THE RIDER Todd Waters’ 2024 Husqvarna FC450
“I’m from a softer background. I like sand, mud, and ruts, anything that holds your bike and that’s unstable and people get a bit scared of, I guess. So for me, I need a stable bike, I’ve got quite a stiff front end, but I’m heavy on the rear as well so I need that to hold up.”
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RIDE?
“I’m not that concerned about my bike turning, I want it to go straight and I want it to be stable, I’m quite aggressive, so I lean and make things turn. I’ll sacrifice that bit of feel in a couple of corners because I like to launch it into some big bumps, and it needs to hold. So my setup is very stiff and I’ve always been like that because at a race I want to square up a corner, go through the mud and make a pass, so I need my bike to be able to hold up under those conditions. When I race, I need my bike to be able to go above and beyond like I’m trying to.”
HOW DO YOU SET UP YOUR BIKE?
“In terms of suspension, I run WP Cone Valve forks and a Trax shock. That’s something I have to have in my bike because the adjustability is so fine-tuned.”
Todd runs a stiff setting similar to what would be used for supercross suspension.
“People often don’t understand the balance and geometry of a bike. [Meaning] the fork and shock work together. A lot of bikes that you hop on, the forks will be too stiff for the rear shock. So the rear shock will be too soft and it’ll be dragging in the rear so you won’t be able to turn.”
“Another common mistake is that riders mistake softness for being too stiff. Because what happens when it’s too soft is it’s down in the stroke and you’re in that hard part of the stroke.”
“Just as a basic overview of my bike, it’s quite stiff in the front end, it’s got a WP steering damper on the front for stability. I run my swing arm so the rear axle is far back so I can get length. I like a high bike as I like riding mud and ruts so I have a 106 ride height. I like my footpegs a bit higher. I’m not that concerned about my bike turning I want it to go straight and I want it to be stable.”
Todd also runs EZE triple clamps, the team has been working on geometry with EZE to get the bike where Todd likes it.
“Because I run a stiff setup, I find when a bike’s brand new the chassis is rigid. We put 30 to 50 hours on a training bike, then we walk up to a race bike that’s got two hours on it, and it just rattles your teeth out, it feels like your suspension’s 20% stiffer. So I’ve found the 10 to 15-hour mark is the perfect hours to put on a chassis.”
Because of this, the Raceline Husqvarna team riders will run their frames in before putting the race engine into that new frame.
THE MECHANIC Jason Waters
WHAT MODS OR ADJUSTMENTS DID YOU MAKE?
“Todd runs his brake higher as he rides all the way back so it’s quite easy access for him.”
There are a few changes Jason highlights that help to reduce some rigidity in the bike, counteracting Todd’s hard set-up.
“He likes a bike that has a frame that’s well run-in.” The team uses FCP Racing parts, stock engine mounts and footpeg pins are swapped out for “titanium FCP engine mounts and bolts for chassis flex,” as well as titanium footpeg pins. Furthering the stability of the bike, Todd runs a Pro Circuit linkage system. Along with a WP steering dampener to ensure the front end is stable, “we stiffen the steering head bearing.”
HOW HARD IS THE RIDER ON PARTS ETC?
Todd isn’t particularly hard on any parts, he’s generally good on brake pads, but he does wear through the plastics on the side panels where his boots are gripping the bike, “he wears them in the corners.”
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE BIKE FROM A TECH PERSPECTIVE.
The Raceline Husqvarna Team has brought Jed Parsons on board for the 2024 race season to assist with engine development. Jed speaks on the testing they’ve carried out this pre-season, “Todd’s been experimenting a lot with traction control and launch control, so that’s been a big key for him, just to try and get consistency more than anything else.” When testing and developing, a focus has been “bottom-end power with torque right off the bottom, but strong all the way through,” whilst maintaining safe, strong, and reliable engines.
Interestingly, the team run the standard piston and clutch in their bikes, most of the engine components are stock. By modifying the standard piston and cylinder head they’re able to get the bikes to a point where they’re competitive at a national level.
FIVE THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TODD’S BIKE
- Most of the parts used on the Raceline Husqvarna Tdub Racing team bikes are standard parts that have been modified, or aftermarket parts that are available off the shelf to the general public.
- Todd runs PHDS (progressive handlebar dampening system) mounts to reduce vibration
- Todd explains the importance of control set-up, “I feel like riders run their rear brake way too low, I’ve got mine just as high as it can go.Because we ride standing on our toes [you can then] just go forward to touch it and you can keep your knees back, like you see the guys with perfect, textbook technique do. Whereas guys [who] run their brake levers all the way down, their knees almost end up at the front of the tank. We’ve actually cut them and shortened them before, [that way] you don’t even have to move your foot from the toe to the brake as much.”
- Todd uses IMS footpegs on his bike and they’re kept sharp to ensure his feet are glued in place.Todd comments that “footpegs are one of the most important things on your motorbike.”
- To further improve handling and to create a more stable feel, Pro Circuit linkage systems are used on Todd’s bikes
