Husqvarna

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pictures © Oscar by Alpinestars

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Testing the Price of the McQueen Provenance

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By Dexter Ford via : www.nytimes.com

The actor’s 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross, an off-road motorcycle he rode all over the Mojave Desert of Southern California — and onto the cover of Sports Illustrated — will be offered by the Bonhams auction house at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering in Carmel, Calif., on May 14.

As with all things McQueen, its value has little to do with the physical object and much to do with the provenance.

For example, a pair of his sunglasses worn from the film “The Thomas Crown Affair” sold at auction in 2006 for $70,200. In 2009, McQueen’s 1963 Triumph Bonneville also brought an outsized price. The desert-racing bike, built by Bud Ekins, the stunt rider who did the famous jump in the film “The Great Escape,” sold for $84,240.

A nicely restored ’70s-era Husky might bring as much as $8,000 on the vintage-motocross collectors’ circuit. A presale estimate from the auctioneers for the McQueen Husqvarna — the ownership is well documented, but it’s not known whether this was the magazine cover bike — ranges from $50,000 to $70,000.

The bike was bought from McQueen’s estate in 1984 by the Harrah’s Auto Collection. A collection of the actor’s trophies will also be offered at the auction.



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MMC Husqvarna Army Automatic

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By Frank Melling via : www.motorcycle-usa.com

When the Swedish army wanted a motorcycles that could handle the snow and be user-friendly for green recruits, Husqvarna delivered an automatic version of its 250 enduro.

In deep snow the Husqvarna Military Automatic pilot would stand on the outrigger skis and let the rear wheel spin for traction.

Read more : Here

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MC Husqvarna 390 Automatic

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By Frank Melling via : www.motorcycle-usa.com

The Husky Auto was a serious race bike but it came about as a spin-off from a Swedish Army contract. In essence, the contract specified that raw recruits, who had never ridden a bike before, had to achieve complete motorcycle competency in a week.

However, the Swedish Army didn't want recruits merely to cruise up and down the highway wearing mirror shades, looking cool and waving to the girls. No, they had in mind full blown enduro riding skills - and on snow and packed ice too... Read more

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Steve McQueen's Husqvarna to be Auctioned

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Courtesy of Bonhams



Following Bonhams' highly successful inaugural motorcycle sale in Las Vegas earlier this month - where approximately 200 motorcycles brought buyers and sellers together from around the world for a sales total exceeding $2.5 million, the world's leading auctioneers of motor vehicles is proud to announce its third annual auction at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering.
Hosted on May 14th at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California, Bonhams' sale of "Exceptional Motorcycles & Related Memorabilia" will include what is understood to be the very motorcycle featured on the front cover of the August 1971 issue of Sports Illustrated being ridden by none other than "The King of Cool," Steve McQueen... Read more




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Chuck Sun's 1979 Husqvarna 430

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Via the Fabulous website : www.vintageworksbikes.com

Featured here is Chuck Sun's 1979 Husqvarna owned by Sven Åke Engstrom.
Sven Åke worked at Husqvarna for many years in the R&D Department. He was kind enough to share these photos of Chuck's GP bike.


Chuck Sun had two bikes at his disposal which were built specially for him to be used in the GP races in 1979 and this is one of those bikes. Chuck rode on these bikes until the summer when he went back to US.

The crank cases were originally manufactured in a magnisium alloy but those cracked.

During his stay in US he got an injury which made him unable to finish the GP season. He also broke his hand in Lommel early that spring and struggled getting well during the preseason so he had a tough year 1979.

The engine number 430-1

Frame number HMUL 430-1. HMUL stands for "Husqvarna Motorcyklar Utvecklings
Laboratoriet. In english "Husqvarna Motorcycles Developement Laboratory"

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1979 Yamaha HL 500 Replica

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Via : The BikeExif


Down here in Australia, winter is starting to draw in. We don’t get bad winters—certainly not cold enough to warrant having a ‘riding season’—but when I saw these pictures, I immediately thought that a little snow’s a good thing. Especially if you have a supercool 70s vintage motocrosser in the garage. Like this Yamaha HL500: a bike that’s rare, highly coveted, and talked of in hushed tones. And fair enough: it was the last truly effective four-stroke bike to win a Grand Prix, before the two-stroke domination began.


The ‘HL’ is a reference to the Scandinavians who helped make this Yamaha famous, notably ‘Mr Motocross’ Torsten Hallman and Sten Lundin, although it was Bengt Aberg who grabbed many of the headlines. The motorcycle in the pictures comes from Husky Restorations of New York, a company that specializes in meticulous resto-mods of vintage dirtbikes. It took them three years to make this HL500, using a TT500 engine, YZ400 suspension, and the fuel tank, fenders and seat from a YZ125c. Most importantly, the frame was built by Geoff Morris Concepts (GMC)—one of the best vintage motocross frame experts out there.


I’m no expert on the intricacies of vintage dirtbikes, but I know what I like—and I like the look of this bike very much. Methinks it’s time to get a little log cabin up in the Blue Mountains to the west of Sydney, and put an HL500 replica in the garage. Just the thing to blow out the cobwebs of the working week on a crisp, clear Sunday morning. (Check the Husky Restorations website for a terrific array of images, including Husqvarna 360s and 400s owned by Steve McQueen, Bud Ekins and Bent Aberg.)



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Malcolm Smith

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via : www.motorsport.com

AMA Hall of Famer Malcolm Smith to serve as Grand Marshal for 2010 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- One afternoon in the mid-1960s, a man walked into a Southern California motorcycle shop looking for someone to race an unproven motorcycle with a foreign-sounding name. Lucky for that man, he walked into the right shop and found the right racer. Malcolm Smith took Edison Dye's offer, and their partnership would help establish the Husqvarna motorcycle brand as a force in American off-road.

In recognition of Malcolm Smith's contributions to the success of Husqvarna, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) and Husqvarna Motorcycles North America are pleased to announce that Smith will serve as Grand Marshal at the 19th annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days this July 9-11 in Lexington, Ohio. Husqvarna is the Marque of the Year for 2010 AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

"Even today, decades after Malcolm Smith's racing prime, his fan base rivals some of the top names in the sport," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. "To anyone who has met him, the reason for that is clear: Malcolm Smith is synonymous with everything positive about motorcycling -- fun, sportsmanship, and excitement. He will serve as an exceptional Grand Marshal at this year's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days as we celebrate the brand on which he became famous: Husqvarna."






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Husqvarna

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Via : AMA

Husqvarna, the legendary make that ruled AMA Racing off-road competition throughout the 1970s and 1980s, has recently made a full-throttle return to national championship contention. This July 9-11, the iconic brand will celebrate its heritage and build toward its future as the Marque of the Year at the 19th annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.



Recognized as the world's largest gathering of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days attracts tens of thousands of fans of all ages, eras and brands. The event takes place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Ticket information is available at MidOhio.com.



As part of Husqvarna's participation in AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, fans will be able to get up close and personal with the Husqvarna's moto-history, from its genesis in Sweden in the early 1900s to the high-tech off-road, motocross and dual-sport bikes the company sells and races today.



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1971 Titanium Husqvarna

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Via the AMA motorcycle hall of fame


When Swedish MX star Lars Larsson lined up on this bike for the 1971 Indian Dunes motocross race in Southern California, his competition thought he was on a regular Husqvarna.



But Larsson knew better. He was aboard one of the rarest machines in the history of American motocross: a 400cc Husqvarna with a frame made of titanium. And he used it to win both motos and dominate the Inter-AMA series support class that year.
“Of course, my fellow racers came around wondering what kind of Husky I had,” recalls Larsson, who was instrumental in establishing Husqvarna in the U.S. and later went on to start Torsten Hallman Original Racewear, now known as Thor.

He told them: Hallman Racing had commissioned Pro-Fab to make a small run of light, strong and expensive titanium frames to accept Husky engines. Other weight-saving tweaks included titanium fork crowns, handlebars and axles. The fenders and seat base were thin plastic, the gas tank was aluminum, and various parts—including the brake pedal and ignition cover—were drilled to lighten them further.
The result weighed in at an amazing 189 pounds, or 25 pounds lighter than a comparable production Husqvarna.
The machine helped Larsson win four of six rounds of the Inter-AMA motocross series.
“It was a dream to ride,” Larsson remembers. “But what bike isn’t when you’re winning? ” Though legal when it was made, the frame was disallowed for the 1972 season by AMA officials, who feared titanium would escalate racing costs.

As it turned out, Larsson didn’t need a trick bike to win. He went on to earn a gold medal at the 1971 International Six Days Trials, riding for the U.S. in Czechoslovakia, and he remained a top enduro rider through the ’70s. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002.
His titanium Husky, refitted with a 250cc engine after the original 400cc motor was destroyed in a car crash, is on display as part of the Museum’s “Motocross America” exhibit.

The Screamin’ Swede that Started a Racing Revolution | Husqvarna

A very cool post made by : the Selvedge Yard

The bike that got American motocross off the ground-- the 1963 Husqvarna (Husky) Racer. This unrestored bike is No. 59 of just 100 250cc race machines Husqvarna built in ’63.

1970 Husqvarna 400

Few motorcycles have started more off-road dreams than this one.


Ridden across a deserted beach and into posterity by Malcolm Smith, this 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross starred in what many consider the defining scene from the greatest motorcycle movie ever made, “On Any Sunday.”
While the 1971 film is renowned for increasing the recognition of motorcycle racing in general, the scene at the end of the film, where Smith, dirt-tracker Mert Lawwill and actor Steve McQueen go play-riding by the sea, convinced countless Americans just how much fun the sport could be.



For that scene, Smith, an off-road racer and desert aficionado, was aboard one of the best off-road bikes of the day—a Husqvarna 400 Cross. Though relatively unknown outside racing circles then, Husqvarna was a force in international motocross, ultimately winning 14 World MX and 24 World Enduro titles through the 1960s and ’70s. There was more to this bike than movie-star looks.



Imported by U.S. motocross pioneer Edison Dye, the man who promoted many of the races that started the sport on American soil, Huskies had built an early reputation for 250cc and 125cc success. But in 1969, the company branched out with an open-class machine.
A bigger version of the popular, world championship-winning 250 Cross, the 395cc two-stroke single was a light, sharp-handling performer, known for excellent power and decent factory suspension.
Those capabilities, along with world-class talent at the controls, spurred the Husqvarna 400 Cross to competition success in the 1971 Baja 1000, where it was ridden to victory by Smith and Gunnar Nilsson.



In many ways, though, racing success couldn’t be as influential as the free-riding footage that capped a documentary about motorcycle racing. That scene in particular is credited with a reported sales spike for Husqvarna after “On Any Sunday” hit theaters.

courtesy of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

Malcom Smith off road legend Husqvarna

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