THE HISTORY OF HUSQVARNA

The reason for the beginning of HUSQVARNA is attributed to the Danes deciding to invade Sweden in the 17th century, and making no attempt to return the Kingdom to it's ruler. Using the threat of military force at non compliance, they were ordered to depart at the Congress of Altona in 1688. Because at first they ignored this order, King Karl XL of Sweden mobilised and at the town of HUSQVARNA, had the barrels of their muskets prepared in readiness. However, they weren't needed because the Danes got cold feet and departed willingly. HUSQVARNA was put on the map not as much as a war weapon foundry, but as one for hunting rifles.

At the end on the l9th century cast iron articles for the household were added. In 1872 the first sewing machine appeared and shortly before the turn of the century the first bicycle. It was only a matter of time before the first HUSQVARNA Motorcycles were available. 1903 was it.

With the help of a 1 1/4 h.p. Belgian motor from FN, the first HUSQVARNA originated - completely unaffordable because at 700 kronor it was three times more expensive than a bicycle. However interest in it must have been strong because already in 1907 and l908 HUSQVARNA had a more powerful model in the offering with the motor for it being supplied by NSU. Fourteen of these were sold.

HUSQVARNA couldn't or didn't want to be involved in the manufacture of the engines themselves. Various models with motors supplied from different sources appeared from then on. With the heaviest model (also an army version), one could opt for a side car made of metal or wicker - but for most Swedes unobtainable because of the expense involved. They didn't sell many but HUSQVARNA still went ahead in 1919 with their own 550 c.c engine, which they built until 1932.

In 1921 HUSQVARNA expanded with another 994 c.c. They opted for English Motors (175 and 250) for their cheaper bikes, which were sold during the second half of the twenties . These cheaper models sold three times as many thus making the thirties the most successful years of HUSQVARNA history.

It was the racing bikes that made the name HUSQVARNA known world wide. In 1929 Folke Mannerstedt was hired from FN - where he had been looking after racing bikes - by Gustav Thorn (Manager). Mannerstedt was employed to help along the JAP engine and also developed another engine to be competitive for the 6 Day event. From 1929 the Trophy Team at this event had to have bikes which didn't only have their frames, but also their motors, built in their own country. One couldn't get any more power out of the OHV single cylinder from JAP. Mannerstedt realised some mistakes and achieved a few more h.p.'s - 33 for a racing bike, a respectable plus.

Mannerstedt began his main achievement on the drawing board in February, 1929. Six months later and in time for the 6 Days in August of the same year three HUSQVARNAS with new motors (two 500 c.c.'s for the solo and one 700 c.c. for the side car event) were ready. Because of lack of time though, they had to use superseded cylinder heads off the 1926 motors. Naturally Mannerstedt didn't want to miss out on personally testing his construction, so he took part with Yngve Ericsson in the 500 c.c. class. The side car was handled by Bernhard Malmberg. The motors withstood the strain, however chain and spoke breakage as well as tyre blow outs prevented success at the 1929 Six Day Event.

Leaving off the back cylinder on the 700 c.c. motor produced a 350 c.c. single cylinder - the basis of a model for speed records with a twelve inch rear wheel, over which the rider kneels to drastically reduce wind resistance. With this Folke Mannerstedt took off to Stosrjons Lake which was frozen and therefore completely smooth. With the side car he achieved 135.44 kph over a flying kilometre and over a mile he reached an incredible 136.06 kph - a new record for Sweden. There was also a bike with a V-two cylinder increased to 600 c.c. capacity, it was supposed to achieve 47 h.p. within 7500rpm. However, this bike did not break the record attempt.

Whereas the V-two cylinder models were pure racing models from 1930 onwards, the single cylinder machines, based on the modified JAP's Motor was also available for private purchase. The HUSQVARNA 50B, also called "special racer", cost around 1900 Kronor. Hardly more than thirty were distributed, and seldom out of Sweden.

From the 1932 season of the international street racing scene, HUSQVARNA took part sporadically, entering in a big way only from 1934. Ragner Sunngvist, Gunnar Kalen from Sarolea, the Dutchman Arie van der Pluym, the Englishman Ernie Nott and the Irishman Stanley Woods were the riders of the 350 and 500 c.c. works racing bikes, with the V two cylinder constructed by Folke Mannerstedt. 

In contrast to the races on home territory (where in Saxtorp Sunnqvist won in '32 and '34, Kale in '33 and Woods in '35), abroad successes eluded them in 1934. Instead one tragedy after another befell them. At the Dutch Grand Prix, Woods fell and because of a complicated arm fracture was out for the rest of the season. A few weeks after that Gunnar Kale crashed fatally at the German Grand Prix and then Arie van der Pluym in Belgium. Dejectedly Husqvarna Works withdrew their official involvement and left the initiative to the riders. However they did continue their support with bikes and spare parts.

In 1935 the greatest success was achieved with a 500 c.c. V two cylinder. Ragnar Sunnqvist won at the Berlin Avus - ahead of many favorite names like Karl Gall and Ludwig Kraus who was riding the 200 kph compressor BMW, as well as DKW works riders; Kurt Mansfield, Toni Bauhofer and Otto Ley on a not much slower two cylinder two stroke.

As quickly as the street racing activities began, as quickly they ended. Folke Mannerstedt left Husqvarna in the Autumn of 1935, and the racing bikes were sold to interested buyers. The racing history of HUSQVARNA was short but interesting.

A few months after the cessation of this sporting activity, another directive was issued. Motorcycle production was to cease by the end of 1936. Only three hundred and nineteen bikes found buyers in that year, even though in 1935 a fairly advanced model had appeared which was known as "TYP112". But even this HUSQVARNA was too expensive, something cheaper had to be made.
The solution was called "Lattvikts Motorcycle", a lightweight bike with a marginally modified two HP, 98 c.c. two stroke from Jlo. Nearly fifteen thousand bikes were sold by the start of World War 11, and then production was put to rest - except for a few military models with the HUSQVARNA 112 half-litre motor.

After the big unrest HUSQVARNA began again in 1946. Calle Heindahl took over as Managing Director. The "Black Mill" - 4.3 hp and then in 1954 the "Red Mill resulted. Nearly 70 000 of these "Mills" were sold. This success resulted in bigger things- a 175 c.c. In 1953 the "Drombagen" dream bike - was introduced. However it soon disappeared because no one wanted it, not in this form. From 1955 the "Silver Arrow" was offered, and 16 year olds jumped for it. It was a great success. The follow up was the "Gold Arrow". Still under 75 kg, but with a 200 c.c. motor. The Gold Arrow accounted for every second motorcycle being sold in Sweden.

From July 1st, 1952 a law was passed in Sweden whereby motorised pushbikes - Mopeds -, with motor and pedals and a maximum of 30 kph, needed no license to be ridden. Quickly Moped motors were ordered from Rex of Munich. This bike was called "'Novelette", with a 40 c.c. capacity, 200 Kronor was cheap and seven thousand were sold by l952. HUSQVARNA constructed their own 50 c.c. motor, with a two speed gearbox. "Dornette" and "Roulette" as the popular Mopeds were called, were designed by SAAB designer Sixten Sason. Up until September, 1962 when these were given over to Monark, one hundred and seventy thousand had been built.

In the late forties, and early fifties Calle Heimdahl designed a chainsaw driven by a 50 c.c. Moped vengine, in 1956 a lawnmower was added. Monark was the big opposition in Sweden and they were not happy about HUSQVARNA's expansions up till 1962 when they came to an agreement; HU5QVARNA would not produce any more outboard engines and Monark would stop the production of chainsaws. Today HUSQVARNA is the world’s biggest chainsaw fabricant.

Towards the end of the fifties the enthusiasm for the bike died down as small cheap cars came onto the market. Only five hundred and seven bikes were sold in 1962 and HUSQVARNA stopped producing bikes for a while. In 1965 HUSQVARNA were looking toward other goals - namely Motorcross, Cross Country and Enduro Bikes. With a few alterations to the 175 c.c. engine it was ideal for Motorcross, and soon HUSQVARNA was on top. 1959 saw 52 Motorcross events and HUSQVARNA won 43 of these. "Why not do it professionally?" HUSQVARNA thought, and they changed the engine in 1959 from 175 cm to 243 cm, 16 ps- 6000/min and three gears. This was good enough to win the European title with a 95 kg Cross Country HUSQVARNA for Rolf Tibblin (The World Championship with a 250 had to wait until 1962).

Until the middle of the sixties only 250 Motorcross models were available and only approximately 200 were built per year, but trade expanded to England, Holland and Belgium with great success. In 1966 the year's production was already sold out by March. In 1966 HUSQVARNA brought out the first 500 two cylinder two- stroke engine with two 250 cylinders with a common crankcase, and six gears. These were a bit too big for the European market, but Gunnar Nilsson won the Baja 1000 with such a bike three times. At the same time Torsten Hallman showed everybody how good a 250 HUSQVARNA was for Motorcross and the orders kept rolling in.

Though in 1966 HUSQVARNA only sold about five hundred bikes, it jumped up to 1500 a year later, and to 2500 the following year. In 1970 they sold 5000 around the world, this jumped to 15 000 in 1973. 1974 and '75 showed a slight downturn but 85% of all Huskys were sold in the U.S.A. to 150 dealers.

In 1967 HUSQVARNA sold one thousand millitary bikes to the Swedish army and this was followed up in the early Seventies by an order three times as high, but with a request for a better model. New tests were done including a demand for an engine that would not stop if the bike fell over. The military was pleased with the bikes and in 1977 automatic Enduros were introduced, which were especially popular in the U.S.A., but only about three thousand five hundred of these bikes were built.

After twenty years of two stroke bikes the Husky TE (4 stroke) was brought out at the end of 1983 - unusual on this machine was the oiling system and it's light weight.

For nearly 300 years HUSQVARNA was a private enterprise, but on Tuesday 22nd November, 1977 Electrolux took over. In 1979 the motorcycle factory was relocated to an Asea factory in Odeshog, while the engine manufacturing remained in HUSQVARNA.

During the eighties the world wide competition for the Motorcross and Enduro market got very strong and HUSQVARNA could not keep up against the four Japanese manufacturers with their advertising, etc. In December, 1987 HUSQVARNA's number one rider, Sven Erik Jonsson, rode the last HUSQVARNA manufactured in Sweden out of the factory in ceremonial style. Then CAGIVA came into the picture and stared manufacturing HUSQVARNA motorcycles in Italy. Since CAGIVA - the world's fifth largest motorcycling manufacturer, has been involved in the engineering and manufacturing facilities, the performance and quality of HUSQVARNA has proven to be world class.

(Translation from german magazine article)
 

Husqvarna Champions.