Husqvarna 450SMR by Hide Brussels

I’m pleased to feature another cool build of Max and Jérôme, owners of custom motorcycle workshop and café HIDE Brussels. This is their 13th build and just like their other creations, has a rather unusual base bike. It’s based on a ’05 Husqvarna 450 SMR and this raw and radical looking machine is an undefined mix between a tracker and a scrambler if I should label it.

The 450 SMR was introduced as a straight on supermoto back in 2004 and was placed just under the 510. Its liquid-cooled 449cc single cylinder spits out a punch 46hp and 41Nm of torque on a wet weight of only 130kgs. Pure supermoto fun! But Max and Jérôme wanted to make it a bit rawer and they’ve significantly redesigned the bike.

Their goal was to transform the Husky into a real street maniac, so they’ve ditched all the bulky plastics to trim the bike and make it look more compact and aggressive. If you take a look at the bike you wouldn’t say it, but it’s way lower than the original bike. For this stance modification, they’ve used an inverted 45mm Marzocchi front, which is 120mm lower than the original WP suspension. The bulky and plastic-fantastic tank is replaced by a smaller Yamaha XT tank. The beautiful 17″ laced wheels are built around Excel rims and got Dunlop Mutants mounted for optimal grip. As you may expect, the complete electronic system was simplified and a lightweight battery was placed in order to save a little more weight.

The bike also got some performance upgrades.  The engine is equipped with a forged piston with a cylinder treated for its permeability. Valves are exchanged for high-performance units and the crank shaft is reinforced and lightened. All parts are from ProX. The engine breathes with a BMC air intake and is fed by a dyno jet power commander. At the output, they’ve placed a customized LeoVince X3 exhaust. The extensive engine works and rejetting of the carbs resulted in a tempting cocktail.