8-12-19: 2020 Husky TE300i and my 2019 Husky TX300 ridden back to back today! I wanted to share my observations from riding these bikes back to back. There could be riders (like me) out there considering switching to a TPI bike and hopefully this information might be helpful. These comments are from a couple of hours of riding in central Ohio. Digital (TPI) or Analog (Carburetor) what are the differences felt while riding? TPI has a smoother initial response which helps find traction then comes on strong in the mid. The carb has stronger initial response and pulls a tick longer on top. TPI is very smooth especially at low RPM's and can run a gear high lugging the engine and this helps control that quick revving feel of the TPI engine at higher RPM's on the trail. The carb bike engine response feels a little more organic with that classic 2-stroke quickness and sharpness. The TPI bike started quickly and ran clean today and so did the carb bike (which has PWK short body 38mm Keihin carburetor). From an engine point of view both are very good. It is similar to electric guitar amplifiers: there are tube amps (analog) and solid state amps (digital) - depends on your own preference. KTM and Husky offer a high tech 2-stroke with fuel and oil injection that runs clean and never needs jetted. Yet the carburetor (especially the Keihin) is still an amazingly effective and simple device that can easily be tuned (jetted) to work over a wide range of conditions.
From a chassis point of view the latest XPLOR suspension settings on the 2020 TE300i work great off road: plush, absorbing, and compliant right off the showroom floor. A little more hold up in the suspension overall in this 2020 setting but still uses lots of stroke to absorb the bumps. The forks come with external preload adjusters for easy front fork spring preload changes. Other things I noticed. The TE300i handlebars are slightly narrower and taller than the stock TX300 bars. This gives the front end of the TE a slightly different feel compared to the TX. I installed an OEM 2019 Husky TE headlight and an Acerbis tail light on my 2019 TX300 (along with WP Cone Valve forks) but even with these extras the 19 TX300 feels noticeably lighter when putting it on a stand but not so much on the trail. The silencer has more packing on the 2020 TE300i so it sounds a little quieter. The seat cover on the 2020 TE300i is a smoother material compared to the gripper seat cover on the TX300 seat. Both bikes are very capable off road. I am still undecided on upgrading to the 20 TPI.
My local dealer just got in a new 2020 Husky TX300 TPI.....to be continued!