There is so much history with Husqvarna in the USA. One interesting story is about the first time Steve McQueen saw a Husky in a race. The bike was the Swedish mx world champion's personal bike and after he won the race that day, McQueen bought it on the spot. I don't know if Steve ever rode his beloved Rickman Metisse Triumph after that but he was hooked on Husky's after his first ride. That was in 67 or 68 I think. Looking forward to seeing your ride next week.
Sand dunes and McQueen vision in my head😁Malcolm Smith always looked like he was just out for a ride even in the narliest of shit he is Majic in a helmet
I saw Malcom race the original bolt together Husky twice, he and the bike were next level. I'd been seeing photos of Badger Goss in the English motorcycle mags and was already smitten with the bike. I also saw Torsten Hallman race on his first visit, mind blown.
Yes, the Husky. Just synonymous with motocross. As another commenter mentioned, I too love how they kept that look for a long time. I was able to spend some quality time on a 75 250 back in the day. Thanks for the vid !
I have two Huskies. Best chainsaws ever made. I'm looking forward to your B44 resurrection, I'm nearly finished on my 66 model, I just want to see what you will do with you yours. Keep up the good work, Best wishes from Shropshire.
US slogan: Bags of torque, yards of travel. Or this one: Made by Swedish steel for steelmen. I had a '73 and it was noisy and the 'yards' were more like mm. Miss it though. The value here in Sweden has skyrocketed, like a $10k for a mint condition specimen.
After a day of spinning laps on that steed in 67 you would need to drink several pints just to get the gonads and monkey butt semi soothed for the truck ride home...Still the pinnical of technology in that year!
Thanks for presenting this bike. I liked Huskys, in fact I desert raced a 1969 405cc, but it isn’t clear why you’re calling this bike “revolutionary”? Yeah they were good bikes but there were plenty of other Euro bikes just as good. That said, the Husky might have been the most versatile bike. 😊
I think what Billy is saying is that in 1967, The Husqvarna brand was very new to the USA, and that Edison Dye had sought out some top D-37 riders to race and promote the brand. Prior to Malcolm Smith's original ride on the Husqvarna in March of 1966, most of the Desert racers in SoCal were mounted on British built bikes, both lightweight and heavyweight, and had been for many years. Sure there were other European brands available in the USA before 1966, but Maico, Bultaco, Montesa and others never had the impact on the sport (especially in SoCal) that the Husqvarna did. So was the Husqvarna "Revolutionary"? Well, it was pretty dominant in the Desert scene all the way to 1987! Actually, the Husqvarna brand dominated all Off-Road competition (except Motocross) until 1987, when the Cagiva buy-out/take-over happened.
