The rise...fall & rise of Husqvarna.

[TMKIWI]

Cool article on the history of Husqvarna.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/764/6018/Motorcycle-Article/The-Rise-and-Fall-of-Husqvarna-Motorcycles.aspx

[Coop]

Good stuff.

[SachsGS]

I raced Swedish Husqvarnas as a youngster and did very well so it is with great interest that I've watched the saga of Husqvarna unfold. Lots of friends (and my brother) owned Huskies during the 90's Cagiva era and, to be honest, the Italian Husqvarnas weren't bad bikes. I also watched dealership friends sue Cagiva during this period as the whole brand imploded in a duststorm of bad management and broken promises.

 KTM and BMW are in a "death" battle for the European market and I'm certain that the purchase of Husqvarna was motivated to undermine KTM's dominance in the offroad market. BMW is usually the planet's most profitable auto maker so it can be said that Husqvarna now has resources available that it never had before in it's history. The future, as they say, will be interesting.

 What wasn't mentioned in the article, and this is also one of my most vivid memories of the Swedish Huskies, is that they just didn't have any "beans". I recall one event where I would slide the tight,right angle corner on my Sachs GS6 250 and start grabbing gears up this huge uphill sandwash in an abandoned mine site. The mighty Sachs would usually crest the hill shrieking in 4th gear. The next year I recall pushing the &*%$# Husky over the top in 1st gear (and it was a modified CR250!), power those early Husqvarnas did not have.

 I've got a Husqvarna dealer in my town  and I'm seeing street legal Huskie enduros and super motards EVERYWHERE.

[Zuendapp]

When Husky's started to be made in Italy, they lost many long time dealers and along with that long time Husky owners. Husqvarna went from a power house off road company to next to Nothing in a couple of years.

The photo is my 430WR, about the last of the swedish built Husqvarna's

[2STROKEREVOLUTION]

Add in the rise of Husaberg (the REAL Husky as it is the old Swedish engineers after Husky was bought and moved to Italy). And now the fall of Husaberg as it is now just rebadged KTMs. Then you have the complete story of Husky.

[SachsGS]

The "L" motor Husabergs sat on the showroom floor while KTM can't build the 2T version fast enough, hopefully the story isn't over just yet.

[gpnewhouse7]

Add in the rise of Husaberg (the REAL Husky as it is the old Swedish engineers after Husky was bought and moved to Italy). And now the fall of Husaberg as it is now just rebadged KTMs. Then you have the complete story of Husky.

I thought KTM did a pretty good job of rejuvanating the old fourstroke only brand. There`s loads of nearly new Husaberg smokers near me, the only Husaberg I'd ever even seen before the smokers was on old early nineties 350.