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

It was probably Bajajs money that paid for it. Again, I think SP bought it personally to get around anti-trust laws.

Why didn't Bajajs just buy it for themselves - no anti-trust issue there. From what I hear, SP wanted complete control of this enterprise. The Indians are just using it for marketing reasons because of the "loose" relationship.

It turns out that KTM's CEO bought out 100% of the HUsky brand. Link below.

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

The TE449/511 is on the 2013 lineup, so do you think they will be available for the rest of the year?
I had a test ride on a TE449 last fall, but can't buy one just yet ($). That bike fit like it was made custom to fit my wants (except for a higher 5th and 6th).

Thanks for the reply on that. I kind of feared it would signal the end of the Nuda development. Explains why BMW didn't go through the NA approval process. Too bad, it really intrigued me. It will be interesting to see what happens with the TR as it looks more like a BMW than the Nuda (the Nuda was too bad A$$ for Beemer).

What's the chances the new Husky heavy weight will have PDS suspension?

Our 449's are BMW Tech and you know that didn't transfer in the deal.

Same here, otherwise there wouldn't be a mad scramble behind the scenes at KTM ramping up to take over distribution as fast as possible. If Pierer wanted it for himself why put the fox in the hen house to keep it safe???

Here r the numbers: http://heroesridehuskys.com/pages/13promo.html

Agreed.

Read this:

"Initially, Husqvarna was bought by my private company, Pierer Industry, but in the future this may change and possibly involve our Indian partner Bajaj.”

It's a line taken from this interview:

http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2013/02/stefan-pierer-on-purchasing-husqvarna/

Now, I'd Love to see Pierer do Husky as his Own company - his own personal project.

But, I have had my suspicions that he may just be an initial front for Bajaj.

That line from the interview, makes me think my suspicions are very much on the mark.

Let's hope Pierer , or Bajaj, do good things with the Husky brand.

I don't know if anyone noticed, but KTM dominated the Dakar this year. It wasn't until the race was over that I discovered KTM had 69 bikes that contested the race compared to Husqvarna's 10. It would have been interesting if the field were level, how many Huskys would have been in the top ten.

"Thus Bajaj-KTM will offer three alternative in the 200cc segment – Pulsar 200 NS at the entry level, Duke 200 in the middle and the Husqvarna 200cc bike at the high end. "

Are you guys reading the same thing I am [see quote above from the article]? I read it just the opposite -- that Husky is more of a premium brand.

Although I must admit -- I could care less about the street bike component of either KTM or Husky.