I never have never owned a Swedish Husqvarna (too young - not really ) So my love of Husqvarnas has been with Italian models- even though at first I didn't know they were Italian. Like many I thought the blue and yellow 90's early '00s versions were Swedish yet they were Italian . Hearing people talk about Italian Husqvarnas being a little bit second rate to the older Swedish built bikes ( possibly without any foundation to this theory) I question this - were the Swedish bikes better than the Italian bikes - from a basic build quality and competitiveness with other models at the time . My memory of the older Husqvarna in the early '80s was that they were a little bit out-dated in motocross design and uncompetitive . Yet they were very competitive in Enduro ( even if they still had twin shock absorbers etc) . I know a few guys on here love the older Swedish bikes but being an unbiased and intelligent bunch of guys I thought there would be some people who are well familiar with both and can share their thoughts fairly .
They were from different times so it is hard to compare. Both bikes had good and bad points just like any other bikes. I liked the simplicity of the 4 strokes of either vintage they were a lot simpler to work on then the honda XR 250 I had. The Swede stuff was a little cruder than most of the time but it did work and they had virtually everyone in the off road scene under comtract so they did dominate. The Swedes also had the original hard parts catalog including riding gear. The Italian stuff was super easy to service or overhaul like it had ISDE racing in mind when built, but it suffered from poor marketing. I also found the Italian stuff more reliable but I think has to do with the modern improvements in bike building overall.
wow..thats a really good question for sure. im 33 so i have not been around for the heyday for really any of this! but i grew up on 70s swedes and worked my way up through them eventually buying out the remnants of an old dealer. i purchased 95 360 2 years ago to get in on the italian action. the bike wasnt a shock, as i had been around and rode 2 80s cagivas a decent amount. the swedes were a bit crude, but very high quality, if that makes sense. always brembo hydraulics, ohlins up through the 80s, awesome cromoly steel used for everything steel i believe. built very light as well, without really sacrificing durability. i was shocked when my 95 had a plastic front brake line, i was used to my swedes always being ss braid. the italians did bump up the appearance of build quality, such as better looking welds and were quicker to embrace new tech. the swedes always seemed to test and prove something perfect before adopting. i like both styles as they serve same purposes, but the two countries have very different ways to go about it. make no mistake, the swedes are a hardcore racebike capable even today of quite abit. they are just so good that they made good playbikes as well. they always had great useable powerbands. towards the end of the italian line i believe they really suffered with cheapness...dropped the 6 speed, instead of an option, only had one set of gear spacing, no cr, plastic brake line tubing, no grease fittings, no engine protection tube welded on frame, etc. some may say thats to keep weight down but i dont believe the italians were that marketing savvy. your question of competitiveness during their times...i dont really think their is a comparison. during the time of swedish husky they were a world power as previously said had all the best riders on their team...not so much a reflection of the bikes but i really dont think the italians were ever able to touch that, especially in the publics eye. then theres the bit about huskies part is the four stroke revolution, and when the italians took them over they continued to make the same 4 stroke for ten more years until they made their own engine and frame design. the 2 strokes changed right away but the 4 strokes stayed the same for a long time
I'm 64yo I got into the used husqvarna dirt bikes about the early '90's they were dirt cheaply priced. My Swedish built years of husqvarna excellence are between '77 to '86 these are the years I worked on and rode. They are quality build bikes. The Swedes developed the chrome moly steels with the first electric furnaces. I believe the chrome moly steels was first used in the Swedish mausers. I purchased a '98 250wr husqvarna motorcycle and a '99 TE610e dual sport. My only complaint is getting parts. I seen a guy crack the swing arm on his '98 250wr during the NETRA race season and couldn't get the parts to fix it. He traded the husky in for a new gas/gas. I can order just about any parts for a Japanese bike. I refuse to own anything else but a husqvarna bike for off road. I sold off the Italian husqvarnas and I'm back into my genre's with the swedish husqvarnas. There's something special about they way a Swedish husqvarna feels I can't explain it.
Swedish, Italian had both and feel they were well representative of the top order of bikes from their respective periods. I think the bikes all had small foibles and issues but were generally reliable and performed well as long as they were serviced and maintained well. All throughbreds need high maintenance care. I still think my favourite Husky was my 2006 TE 450. Spooled up quicker than my 05 510. Changed direction quicker, had more grunt than the KTM 450 and without the inherent KTM head shake. Love my 2 310's now still feel a taller 5 and 6 gear would put them in the top drawer.
Buy both swede n itallian 250 and see your yourself, i love the looks of the old 360 and would own one if i had the space. Very different machinery and it really depends on whos at the helm of any bike as to how competative they are.
I was starting out riding dirt bikes in 1971, and I remember the Husqvarnas of that era. I didn't like the way that they felt, handling and ergonomically, even through some of the later days in the 80s. The bikes just seemed to feel too big and weirdly uncomfortable for this short gal. Plus, I was into motocross more than anything else during most of that time, and didn't think that they made the best MX bike, even though people like Brad Lackey, Chuck Sun, Heikki Mikkola and Kent Howerton all made excellent showings on the bikes. By the time I was paying any attention to the Italian models it was 2007. Here in Southern California, there were no dealers in my area for a very long time, so I never saw any Italian models locally. It was as though the marquee dropped off the face of the earth after the Swedes sold out. I think that it was 2005 before I actually saw a TE model out on the trails. There never seemed to be any write ups in the magazines for the Italians, and any information on them was scarce. So when I became interested in buying a street legal trail bike, I really had to scrape up any scraps of information that I could find on the brand. I really like the Italian Husqvarnas, and they soon began replacing my old standby favorite Kawasaki brand as it was not no longer producing models that met my needs and standards for dirt riding suitability.
HAY ERIK WHAT IS THE LATEST WORD ON THE SWMs I GOOGLE 'EM UP FROM TIME 2 TIME AND HAVE'NT SEEN ANY NEW NEWS?
More news coming any day now! I believe the first model will be available in July! Erik Italhusky.com
Rock, for whatever reason(s), people seem to cling-to or like to ride-in the past as if it was some golden era in time... Probably just human nature to dwell on past things...For me, at least, the past is over and gone ... Best to move on and hope you gain some wisdom (from the past) for the future ... Other than that, sit in your rocking chair and talk about things from 40(?) yrs ago ... That's Ok and the best some of us have. Time waits for no man and maybe try to do something today worth remembering 40 yrs from now ... And your thread is moving away from its' topic into 'known areas' of the same 'other bikes' after 5 posts ... Human nature maybe and I'll get off here... Going riding today on an old Husky bike today... Riding towards the future...that's the opposite of the past.
very true... but sometimes there are times where things really were better in the past. as far as the brand, husqvarna will never be what it was. for some thats a good thing, others a bad thing. whats important i suppose is that every time a "husqvarna" is fired up a smile is brought to our face. i will admit i get the most pleasure from riding my swede husqvarna, the original husqvarna. as big bill said there is a certain magic with them thats hard to explain..almost like a personality as cliched as that sounds.
Had em all and gotta say the 83 WR430 still has a place in my heart. Unreal torque easy ride motor. I bought it used after my 84 WR400 got stolen. It was beat to shit but ran it forever and it never let me down. Try that with a Kawi or Susie.
I like the '78 250 OR and the '79 390cr with the taller seat. Plus the bike feels smaller. The '83 and up bikes feel bigger.
I own a few of both. I still ride and race my '82 250WR, a forever bike. It makes me realize how far we have come and a few things we've lost. Move a little forward in time, to my '86 and '87 single shock/water cooled Swedish Huskys.... I think they were overrated back then, but Husky was the big thing. Of course the 510 4T was the pinnacle of technology at the time. Always amazed to look at the bottom end of '82 250WR and my '93 WXC350 or '01 TE400 and realize.... they are all the same! Cagiva 2T bikes and then Italian 2T Huskys, were a big improvement over the last Swedish bikes. Of course in the US, Cagiva made many miscalculations with the market and the dealers. They went from Hero, to Zero in no time! This was KTM's salvation, going from bankruptcy to market giant in 10+ years. To me they're all Huskys and great bikes.
Those were cool bikes from that time ... Had both a new and vintage ~76 CR250 with about 25 yrs in between the purchases... The only issues with the ~76 era bike I had that came forward was the dog ears on specific transmission gears ... These bikes have shown longevity ... Apparently the 80s and 90s got well or something as many here still have those era bikes ... Had a 02 CR250 .... Forget about comparing these models with the 70s stuff ... It's all suspension and heavy frames for all the abuse these bikes can absorb. That water-cooled stuff or something brought out a few more horses to say the least ... These bikes most likely are gonna pass the 70s stuff in longevity I have to guess... With lots more abuse taken along the way The last 4t machines (xlite and pre) are a question mark ... Has any modern 4t machines lasted through a decade of riding yet? Where are all those early day 4t race bikes at now?
those early day 4t race bikes are all sitting with their motors pulled at the 2 motorcycle junkyards near me. yzf and kxf. seems like a waste of good chassis all just sitting there. lots of heads piled up but no 2 strokes anywhere, as no one really rides them much anymore. only the more serious guys seem to have a smoker other than survivors.
Thanks for the replies people. Its interesting to hear the different perspectives. I am sure the older bikes have a particular feel to them and an appeal that is hard to put a finger on . I guess my main thought was a comparison of quality and whether mid 80's bikes were better when compared to a late 80's bike I am thinking about getting a VMX bike . In the vintage racing classes you race the ' 78 and 79s with up to '84 models Then then 85 to 89. As a young fella I had a 1977 Honda CR125 . It was very bouncy and flexy I guess youd say. Didnt make a lot of power . I have a connection to more 1982 to 1988 as that when I was doing a bit of MX as a young guy. I do like the idea of a twin shock bike and have been looking at a restored CR390 . Unfortunately the seller of a bike has just bumped the price from 4k to 5k . Still cheap compared to restoring one myself . I know people get a kick from doing the restore but I think Id go for one already done as prices are good . I don't really have the time to do it . I think a 390 may be too much of a brute but not sure . Not really a big fan of heaps of vibration . But if its a torquey docile beast it may be fun . The other option is more the '84 sort of age in a 250 2T .
Those MID, late 70s, early 80s models really have a cool look ... Not sure what that 390 engine will feel like ... The engine difference from my '76 & '02 CR250s was staggering ... The bar for suspensions is pretty high today ... Is that the 9" or 11" travel suspension on thtat 390? I had the 7.5" stuff on my bike and it was the hot ticket with forward-slanted shocks and the monoshock still in the ~shadows... The other issue that stood out between the older and new models is the front brake .... Bands just will not pull ya down as quick as discs... Mikkola won championships on both the 250 and 360 models ....No girly leading front axle stuff for Heikki.
I'll pay a little more attention over there, but I'm pretty sure that the older 4t japanese made bikes do not exist here either. Newer 4t race bikes yes and the older 2t bikes everywhere. There is a guy I race with some and he's fast but think he was given up on his 05(?) honda ... He can't get it to turn and apparently the news 4t bikes will turn better than in the past ... My current Husky dirt bikes are what I'm intending on riding till the day I stop ... Or if I ever become a real sightseer as so many old foreigners I see here, I'll get off my Husky and get on a softer bike. That day is closer, but not today ... -- Bwm did make an attempt at racing a 250cc bike in the FIM stuff 1 yr .. 010, maybe 011 model ... Not sure but I think it had a CARB for sure ... Finished 11th overall for the season ... Word at the time was little support was given to the rider over there so after watching the FIM stuff this yr and understanding it, that was a great finish so I'm saying with a world class rider, that yr model of bikes can hang. Husky had some stud rides in EU along this time frame and they won enduro-type championships till the riders moved on.
