KTM/Husqvarna... now how will this play out?

Complete disbelief. I hope it's for the better at least. KTM has been so focused on the off road market and that could be very good since their dedication too making everything better every year might just be good for Husky. My fingers shall be crossed!

Im all for the take over if it means we will start seeing a wider range of aftermarket Husky products. I suspect items like forks, footpegs, rear shocks,
ignition systems etc may be carried over from KTM. Just a guess.

Hey, they are already using Kymco engines. A Kawi wouldn't be so bad. Ha ha!

Getting pumped up for the new product line up. Hoping KTM keeps the prices somewhat in line with the Asian manufacturers. Guessing if things work correctly we won't see so much heavy rebating at the end of the year. While that was good for a customer looking to save money it wasn't indicitave of a sound long term business strategy or a company that was making money. Not to mention the negative impact on the preowned market. I give a lot of credit to the dealers who have tried to make this work. Hopefully their dedication to the brand and the Husqvarna customer base is rewarded with a great line up.

What I can see as a win win would be sharing the same components such as wheels, brake rotors, handle bars, foot pegs, etc. The design of a current dirtbike wheel is pretty well executed although I've yet to have to replace wheel bearings on any of my Husky's and it was a normal 50 hour proposition on the KTM or any of my KTM wheels on my BMW. I just don't wan't a 350 power plant instead of the 310R,...the 310R is without a doubt the best middle weight I've had the pleasure of riding

I think there are some new KTM 2 stroke engines on the horizon. The 13's have definatly been massaged across the board. The 200 is a completly different state of tune that previous versions. I am riding a 300 XC and the last 300 I raced was a heavily modded 10 XC. The 13 will smoke that bike. The 85 has 5 more HP than last years bike.

Sounds good to me.

The economies make more sense when you consider how many items can be shared among the three brands, KTM, Husaberg, and Husqvana. Assuming just fasteners alone, the amount of SKUs for three entirely different bike lines with multiple models is amazing. Just going to a commong fork, shock, and brake system would streamline things vastly. In hindsight it is somewhat baffling why BMW was even interested as there was next to nothing that could be shared in either direction outside of the 449 engine. The thought of revamping the 2-stroke line likely gave a few Germans real strokes when they tried to figure out how that technology could be applied to the main product line. From the way they marketed the bike, to dealer treatment, to moving Husky to street really begs the question of whether it was a fundamental mis-understanding of what Husqvarna means as a brand or just hubris on BMW's part.

Yet KTM thinks it can sell RC8's and Dukes? Want to buy one of the worst depreciating bikes out there? Go for a Super Duke or Aprilia Tuono but Pierer thinks that HSQ strayed from it's roots while he should be looking a little closer to home where trying to push a street line almost bankrupted the company once and then in comes Bajaj. KTM is doing a big push right now to get their street line more prevalent in the USA market, is KTM loosing "their way"????

Apparantly street sales are 10% of KTM's worldwide sales and adding significantly to the bottom line. The street bikes are not going away. Really it was the X-bow that got then in financial problems.

So, will that mean no Nuda anymore? I was really hoping that bike would come to NA. That was really my next purchase idea. This way i would have 4 Huskys in the garage.

Not sure how Aprilia factors into this since they are part of Piaggio but I'll play. Despite what Aprilia may have been in the 80s, they are primarily a steet bike and scooter company now. The v-twin dirtbikes would be a better example of dipping their toe in something they don't really understand all that well nor was anyone asking for. The diversification of Husky IMO had little to do with making the brand better and more to do with BMW having a really tough time getting their head around how to attack the off road market outside of the adventure touring realm. They know streetbikes pretty well and I believe that is why Husky product development seemed to be leaning in that direction while core products like the 2 stroke line was dying on the vine. Whether KTM is losing their way by having a streetbike line can somewhat be judged on whether their core line of off road bikes is suffering. From what I've seen they seem to be doing pretty well. Time will tell...

I am guessing that 10 percent of street sales includes all of the small bore 125 & 200 models sold around India and other areas.

http://articles.economictimes.india..._ktm-products-bajaj-auto-s-chakan-rajiv-bajaj

So now that BMW has established itself in the "adventure" bike market and has found out how competitive and small the off-road market really is, they´ve decided to pull out. Super Moto is just about dead with Berg and others gone. Our type of bikes has always been the realm of small, dedicated makes and that´s exactly what it´s reverting to. We´ll never be happy with big bike manufacturers, so all is GOOD.

http://www.motocrossactionmag.com/M...Y-SHOCKER-YAMAHA-BUYS-KAYABA-AND-MO-9764.aspx
Yamaha buys part of Kayaba....look where it is being moved to, and where Yamaha's new plant is located.

I don't understand why Bajaj keeps big noting itself in press releases, as far as it seems SP has 100% ownership of Husky at this time. So why do they keep saying they have a finger in the pie? I personally don't like this & where is possibly heading.

Exactly, they ASSUME Pierer Industrie AG will just hand over HVA to KTM/Bajaj for nothing....pleeease!!