1. Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

Another WRX saved from the scrap heap!

Discussion in 'Vintage Restoration Projects' started by Eric The Leg, Aug 9, 2015.

  1. justintendo klotz super techniplate junkie

    Location:
    mercer, pa/northwest pa
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    84 250,86 400,87 430,88 250,95 360
    Other Motorcycles:
    99 kawasaki zrx 1100
    sure, slap a freaking drum brake on an 86, thats a wrx!...that would not be one of my better ideas. i would actually convert that bike to the 87-88 forks and get better dampers and dual piston disc. maybe a different story if it were the lc 400 with dual shock, those are cool and fairly uncommon.
  2. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    All of the above sound insane, except the twin-shocker bit. Maybe in about 45 years when my wife stops looking at me like I'm nuts when I use the words "motorcycle" and "buy" in the same day I wouldn't mind coming across someone trying to sell one of those for parts at a stupid low price.


    I'm starting to think that Worldmotorcycletoday.com is a front/fake site anyway, so stop losing sleep.
  3. justintendo klotz super techniplate junkie

    Location:
    mercer, pa/northwest pa
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    84 250,86 400,87 430,88 250,95 360
    Other Motorcycles:
    99 kawasaki zrx 1100
    its not that insane, i have 3 or 4 pairs of the 87-88 forks, several calipers and a few of the wheels. just slap em on. that will work for any 40mm fork swede, and some of 35mm ones as well if you swap triples.
    anyways, ive dealt with a few people on here and every one of them has been stand up people. some people i have sold things to wanted to pay with money orders which is risky for the buyer in this day of scammers. of course it only takes one bad apple to spoil a bunch but i would like to think someone that did shady dealings would be exposed here. most forums have a page of fame/page of shame thing for this.
    oldbikedude and darren7878 like this.
  4. jimspac Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    82 250WR, 82 430WR, 84 250WR, 85 400
    Other Motorcycles:
    86 400WR, 82 Montesa Cota 349
    That aluminum silencer on the 86 robbed 3 hp from the WRX. The 86 is somewhat quieter and somewhat slower as well. The 86 actually got the suspension links with zerk fittings that the WRX did not get. When my WRX was rebuilt at the end of the 1985 season by Husqvarna it was updated with the 1986 suspension links with the zerk fittings.
  5. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440

    It's not a question of technical feasibility to me, it's a question of authenticity of the build/model. Granted I'm a casual rider, not a racer.
    Based on Jimspac, appears I need to redouble my efforts to find the right silencer!
  6. justintendo klotz super techniplate junkie

    Location:
    mercer, pa/northwest pa
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    84 250,86 400,87 430,88 250,95 360
    Other Motorcycles:
    99 kawasaki zrx 1100
    while i enjoy keeping the bikes somewhat original, as in mostly original color schemes and almost all factory parts, i swap parts around to make them perform better. i do not restore these for posterity or collectibility. i like riding them very much, things carbs and pipes, tires and cables, i really do not care if they are "correct" i run what works, long as it keeps the same spirit. it is most certainly not insane, just what some of us do here.
    i enjoy the NOS builds that are done here, much respect to the quality of restorations done here. there is just no point to me doing that as i will grind them in the mud every other weekend.
    my bikes never look any better than this, altho i still sit and stare at them as a concours restorer does his im sure. yes, those are blue chinese silly-cone coolant hoses! this bike also sports a cast aluminum ignition cover from hva factory, husky blew it with the plastic ones. the swedes before it were metal and the italians after it were metal. not correct but works...oh yeah, thats an acerbis "baja" fender. pretty sure nothing ever came with that, wish i had a few more! even has that goofy shutter in the back you can open/close. shrouds stripes are made out of numberplate background
    Photo751.jpg
    Photo993.jpg
  7. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    Admittedly, 'insane' was a bad choice of words. I can honestly say I respect your mods (or proposed mods) Justintendo. Husqvarna's were never made to sit in a showroom, and I wish I could ride as often as you do.

    I do not intend to build either of my 400's up to showroom condition, and already have one of the aluminum ignition covers myself, and wouldn't think twice about replacing the carb, cables, exhaust, etc. At the same time, I couldn't see removing the distinguishing features of a bike (i.e. the combination of mono rear suspension and drum front brake that is unique to the WRX model). That's probably just something I picked up from the old man. He can spot things like that from 1/4 mile away.
    bradsmith and justintendo like this.
  8. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    Alright, I've been a bit slow on the posts. Been doing a little fishing.

    Anyway, decals and seat cover in from Evo MX. I ordered a spare WRX decal in case I end up replacing the airbox at some point. Stuff looks good and was reasonable. I let them know to hold onto the design since a few more of you were interested in the airbox decal.
    1003152045.jpg 1003152045a.jpg

    Attached Files:

    dartyppyt likes this.
  9. justintendo klotz super techniplate junkie

    Location:
    mercer, pa/northwest pa
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    84 250,86 400,87 430,88 250,95 360
    Other Motorcycles:
    99 kawasaki zrx 1100
  10. jimspac Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    82 250WR, 82 430WR, 84 250WR, 85 400
    Other Motorcycles:
    86 400WR, 82 Montesa Cota 349
    So someone actually carries the 400WRX decal? Did you get it from Phillip or Andy at HVA? I was going to scan mine in. It is just the '400WRX' lettering without the stripe(original from factory)
  11. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    Evo MX generated the decal as a one-off based on a picture I found via Google. I just had to e-mail them to request it. I did let them know that there may be others interested, so it may not be a bad idea to ping them sooner, rather than later, if you're looking for the decal.
  12. jimspac Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    82 250WR, 82 430WR, 84 250WR, 85 400
    Other Motorcycles:
    86 400WR, 82 Montesa Cota 349
    Do you have contact info for them? Website?
  13. darren7878 Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    79 CR390 and 84 CR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    81 Maico, 79 Kawasaki, 88 Honda
  14. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    I finally got some garage time today, put all new bearings and seals in the rear swing-arm (I have been accumulating parts too). 12 bearings total, that's a lot of those little cardboard boxes when I was done!

    Justintendo, just to make you happy, I used a set of i-links I've got sitting around from an '86 (the 1985 i-links don't have Zerk fittings), there I upgraded something.

    The back end of the bike might be together if I didn't need to head to the hardware/bolt store. Should I send a package of used SAE bolts to the PO for Christmas, they are all in rough shape for some reason, almost as if they were not an appropriate fit for where they were used. Since all of my bikes are metric, I certainly don't need them...
  15. justintendo klotz super techniplate junkie

    Location:
    mercer, pa/northwest pa
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    84 250,86 400,87 430,88 250,95 360
    Other Motorcycles:
    99 kawasaki zrx 1100
    zerks are good!
    Eric The Leg likes this.
  16. jimspac Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    82 250WR, 82 430WR, 84 250WR, 85 400
    Other Motorcycles:
    86 400WR, 82 Montesa Cota 349
    I pay most forum purchases with money orders because as an eBay seller that shipped a set of KX250 forks to Italy,I was charged a fee of 6% to receive the payment. I would not ask anyone I consider to be a friend(and the vast majority of Cafe Husky falls into that category) to bear that expense. As far as risk go money orders and personal checks have no risk as long as you ship only after the check or money order clears the bank. There are some people I work with that will ship to me and tell me to pay when I receive it. I usually send payment when informed the item has shipped. I treat everyone as I wish to be treated and there is no one I can recall from this forum ever misrepresenting the sale item, And have never been dissatisfied with anything I purchased from here.
    husqyman, justintendo and adam6402 like this.
  17. justintendo klotz super techniplate junkie

    Location:
    mercer, pa/northwest pa
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    84 250,86 400,87 430,88 250,95 360
    Other Motorcycles:
    99 kawasaki zrx 1100
    yeah, i would like to think people into the husqvarna brand are fairly tight knit in that fact alone
  18. oldbikedude Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Honey Brook Pa.
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1988 wr 430 with cr suspension
    Other Motorcycles:
    66flh,67 CA77,76 CR125M,73H1,74ty250
    Just another evo husky fan here enjoying your bike builds. :popcorn: You are gonna love riding that bike when it's done. Good work. :thumbsup:
    Eric The Leg likes this.
  19. GaryM Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Austin, Tx
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1981 430cr second 430 CR 500cr
    Other Motorcycles:
    1981 490 Maico
    The new Huskydogg. Really nice guy and of course Husky fan. Haken is his name and he is in Ontario Canada location.

    He took over the name from Steve also.
    justintendo likes this.
  20. Michel Dufayard Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    France
    I loved the secretary of the former huskydogg !;)