This is an interesting bit of news. http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/N...news/2013/January/jan2913-husqvarna-for-sale/ Sorry if this has already been posted. Rich
Is ktm gonna buy Husky? Not sure but it will be hard to back out now for bmw ...they have their hand laid out on the table and picking it up with Husky still as a card certainly will convince only a few that they have any real plans for the dirt bikes ... If it falls through or whatever, I'd be OK with Husky not ever selling ~12,000 bikes per year as long as no funky bmw influence could be found anywhere on any of the dirt bikes to include fenders, suspension just for openers ... These are my Husky terms if the suites from bnw come back asking for forgiveness There is also the case where someone is willing to pay 5x value of the company also and then it might be time to sell ... PS -- Add no more pimping motors to the Husky terms also ...
A TE 350 may happen I the future. My dream machine I personally feel husky lost some of its appeal when bmw started to use it as its prototype line. I have always loved the "Athena" motors. Ktm influence may be good for the brand, a dirt bike company making dirt bikes again. We have bmw motorrad dealers here and there is absolutely NO connection I terms of communication workshop skills, sales etc between husky and bmw dealerships anyway.
Looking back now, the bmw thing was just too far off base to work with Husky ... Myself, I don't see any of this ktm influence any more than what happens with any competing products of any type ... Parts may be made on the same assembly line or made and put on the different bikes ...but making these bikes into what the Japan bikes look like will just water down both brands ... This 'sharing' will boil down to saving $$ again ... Maybe on the 350 but that number sounds like a street bike to me ...
Its hard to tell because look what they did to the Husabergs, their identity (mechanically) is all but gone. It could go the other way with Husky though. Ktm knows they have a good thing going and might not want to jeopardize it by the market associating them with husky. It would be too easy for them to just make a red exc/sx, I hope they won't do it with our brand.
No clue on the Bergs (as with the bajaj\ktm partnership till now) ... I never read about any other bike but a Husky normally so any business deal made, I am in the dark on what happened before or after to the product ... Bergs seem like a niche market bike due to their price range ...Totally great bikes and costs 1-2,000$ more than a Husky? The bajaj/ktm bikes fall in the price range also? SP needs to bring in a top notch bike under that price sort of like the pricing is now, under the japan bikes who have been marked up over the yrs(?), advertise via racing (and with a stud guy\girl racer yet to be named) and let the sales numbers speak for them selves ... This might \ should happen off-the-bat and any pimping is not necessary till the sells numbers come into play on the wrong end of the scale ... I'm expecting top 10 results and better... Remember, I think I read SP will develop a 450 racer ... It'll be his baby alone to make the calls on and I hope it is an hopped up xLite engine ... Maybe he has a prototype already somewhere.... -- And competition among the same company is not always a bad thing ... Customers can win in this situation with better products and a reasonable price when capitalism works correctly ... bajaj\ktm sales might level off or something, but oh well, they need to work harder...
I think you'll find KTM have NOT bought Husky. The current CEO of KTM has bought Husky, independent of KTM. I say current because I don't think the KTM board of directors will want him for to much longer. From Trailzone Magazine Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Trailzone-Magazine/139740902729354 " BMW SELLS HUSQVARNA ... TO KTM BOSS! Wow, big news overnight on the global motorcycle scene with BMW officially announcing the sale of Italian dirt bike brand Husqvarna to Pierer Industrie AG – an Austrian firm headed by Stefan Pierer, who is currently boss of KTM! "
Yes, early on there was a rumor that he may be changing his position with ktm, but that is just a rumor till something official comes out. Frankly, because they keep repeating 'Husqvarna will share DNA with ktm & Husaberg in the future', I don't see him changing his position.
In April of 2012 Bajaj upped its share position to 47%, leaving 51% still controlled by chief exec Stefen Pierer and Chairman Rudolf Knuenz. Maybe Pierer is going to leave KTM, to rebuild Husqvarna. Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-industry/bajaj-buys-more-of-ktm/20406.html#ixzz2KBsiygft
