WOW, GasGas employees hang KTM dude and say KTM is not welcome there...

Nice, I wonder if the genius workers actually think they would retain their jobs if KTM purchased the company?

my old Varese plant mantra----- entra Cinese.......enter Chinese, add money, keep plant and workers at location, add simple basic current tech transport or basic sport line 50-125-250 2T and 4Ts for sales numbers to the lower number comp enduro and trial lines. kinda like SWM and keep Spanish pride alive. Use KTM as the enemy/competition to motivate the workers....seems they already have that in them anyway after seeing Husky bought and closed.

Immature to say the very least ...

Well said.

As a GG owner, my sympathies lie with the brand, the people, and its history. While the photo of the burning effigy may seem "immature", what would be the "adult" thing to do? Have an attorney write a letter saying "please don't close down the factory and discard the people, blah blah blah, big words, blah blah blah, fancy words, blah blah blah, per obscure regulation, blah blah blah"? KTM earned its stripes long ago for many of us non-KTM owners. What they did at Husqvarna Italy didn't endear them to any more people.

Yeah, the white Huskies may be better in this and better in that (or most) areas, but it seems that in terms of "tradition" and "legacy", SWM has a better claim to that than White Husky does for the history of Husqvarna in total. But what this picture makes me wonder is, how do KTM owner's feel about this? For those people who drink the orange koolaid and think highly of their KTM's, does that photo make them pause? Sure, they could just say "F- 'em" and enjoy how seemingly KTM is taking over the world. But at what point will people say, "I'm looking for a new bike, but maybe not a KTM because something bothers me about them". And if the Japanese and other Euro brands decide to reenter all the market segments that KTM seems to enjoy as the stand alone brand, maybe KTM will no longer be able claim 20% growth each year, and have to deal with customer retention instead? Customer retention is built on reputation.

The moto business has ebbs and flows to it, e.g. Ducati, MV Agusta, Triumph, so on. So lets assume KTM gets to be the mega super duper bike manufacturer of the world, with trials bikes, electric bikes, 2t and 4t bikes, street bikes, cars, scooter, bidet toilets, acne creams and bubble gum. At what cost to get there, I ask? Any business can chew up and spit out people, history, tradition, etc only so many times before it comes back to bite them. Husaberg? Oh well. Husqvarna? Yep, some pretty cutting edge cross-platforming copies right there. Gas Gas? Call it "Benzin Benzin" now.

Hate me if you must. Flame me as you wish. Anyways, why worry... Euro 7 and CARB rules will soon outlaw anything not running on pixie dust without pictures of baby seals on the plastic.

Somewhere everyone forgets the true legacy for Husky is not n italian bike or a bike SWM is tking or remaking..... it is a swedish machine from the 60s to the late 80s

I'm fully aware that the Husqvarna legacy is not a clear line of distinctly Swedish machines from 1903 onwards. The company has had swerves, hits, and misses since Husqvarna was more than a motorized bicycle. I also know that the dictionary definition of "heritage" is: Property that is or may be inherited; an inheritance. As such, if Stefan Pierer decided to sell to ME Husqvarna for $1 or $100,000,000 USD, then I could claim that heritage for myself. Accordingly, the only people who rightly can claim Husky loyalty are the pre-"anything other than Swedish" Husqvarnas. Seems like an imperfect world sometimes.

My issue is that as KTM flexes its muscle with its expanding market share (and rightly so... as a business and commercial operation they are very competent), they are seemingly forgetting that loyalty, passion and pride in owning a motorcycle is more than company slogans and market share capitalization. Loyalty, passion and pride are distinctions born out of differences, not carbon copies. That is what was lost with the discarding of all things pre-KTM Husqvarna. It is this point which I take concern with.

A motorcycle has never been a logical choice for me (though I am guilty of looking at spec sheets just like everyone else)... when it is time to put money on the table, it is a passionate choice. I suppose at the end of the day, for some people having a very technically well made, mechanically solid bike is passion. Good for you, a white Husky is that and more. The white Huskies are certainly nothing like the Italian/German/Swedish Huskies. And it is that break in linking them together that I miss, trying to be a "loyal" Husky owner with an Italian Husky in my garage. Maybe the real issue is the culture and spirit of Husqvarna that has changed (obviously). And if it is a choice between the old business culture/spirit and the current culture of KTM-Husky, then maybe SWM is a closer match to my Italian Husky than a white Husky.

Anyways, lets say I am an idiot. No problem. But I do think as an idiot seeing the photos that started this thread, that for a company to elicit that kind of response from people, when you could argue that KTM would bring better quality, supplies, networks, and engineering to the GG brand if they were to take it over, tells me something is overriding the business logic and excitement of a KTM merger. What could that be? Must be the imperfect and non linear idea that passion and loyalty are cultural and spiritual things, not a rebranding thing.

Some of you guys might have missed it, but the Husqvarna \ KTM bashing threads have existed here already in the recent past and it was sort of decided that the bashing of the brand due to the buyout was not changing or helping anything and the intelligent thing to do was to just stop with the crying and whining and move on... On top of the Husqvarna riders here, there are actually very good people here in Cafe Husky making a living selling myself and many others here Husqvarna parts and Husqvarna motorcycles. Bashing of the brand can be detrimental to all of us ... So please, choose your words and subjects wisely.

I personally agree RayRay.... I love the fact that husky survived and will be around a long long time now.... I also think for the most part Husky machine are far superior bike to any of them prior..... they may not fit yours or mine riding style or like but much more refined and current machines....

I personally am moving on to Beta mostly because I just plain dont want to ride what every Tom Dick and Harry is riding.... not because they are not great bikes (minus the 4CS junk) an really my TE300 is the best bike I've ever ridden yet....

I bleed Husky and always will. Personally it is nice to see the Husky gun-sights at the top or near the top of every event they enter. How long has it been since you have seen a Husky on the podium in motocross here in the states? Kind of nice isn't or even get a hole shot for that matter.

Andy Jefferson.... lol

Cut it any way you like Ray, but Stefan /KTM is a chew up spit out corporation.
I, and many others choose not to like that.
You can if you like, but the rest of us will not be supporting them by purchasing the products they make.
That's our choice. Sell your parts to the people who do buy them.
My next bike won't be a white KTM.

It is GOOD to have choices !!!

Just catching up, Dangermouse you may be right in how you feel about Stefan, and you are right about saying white KTMS, because that is basically what they are and it seems the separation between Husky and KTM is even less in the 2016 models. However, without the buyout from KTM there would be no Husky motorcycles period.
and for me I will take what Husky has to offer even if it is a white ktm, i love Husky's that much. I do not blame KTM for the buyout near as much as I blame BMW for them basically not giving a shit and running the brand into the ground. Dangermouse I feel your pain.