In the early 50s, Husqvarna decided to produce folklore machines. New legislation opened up for cheap mopeds that at first were no more than bicycles equipped with an engine. The popularity of this new way of transportation grew quickly. It resulted in whirlwinds, such as the Novolette, the Roulette and the Corona, all Avantgarde pilgrim models…
For those with petrol and oil in their veins, the moped can be a life-trigger when you're fifteen years of age. For many of thes
Peace upon the world changed everything. Good Old Times had arrived, and people were drinking and dancing. The beginning of the 20s was a decade full of joy and laughter. On the streets you could see motorcycles and other vehicles moving freely. Husqvarna had just introduced their first in-house manufactured two-wheel machine, driven by a nice 550cc V-engine. But the most popular motorcycles were the affordable 250cc bikes, which sold like hot cakes…
The background actually
After his 1969 world title, Bengt Aberg was convinced he would conquer the world again. He was Husqvarna-mounted and both physically and mentally ready, ahead of this gruelling season. 1970 turned out to be a strange one as Aberg's main rival was his neighbour Arne Kring who also had a contract with the weapons factory in Huskvarna. Fasten your seat belt folks – here we go with the bashful Swedes!
The active race season for motocrossers had increased significantly after ev
As the United States embraced the Husqvarna movement in the 60s, development and volumes played a major role at the Swedish factory. Now, the Motorcycle Olympics went from the International Six Days Trial to racing on most any surface. Enduro and desert riding changed motorcycling and paved the way for future Husqvarna success. On home grounds, the brand won almost all "reliability" races at hand…
If you wanted to compete offroad during the 50s and early 60s, there were no r
When motorcycling was young, people took part in ‘reliability tests’ in order to prove themselves. A little over a hundred years ago, the International Six Days Trial was born. Husqvarna joined the games in 1922 and were successful at their first international event. In the 1950s, the Six-Days evolved into the Olympics of motorcycling. Here's when and how Husqvarna joined the movement of adventures.
When the Swedish solo riders Gustaf Göthe, Bernhard Malmberg and David Sennin
In Husqvarna's Golden Era of motocross, Bror Jaurén was the primary person responsible for handling the factory's tactics in their quest for success. Working as competition manager for the racing department, Jaurén’s leadership led to 14 motocross world championship titles from six different riders during his 33 years at Husqvarna. I met him in the late 70s.
Talking to Jaurén, you hardly noticed him as being an influential man. He was quiet and reserved without big words or
After the great Saxtorp Grand Prix in August 1934, the racers went to the island of Gotland to participate in a Tourist Trophy event. It was a venue full of life - both on and off the track - where the representatives of Husqvarna vibrated with confidence after their success in the big C-class at their previous Saxtorp adventure. Now, the circus was open to new battles, with the Swedish arms factory being held as a favourite. But let's start this amazing story from the beginning...
An advertisement in the summer of 1951 had the following headlines, ‘Prolong your spare time with a Husqvarna – make the most of your evenings, weekends and vacation!’ Twelve years before, in 1939, the newly developed ‘Angel-Wing’ 118cc machine had been presented to the public. It would soon appeal to the masses and give many a rider some adventurous travel experiences.
Stories of this multi-purpose machine are plentiful, some more outrageous than others. How about the young
The press release announced a novelty made by Husqvarna in Huskvarna. This happened back in 1939 and the machine was the newly developed ‘Angel-Wing’. This 118cc bike would appeal to the masses after it replaced the popular predecessor of 98cc – the small bicycle with a bolt-on power source was now an outdated model. The introduction of the Angel Wing could not have come at a worse time however. The second world war was around the corner and during the coming six years the factory only churned o
A 10-year Husqvarna career started in 1965 when Uno Palm made his debut in the junior national championship in Sweden. Palm had a 250cc Husqvarna, a brand he cherished with a passion until his two-wheel professional years ended in 1978. By that time Uno Palm had entered the 250cc world championship in nine seasons with his best performance coming in 1972 where he scored fifth place in the final standings. Uno Palm raced for almost 20 years before leaving the MX expert stage.
Having spent eight years of pioneering work since their inception in 1903, Husqvarna were ready to take the next step. By 1911, their products developed into being more and more sophisticated, thereby satisfying a starving market. People were hungry for novelties and new design. They also demanded a higher quality to get their money's worth. Speed was suddenly in fashion for everyone.
Husqvarna sales were a mere 53 units during 1911. In the same year, the collaboration with
Born back in 1882, Swede Erik Hyginus Rud became famous for two things – an early interest for photography and as someone who bought his first real motorcycle at the age of 31 years. With his two-speed Husqvarna Moto-Rève, Hyginus rode around the western parts of Sweden on his Model 65 and immortalised everything from weddings to birthdays with his camera.
There was a small cottage, or croft, in the vicinity of Fredsberg in the western part of Sweden. It’s here where Erik Hyg
As a young kid, my father Tore was not really into school or education. Instead, he dreamt of famous riders and had early passionate thoughts of becoming a motorcycle man. He was a fan of Husqvarna and his active racing period lasted half a decade. My father began competing by the end of the 20s, continuing through the early 30s – in Husqvarna's initial big-time era in racing.
Daddy was born in Norrköping in the hot summer of 1911. After three years he was adopted and moved
The two phantoms Gustaf Göthe and David Senning each captured a gold medal in the 1922 ISDT in Switzerland. Consequently, in the following year, Sweden hosted the International Six Days Trial. It was run out of the capital city Stockholm for 1,863 kilometres before returning to the finish line. Being there, the local Husqvarna team captured victory, winning the International Trophy.
But let's start in 1922 when the ISDT was organized by Switzerland. Three Husqvarna riders f
We head back in Husqvarna history to their important Silver Arrow model, which was released in 1955. It was a 175 cc ‘lightweight’ motorcycle with a 2-stroke engine and a three-speed gearbox. This model was manufactured until 1965 and there were 11,300 units made. Here, we take a look on how this ‘Silverpilen’ bike paved the way for the factory's future success in which the Silver Arrow played an important role putting Husqvarna on the world stage.
Having said that, it was w
In all of Husqvarna’s history, probably one of the most important developments is the Silver Arrow, Silverpilen. This 175 cc 2-stroke, three-speed machine paved the way for the company's future success. The Silver Arrow was the basis for a victorious path on track. Husqvarna won 13 individual world championship titles in motocross and many enduro victories from this lightweight machine. The hit started in 1955 when the classic bike was born...
My first and only motocross bi
Every Swedish race fan looked forward to each Friday when a new issue of the country's one and only weekly motoring magazine was published. What had happened during the past weekend was properly reported by journalists and photographers of the time. Husqvarna could count themselves as one of the major advertising clients during the beginning of the 30s when the factory had tremendous success in motorcycle events.
"Motornyheterna" was established in 1925 when the surge for news
Late in his splendid career Sylvain Geboers switched to Husqvarna, hoping for success. The Belgian had never made it to the top of the podium, forced to be content with runner-up positions as country-man Joel Robert beat him to the finish line. After two second places and three third spots in the 250cc world championship, Geboers set out to try his luck with Husqvarna in 1975. Here's how it happened.
Sylvain Geboers was born on the 28th of March in 1945. He lives in Mol, whi
Swede Einar Söderén was an army lieutenant who in 1925 decided to go adventuring. Riding his 12 horsepower 550cc Husqvarna V-twin, Söderén headed off south from Europe with northern Africa in sight. In mid-March, he encountered frozen and snow-covered roads on his 14,000-kilometre trip - but temperatures soon increased…
In 1921, Söderén had acquired his first motorcycle. It was a Husqvarna model 160 V-twin, which he used for recreation. Then he did longer trips, covering many
Italian manufacturer Pirelli had their tyre treads marked on bodies of female models as a symbol in their famous 1980s calendars. In the 30s, Husqvarna used its racing success to market their products in advertising. The copy and pictures appealed to people's inspiration and was street smart for increasing sales.
During the roaring 20s the Jazz age set off, overwhelming trends that also gave an echo within the motoring industry. In France - where else - fashion was of the utm
His close friends nicknamed him ‘James’ as Swede Gustaf Göthe had bought his first James motorcycle in 1914. When riding Husqvarna, his major merits consisted of victories in the ‘Novemberkasan’, the Six-Days ISDT and the prestigious ‘Majtävlingen’ – the May Trophy. Gustaf Göthe was also a well-respected engineer at the Huskvarna factory, being responsible for developing the famous 150-model - a 550cc Husqvarna V-twin. It was Husky’s first own-manufactured machine and came out in 1919.
Apple-cheeked Bill Nilsson was nicknamed ‘Buffalo Bill’ because he showed no mercy to his competitors. The fiery Swede was a tough Viking – never afraid of a challenge. Bill rode with the precision of a surgeon, but his main assets were his short temper and his stubbornness to never give up. That's why Bill Nilsson was so efficient, so successful and ever since he straddled a factory Husqvarna was a stellar Grand Prix performer on the track...
It was in the beginning of the 5
There is an old Irish proverb ‘An old broom knows the dirty corners best’. This applies to the legendary Stanley Woods; whose 10 TT victories were unchallenged in the 1930s. In 1935 the Irishman chose to join the Husqvarna team, culminating in a tremendous Saxtorp win which the history books recall as a ‘hair-raising adventure’. Just shy of 90 years old, ‘Mister Tourist Trophy’ sadly died in 1993.
Stanley Woods was a big name in motorcycle racing in the 30s. Born in Dublin i
