Who knew? Husqvarna’s Swedish sanctuary

Finally! A dirt bike. This is the 1966 250cc motocross bike that Torsten Hallman rode to victory in the 1966 and ’67 World Championships.

1972 Model 250 CR. The “CR” denotes a five-speed close-ratio gearbox. A “WR” wide-ratio model was also produced for enduro and desert racing, according to Husqvarna’s historians.

1980 Husqvarna military motorcycle. The engine was a 250cc unit.

Do want. What a bike! A Husqvarna 510 TE Eu: 503 cc, 6-speed, four-stroke, water-cooled. Roughly the size of a horse.

Sadly, this is one of the last Husqvarnas produced in Sweden. The company was sold to Cagiva in 1986. This 1988 model was among the last produced in the Odeshog factory, just up the road from the museum. Even sadder: this motorcycle has never been used.

If you thought that bike was mint, check out this one. The Model 430 AE US is still in the original crate! Here’s the story, courtesy of the Huskvarna Local History Society: “This motorcycle, year model 1988, was built on 2 October 1987 and was sent from Husqvarna’s factory in Odeshog to Kansas City USA on 13 October 1987. It was never sold in the USA and ended up in a surplus store in California together with a large batch of other Husqvarna motorcycles.” It was bought by an Australian distributor, Hans Appelgren, who shipped it to Emu Plain, New South Wales, where it remained unsold. In 1997, Hans donated the never-unpacked bike to Husqvarna Museum. What a time capsule!

Some cool Swedish dudes.

Husqvarna racked up many off-road racing trophies in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, including this one, which we hope is for racing…

Is that a bazooka!?

And there’s more. A lot more. You should really get yourself to Sweden to see this place and support the people who put it together and keep it running.

One more page, and it’s a bonus – click below!

6 COMMENTS

  1. They sold their motorcycle and bicycle branch decades ago and these branches left the country. So the new bikes like the Vitpilen 701 will need another museum preferably in Austria.

  2. Thanks!

    It was so cool to be there, even compared to all the globetrotting car trips I do for “work” as Richardson says.

    Made me want to get a Husqvarna as a first bike. But whenever I tell people that they say I’m crazy.

  3. Indeed – very cool, thank you for sharing !

    “That 1902 bicycle with the wooden rims is absolutely amazing! ”

    I wonder if it was a joint venture with IKEA ? 😉

  4. Wow thank you for this, what a rich history of original and beautiful Scandinavian designs. This must have been a memorable experience, even for someone used to these trips.

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