I saw my first X-Lite in person in July '07, at the WEC (Now EWC) USGP in Hancock, NY. Bart Oblucki was riding it in E1 and there was a spare bike too. This pre dates the BMW purchase, by just a bit. BMW owned Husky when the bikes finally went on sale, but they didn't develop the concept.... Cagiva did!
Wow, I thought the '83 looked stellar and the ITC rear end seemed to get good reviews. Not sure why anyone would think it was a step below the '79-82 Husqvarna models.
Thanks for clearing things up Norman. I was thinking that but figured I'd leave it to you. Except, I didn't know the X motors were being raced in 07. Interesting.
The 83 white bikes got me started in the husky fold. It was the photos of US Team Husky winning everything in the eastern enduros and styling it in the desert races along with the Euro ISDE's withe the Swedish Team looking cool and winning the trophies that made me buy my first 83 500 XC. What a beast! Then the single shock 85 came - just had to have one of those! Yep, it was the white bikes that did it for me. I've still got them.
Yes, I realized that when I wrote that they were "Swedish bikes" in my second sentence. You do realize Sweden is not in Italy...right? And yes, the white bikes were so popular that three years of dismal sales resulted in a brand that had been based in Sweden for almost 100 years being sold to the Italians at bargain basement prices.
Sorry to misunderstand your "phrasing". Sales were not dismal, by any means that I remember.... Husky was dominating off road in the US, like KTM does now. Electrolux had most likely made the decision, to divest the motorcycle division at that time though. It wasn't about sales, it was about that Electrolux didn't see it as part of their core business.
Exactly. Husqvarna was seriously dedicated to open range riding and enduro racing. The 400 WRX was the world's best enduro bike in 85 and the 86 400 Enduro was even better. In 87, Husky added the 430 WR and XC, great bikes and my favorites. They had really refined the bikes for enduros by the mid-80's. And thank goodness they did. What a joy to ride, with a personality. I think I like them more than the modern bikes. If I could only add a rear disc brake...
Styling & colour choices aside, the problem in 1983 was that nobody wanted twin shock bikes anymore, no matter how good the ITC system was, them market had moved on. The 85 single shock changed that and brought buyers back.
I wanted an '82 Husky 250 when they hit the market and I wanted an '83 Husky when they hit the market. I remember seeing the new '83 bikes and couldn't believe how cool they looked. The Husky took a huge step (maybe a risk back then) in styling, and the bikes were awesome. That is when I became a true brand zealot.
I like my white bike. I hope the "new ones" will look like this. In 1985 Mark Blackwell was running Husqvarna USA and with the single shock Husky it was the first year to turn a profit in years. What I would like to know is I think it was in 2004 Electrolux bought a really small percentage of Husqvarna motorcycles to be able to go on board meetings and such. I never have heard of what happen to that when B.M.W bought them and now with KTM. One thing about K.T.M. hear in Northern Ohio is I have rode Huskys starting in the 80's and not ever had a K.T.M. rider bash Husky. Of course there has been some " talk of what brand best" but nothing bad. Ktm use to have their head quarters in Lorian Oh about 80 miles away. Most KTM riders where just happy to see someone else on bike that was not made in Japan.
Some people say that Mark Blackell's task was to take Husky USA and make it more profitable, as to make the whole Husky package more saleable. It's also said that the real prize Cagiva wanted from the Husky purchase, was the extensive Husky USA Dealer Network. They wanted this more than the brand itself, to expand the market for Cagiva and Ducati in the US. Cagiva shot themselves in the foot, by alienating most of the Husky dealers and ending up having to rebuild the dealer network from scratch.
Some people say that Mark Blackell's task was to take Husky USA and make it more profitable, as to make the whole Husky package more saleable. It's also said that the real prize Cagiva wanted from the Husky purchase, was the extensive Husky USA Dealer Network. They wanted this more than the brand itself, to expand the market for Cagiva and Ducati in the US. Cagiva shot themselves in the foot, by alienating most of the Husky dealers and ending up having to rebuild the dealer network from scratch. Norman Foley, 18 minutes ago House Keeping Amen to that brother !
