests in NSW, where you know epic riding ideally suited to this dirt-munching off-road slayer will be laid out before you. And then there's that permanent grin you get when you see that brand-new bike rolling out of the van and knowing it's yours, the Husky's Heritage colours absolutely popping against the vivid green pines.
Now that's a day to remember! I felt like I'd been shot up the butt with a rainbow.
HANG ON JUST A MINUTE
But this story had a sketchy start, and an end result that not all hard-nosed pure dirt riders will approve of. Some might say it even verges on criminal activity. Why in the hell would you add 13 kilograms to a snorting, thoroughbred, enduro weapon that as I rolled it out of that van tipped the scales at a featherweight 108kg?
And the sketchy start didn't end there. You see, I'm a die-hard 300cc two-stroke tragic whose love for that kind of arm-stretching power goes way back to when
