• Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

  • Hi everyone,

    As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.

    When he passed, I worked with his kids to gather the necessary credentials to keep this site running. Since then (and for however long they worked with Coffee), Woodschick and Dirtdame have been maintaining the site and covering the costs. Without their hard work and financial support, CafeHusky would have been lost.

    Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working to migrate the site to a free cloud compute instance so that Woodschick and Dirtdame no longer have to fund it. At the same time, I’ve updated the site to a current version of XenForo (the discussion software it runs on). The previous version was outdated and no longer supported.

    Unfortunately, the new software version doesn’t support importing the old site’s styles, so for now, you’ll see the XenForo default style. This may change over time.

    Coffee didn’t document the work he did on the site, so I’ve been digging through the old setup to understand how everything was running. There may still be things I’ve missed. One known issue is that email functionality is not yet working on the new site, but I hope to resolve this over time.

    Thanks for your patience and support!

Rescued this '83 500 XC yesterday...... Several possible directions to take the rebuild.......

1Tuff500XC

1Tuff500XC

Husqvarna
AA Class
As usual, I get to looking. Not really focused on bringing something home, and I spot either a critter, or machine in need......

Spotted this on craigslist browsing a couple of days ago. Probably paid to much, but $375 delivered from accross town got me this tired diamond in the rough.

Uploaded010812017.jpg


Uploaded010812018.jpg
 
The frame VIN says she's an '83 500 XC, case number 2094 correlates with that as well. Decal on leftside plate, used to be the factory stripe. In the right light, from the right angle, with your head real close lol, can see it said 500 XC at one time.

Non running, no kicker, needs new clutch cover, no mag, original and cooked seat, MS tank, repaired front rim. Original remaining plastics are trash. Tank saveable, but will be replaced with an OE tank. Yellow UFO fenders will donate the funny decals, and either be trashed or become garage art.

Fellow I got the bike from said he got it from the original owner. Suppose that's possible, as she does have a real un altered feel mechanically. Never repainted, and other than the non OE plastic parts being substituted, she doesn't have any tool marks on or around fasteners like she's every been appart. Looks like she was somebodies backyard art, cookin away.

Oh, and she had the ultra rare optional farm bailing wire holding the headpipe to the frame, as well as the more common optional silicone encased intake manifold. Sad to say, I had the bailing wire off as quick as I could walk to and back with wire cutters.
 
Won't get much time to focus on it for a bit yet. Which gives me time to learn more, and consider my options with the bike, and what direction to take the rebuild.

Guess I'm seeing the obvious as close to original rebuild as one possible direction to go.

Or, make it look like an '82, which I personally prefer the colors of.

And or finally, make it look like either of the above year models, but with some extra little bits of flashy or race oriented mods.....
 
I'm going to try and make my '84 CR 500 look like the '82.5 Silver Streak as much as possible but with the ProCircuit style rearfender/number plate . Let us know how it starts once you get the parts . I love these monsters !
 
Awesome! I love the looks of the '82.5 Silver Streak model. I just need to bring up my knowledge/understanding on either the '82 or '82.5 models. I haven't paid as much attention to these. Since I was originally more focused on my first dream bike, being the '85 500XC. Guess its time to dig back through the magazines collection, in the hopes I didn't sell any issues covering these slightly earlier bikes.

Hanging around in here, and looking into Husqvarna's more than ever, I quickly had growing interested in bringing home an air cooled twin shock model. Just couldn't pass up another 500XC. Not sure how rare these are, but I really dig how it looked when new, and the potential to pull off the Silver Streak or strait '82 look. Lots to still look into, and consider.
 
I rescued my dog by purchasing it before someone who might have kept it in a crate a lot and entered lots of competitive events. I let it run loose a lot and occasionally enter beginner level competitions. Maybe you can kind of let this one run loose instead of restoring/ rebuilding.

If the hole the swing arm bolt goes through isn't enlarged I would do as little as possible and ride it. You could take off the shocks and the swing arm and grease up something like six locations. Those lower swing arm bolts can be stubborn to get out.

Chances are these things don't have magnetos all I see missing is the cover for that. The clutch cover is there I don't know if it is beyond repair, you will have to see how the starting parts are behind it.

Take the forks apart and get new top out washers. Those really don't seem to have bushings to replace or much of anything else besides the little top out washers.

The rubber grommets to hold on the exhaust pipe are like 40% of what I used to pay if you get them from Halls or perhaps any dealer as they have husky part number and are just a little larger.

I can't tell if you ought to get a new chain and sprocket. The modern x ring stuff is pretty amazing by vintage standards. Shouldn't have too much trouble going slow with that sprocket.

If you note the diagonal crack in the side of the seat cover, I have many with a few similar cracks per side.

As for the silicon on the reed cage to carb piece. There is this black kind which is more oil tolerant and much stronger than the clear, blue, or red. A lot of guys like the billited manifold replacement. As long as the cracks don't go through and the part the clamp for the carb goes on is ok I just goop them up. A few years ago it wasn't available but maybe it is now. I hoarded one for the liquid cooled 40mm carb as it was still available but the price went down, ha ha.

I think it is a very good bike but a noisy one. Depends on where you have to ride it. Your four stroke 510 can be made quiet or noisy at great distances depending on how you set it up.

Fran
 
Thanks for all the pointers/tips there Fran. Your always great to sound in, and point me in the right direction on things. Lots of been there and done that I sense....

While I am thinking of doing a big refresh on the looks, in addition to going through the mechanical stuff, this one will be ridden and ridden alot. Heck, it might become my favorite bike. So happy to have an air-cooled twin shocker 2T in my little collection now.

The rear sprocket on this thing looks massive, to me. Its worn, and to big. I may set this bike up as a bit more of a track bike. Giving it thought.

Will be sticking with Husqvarna front forks. If I can switch to later ones, like the ones off my 510 or other 500, for any benefits. That's what I'll do. May try to get this bike to conform to race tech rules.

Clutch cover has a huge amount of JB Weld on it. I'm assuming its junk. The ignition has been all taken appart, due to someone trying to trouble shoot it, is what the PO said.

I opened up the box with my old bike magazine collection in it. I had sold off a bunch some years back. But luckily, I actually found 1 with an original test on this exact bike. As well as 1 on the Silver Streak. Was late, so I didn't finish digging through stack, but I might have more Husky tests. I'll try and scan them and get them uploaded somewhere, so others can see them to.
 
Depending on which appearance I decide to go with on the bike, that will determine if I replace the rear frame hoop that someone cutt off. Should be easy enough to grab another lesser model frame, with the correct hoop shape, as a donor for this one. Not sure if they cutt this one, in exactly the correct place, to make it appear exactly as a CR would, or not.
 
Had some big help in the yahoo group, and recognized the frame on the '83 is much different in the airbox/upper shock mount area, than the earlier bikes. So no go on side panel/plates from the earlier bikes on this. I wasn't seeing the difference in pics clearly enough, till now. That narrows my options.....
 
When they went to the white frame both (top and bottom) shock mounts are equidistant from the swingarm pivot which probably has the best ratio of wheel travel to shock travel as can be obtained without a linkage. With the silver frame the likelyhood of hitting the frame with an ankle (if something forces your foot/leg back and in) is significantly greater. How about the third tube under the engine has that been cut out to make it sit on a crate better? I think the white frame is really designed for that engine. The silver one will accept larger earlier engines and has a half squashed tube near the left foot peg.

Fran
 
Thank you Fran. Fantastic helpful info there. Can the '83 ITC shocks even be used on say an '82 CR frame? Was just thinking about perhaps trying to get another frame, and putting the '83 500XC mill in place.
 
I put below a link to a picture that was taken of my bike at the northeast husky gathering which uses the silver frame and the itc shocks. It was origionally built as an upgrade for the 360 hillclimber but has had the 500 engine in it for probably five years or so by now. The top shock mounts have been moved. 12 inches of wheel travel was what I designed it for never really measured it after completion. If you look closely the lower part that hold the hemi joint has been shortened.

http://www.frannyk.addr.com/cafehusky/yard_francis_bike_02.jpg

If you got the itc shocks for the wr with the internal travel shortening piece I read about here the total length might work out better. You can't shorten the piece I did and attach to the side of the swingam. I think the itc business is some extra dampening stuff in the last 3/4 inch.

That pipe in the linked picture is the proper pipe for that kind of frame. Not sure how the one you have from an 83 would do at avoiding frame tubes. The white frame has a slight offset to the front downtube for the pipe. It fits in the silver frame but I wouldn't be suprised if I find it worn thin whenever I take the engine out.
 
fran...k. said:
I put below a link to a picture that was taken of my bike at the northeast husky gathering which uses the silver frame and the itc shocks. It was origionally built as an upgrade for the 360 hillclimber but has had the 500 engine in it for probably five years or so by now. The top shock mounts have been moved. 12 inches of wheel travel was what I designed it for never really measured it after completion. If you look closely the lower part that hold the hemi joint has been shortened.

http://www.frannyk.addr.com/cafehusky/yard_francis_bike_02.jpg

If you got the itc shocks for the wr with the internal travel shortening piece I read about here the total length might work out better. You can't shorten the piece I did and attach to the side of the swingam. I think the itc business is some extra dampening stuff in the last 3/4 inch.

That pipe in the linked picture is the proper pipe for that kind of frame. Not sure how the one you have from an 83 would do at avoiding frame tubes. The white frame has a slight offset to the front downtube for the pipe. It fits in the silver frame but I wouldn't be suprised if I find it worn thin whenever I take the engine out.
Click to expand...

Hey Fran...k
There's a 430 ae in the pick up !
Is it yours ?
 
Michel Dufayard said:
Hey Fran...k
There's a 430 ae in the pick up !
Is it yours ?
Click to expand...
Well there is an air scoop from an 86 ae. That one origionally was the 430 auto installed in an 1999 te 410 chasis. Unfortunately I didn't think out the radiator mounting location but used the minimum of new attachment points and hence the plastic shrouds from the 87-88 wouldn't fit. There is a six speed in it now. The auto just was less competitive for the type of events I enter that in. with a filled crank and high gear disabled it might do better. If you wander around in the directory the above link is in you should be able to find some pictures of it.
 
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