• 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 The previous version was outdated and no longer supported.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!

Where are the automatic enthusiasts?

fran...k.

fran...k.

Husqvarna
AA Class
I found out about this forum a while ago and don't see any real activity on the automatic bikes. Anyone here want to say they have one or more than one and have used at least one five gallon pail of univis J26?

I have a few questions perhaps to discuss.

I have a 420 with a 72mm stroke Probably should have a piston around 70mm not the 86mm. Anyone have any mix and match suggestions?

On the 420 I have assembled and have ridden the kick starter slips. I installed a new crankshaft so grabbing that surface shouldn't be the culprit. I have taken off the clutch and put the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner full of kerosene, which might or might not help. Since the new crank I have always been able to get it going but it isn't right. The one way clutch has fewer dog bones I call them than some earlier ones in my parts pile. Any idea why they went to fewer dog bones or one way sprags? Does anyone think the bushings for that first gear clutch are worn and that might be some of the issue? I see later they used needle bearings but that could be because of other things like putting a water pump where the lube came from.

Fran
 
On that one way bearing for the starter make sure the bronze isn't pressed to tight on the gear or it will impede the dogs from grabbing the crank. I don't have any Autos but my friends have them. So I see all the stuff that goes wrong with them. The 420 was a great improvement for the transmission as far as the engagement system.
 
Your's is the best of all the one way bearings... as stated above the bronze spacers could be to tight.
Can use (Spectro Shock Fluid Very light) exact same as the original trans fluid. Also the bore stroke combination is the best as this was the best auto Husky ever made.
Later George
 
I have a number of Autos , including a '78 390AMX (project), a couple of AE500s and some AE430 watercooled motors. I have recently purchased a 20 litre (5 Gallon ?) container of Univis J26 (it is now called Univis HVI 26). It was very expensive oil, but I wouldn't use anything else. I have had slots cut in the first gear drum on my 390 motor, so that I can use the clutch assembly from the AE500 or later watercooled AE430 motors, thus eliminating the need for the sprag starter bearing (which is a weak point). Lots of people say that the 420 was the best Husky Auto, but I prefer the AE500. I just think that Husqvarna made a mistake in marketing the 500 as an enduro bike, rather than a full on motocross bike. In enduro situations the 500 Autos get too hot and lose power, where as on an MX track that suits an Auto you sometimes feel like you have an unfair advantage ;).
 
I get the idea the bronze bushings might be squishing the one way clutches from the sides. I was thinking the bores might be worn. I kind of figured the 420 with the ball bearings instead of thrust and needle bearings of the previous 360,390 was good. I only have really ridden the 420 and 430 more on the 430 since I got it new enough from a guy who had a plate so I had it registered. The 360 couldn't be that bad for everyone, I bought one more or less for the museum from a guy who bought it one year old, won a c class championship next year won a b class one and told me he put in a new piston every year but seemed puzzled when I asked about the starting issue. I don't think he won the overall probably just like c heavy but he claimed championship. That one came with a pail of Texaco fluid which held up the bike for over five years before it crushed a little and has since been moved a few feet.

As for the bore and stroke somehow the 125 and 250 sure seems to have settled on bore just a little less than stroke. The current 250 has a 72mm stroke.


I havn't got any oil lately I got the second pail long before the first one ran out first one was a little less than $50 second one a bit over that but quite a few years ago. I know one person who bought an ae500 and say it was the worst lemon they ever bought. I have gone through a few of those clutch kits and have a few in stock, last I saw guys were breaking them up into springs, drum, and shoes and looking for over 2 and a half times of what I got mine for retail. That later set up was steel on steel, well at least magnetic shoes on steel drum where the earlier had bronze shoes.
Fran
 
Here's my 1981 420AXC I restored,I ending up selling it because parts have became very scare.Both Hall's Husky and George at UP-Tite said these were the most reliable of the auto's. I wish someone would start reproducing parts for these bikes or they will disapear very fast.
 

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I had kickstarter slipping problems on my 420,it turned out to be years of gung buildup inside the one way bearing,I payed crasy money for another bearing,$450 oz,that got reduced $100 after I complained heaps.If you can get the bearing out without braking or streching the link that holds the BONES together,you could reuse them, for want of a better discription you will find bucket loads of crap behind them that stops them pivoting and gripping
 
I've been riding them for years.Had early 360's.Never liked the engagement method on them.I have a 84 500 now.I have to say, there is nothing faster in the tight woods.As for oil,someone turned me onto air condition compressor oil.This oil is made to operate at high temps.I never tried the OEM oil.I'm sure it works,but compressor oil can be bought with no problem.Frog is right,some day there will be no spares around.What a shame,when we have to park our autos.
 
Hey Frank! Pittsburgh area here with a pair of 390 autos. Will trade tech tips if you like...Forest Stahl runs B& M trick shift....natural noot the synthetic and I have had good luck with it.
 
I have an 84 500AE project. We will see how much of a project a little later this spring when I try and start it. The previous owner was less than truthful when he explained its condition. Someone had replace some of the springs with ones from a hardware store. Luckily I decided to look into it a little before I tried to start it, it would have been a MESS.

Mine is a very late 84, the numbers say it is an 85..... But as we know, it is not.
 
Auto oil

Gday,
I am using univis j26 and only have a few liters left it is very expensive here in aus. could you recommend an oil that is as good but hopefully cheaper i notice that a compressor oil has been motioned any advice would be great :cheers: thanks.
Gasitt!:thumbsup:
 
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