[Buzglyd]

If you're sportin' a gray pompadour and soul patch and have an affection for Marlboros, beer and one-eyed pigeons it might be for you.



If not I'd stay away.

 

[WAYNEinMI]

"Is Husqvarna moving into the U.S. market in general or is this just a local fluke? "

The original (Genuine) Husgvarnas were made in Sweden, and were popular in the USA (I owned three) until Cagiva bought them out in

the early '80s, IIRC. They then proceded to put Husqvarna stickers on Cagivas and tried to shove them down the " Husky" dealers' throats, effectively destroying the Husqvarna Dealership network in north America. This is the way it was told to me by a former "Husky"

dealer. We had a lot of fun on those old red & chrome bikes in the '70s.

 

[KLRer]

well a Husqvarna dealership has just popped up near me, realizing they got bought out by Cagiva years ago. The power/weight ratios of their street legal bikes look appealing. I saw a dyno reading of 48 hp for the 260 lb 450 SM.



Not ugly either.

 

[56599]

I used to use a Husqvarna chain saw when I was fighting forest fires.... Pretty good saw better than a Homelite but not quite as good as a STIHL

 

[52938]

There's been a Husky dealer near me (San Francisco) for a while, but as has been noted they're no longer Swedish. As an old fart it's weird to think of the bikes Malcolm Smith used to ride in Baja as being Italian, but everything changes! I don't know if the following incident is representative of the marque in general but I know someone that bought a new Husky last year. Asked him how it rode and he said he didn't know as he hadn't been able to get it running yet. If you want a Euro thumper, my advice would be KTM. Massimo Tamburini has recently redesigned Husky so at least they'll look good!

 

[TheFox]

Re: Lets Talk to a moron.

Well, between bikes, aircraft and chain saws you're pretty good. Now all you have to do is learn the design brief of a clue and you'd be in decent shape.

--Foxy

 

[55024]

Most of the Husky guys love their bikes. They are a blast! I went KTM, but the Husky's have some distinct street advantages (Tank size, smoothness, tach, and such.). Either way, if you like handling and fun, you'll love 'em.

 

[Neal]

The closest dealer to me has Huskys and KTM's. He says he likes the Husky SM better than the KTM. Says reliability is good. I took a very short test ride on one...too short for a good test but the bike felt light and had plenty pep. Im considering the 510 enduro but my Vintage race habit is eating up my discretionary funds so I'll probably keep dreaming. MO....a comparo of the Husky,KTM and maybe the Suzuki SM would be cool.

 

[The_AirHawk]

KP: "Boy, cuttin' a firebreak sure is hard work! It took me almost FOUR HOURS to cut down a tree that was only 8-inches thick!"



Captain: "What was wrong? Did the motor on yer Husky keep givin' out?"



KP: "Motor.............?"

 

[4851]

And right there is your root cause of all that global warming.



Captain called for a firebreak.



Response was a chain brake.



"It kept slipping."

 

[4851]

Can't speak to the specifics that you mention; I've never owned one.



A buddy (about 6'5", 270 lbs) rode his Husky in the back door and out the front door of our watering hole a number of years ago.



NOBODY questioned his ride.

 

[KLRer]

Yeah, I'm just kind of hooked on quick handling, light bikes with high seats and high bars. My KLR has about 38 hp on a dyno and weighs 337 lbs, so these 260 lb, 48 hp (dyno) husqvarnas look like dynamite to me. KTMs are great too of course.

 

[KLRer]

Thanks Neal. I don't think dealers in my area allow test rides but I plan to check them out.



Reliability would be my biggest concern, but it should be ok I would think, this being 2007, not 1967.

 

[37826]

one-eyed pigeons?

 

[pplassm]

Ask Burns!

JB owns one, doesn't he?

 

[pplassm]

We've had four Huskies in the family that I can remember. Never had any problems with reliability, but handling was "different" compared to other woods bikes. Huskys feel longer and more stable.



The last one I have any experience with was my brother's 410. It was a kick-only four stroke single with the starter on the left. Lots of fun starting that one!

 

[33129]

Take a look at earlier questions posed about the SM610. There should be a few comments there that help out. It was last week sometime or there abouts.

 

[acecycleins]

Working at a Husky dealer in ATL, let me tell you they are fun bikes. I, however, am not a dirt type of guy. I have 25 years of riding experience and virtually none of that is on dirt. I do know this- they are tough. The biggest problem with them is that they don't meter fuel well. I guess it's because of EPA and Euro regs but the things seem to run choppy. It took about four months of messing with a demo bike before we figured it out. It's not a huge problem but the bikes run much better now that we figured out that Husky was sending bikes that were not set up for "off-road" use. Now, all the bikes are uncrated and adjusted at set up. Cagiva in this case was of NO help. The mechanics had to figure this one out without manufacturer support- which is somewhat troubling since Cagiva is trying so hard to break back into the US market again. If you live in the south you probably know about Durhamtown Plantation, those guys have ordered Husky models for the rental fleet. Go, rent one and decide. Then come to Atlanta and we'll strike a deal you'll be happy with.

 

[The_AirHawk]

I'm tellin' ya' - Global Warming™ is NOT such a bad thing!

When I was but a child, it was forecast that a 1.5 to 2-degree F. rise in the Global Ambient would melt the polar caps and flood every coastal city that was less than 20' above sea-level. HOWEVER, those crackpots were being discredited by the OPPOSING crackheads that were hand-wringing over the next Ice Age (scheduled for as soon as between 2025 and 2125, by late-'70s so-called "Scientists").

Well, I keep seeing this "Global Ambient has risen 5-degrees in the last two decades" or "We forecast another 3-degrees rise by 2010" B.S. cast around. Where's the Glaciers? Lacking that, where's the Floods?

Dude, I want some freakin' Global Disasters with my Apocalypse! Very Four-Asterisk'n Disappointed here!

Scientists don't know ****! All this data is based on record-keeping for (AT MOST!) the last 125 years. With the amount of CO2, NOx and SOx that is being dumped into the atmosphere daily by natural means completely dwarfing even the WORST of Man's pollution; how is it we can muster the Hubris to believe that something as miniscule as ourselves can have a lasting effect on this planet? (short of Nuclear Holocaust)

Mind, I'm NOT for the Nest-Fouling pollution we had prior to the 1960s - that is just foolishness for the sake of foolishness. But the Global Warming™/Global Cooling™ hand-wringers haven't a CLUE - and these guys are supposed to be "Experts". Line up every Analyst in the World end-to-end, and they'll STILL point in all directions............

 

[acecycleins]

If they are an authorized Husky dealer then they are can get demo bikes. It's that simple. It's personal choice if the dealer wants to demo bikes or not.