Husaberg

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Husaberg
Type Subdivision
Founded 1988
Headquarters Flag of Austria Mattighofen, Austria
Industry Motorcycle
Parent KTM
Website www.husaberg.com
Husaberg FS650E in supermoto action.
Husaberg FS650E in supermoto action.

Husaberg is a Swedish manufacturer of off-road and supermoto four-stroke motorcycles. Husaberg motorcycles are known for their larger displacement engines and for their race-oriented philosophy.

Contents

[edit] Origins

The Husaberg engine is designed to be light and space saving. Notice the originality of the frame, which doubles as an airbox, as well as the kick start on the left side.
The Husaberg engine is designed to be light and space saving. Notice the originality of the frame, which doubles as an airbox, as well as the kick start on the left side.

After the motorcycle section of the traditional Swedish brand Husqvarna was bought in 1987 by the Italian company Cagiva, some of its engineers, led by Thomas Gustavsson, stayed in Sweden and founded Husaberg Motor AB in 1988.

The name Husaberg was only made official by Gustavsson when entering an enduro race at Skillingaryd, as he was forced to declare the make of his motorcycle.[1]

The Husaberg team tried to compensate for their lack of funds by their courage to rely on technical innovations and could never afford to hire established professional riders but rather ambitious rookies such as Joël Smets, Jimmie Eriksson, Walter Bartolini, Kent Karlsson, Anders Eriksson, Jaroslav Katrinak, Peter Jansson[2]

[edit] KTM Ownership

Good results on the tracks could not compensate for slow sales, and Husaberg eventually was purchased by the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM in 1995[3]

Although Husaberg motorcycles have been produced at the KTM factory in Mattighofen, Austria since 2003, the development department is also at KTM in Mattighofen, the Motorsport department remains in Sweden[4][5]

Husaberg's previous slogan, "Ready to Race" was adopted by KTM as its own. Husaberg's current slogan is now "4 Stroke Force".[6][7][8]

[edit] Reliability

The earlier Husaberg engines (1989-1997) were known to have premature engine failures due to the fact that they do not have an oil pump and rely on oil delivery from the timing chain.

The reliability and quality of the engines have improved over the years and is now comparable to that of more established brands.[9]

[edit] Palmares

Husaberg won the FIM 500 cc Motocross World Championship with Belgian rider Joël Smets in 1995, 1997 and 1998.[10]

They also won 6 Enduro World Championships in 1990, 1991 (2), 1995, 1996 and 1998.

[edit] Military Use

The Swedish military uses Husaberg motorcycles, notably for the demonstration team, the Arméns Lejon.[11]

[edit] Models

Dual-sported FE450E in the woods. Notice the right-side chain drive.
Dual-sported FE450E in the woods. Notice the right-side chain drive.

The current lineup includes enduro and supermoto models only. The motocross and cross-country (wide ratio gearing, no lighting kit) models have been discontinued. The model names are all composed of two letters: "F" as "Four-Stroke", then either "C" for the motocross, "E" for the enduro, "X" for the Cross-Country, or "S" for the supermoto models, followed by a number representing the engine displacement, then one last letter, either "E" for the electric-start, or "C" for the kick-start models. Some older models were also listed with the number of gears: 4 or 6.

Previous models included different displacements, such as:

  • 501 cc enduro and motocross
  • 470 cc cross-country
  • 400 cc enduro
  • 350 cc enduro

[edit] 2008 Models

The current models for 2008 are as follow:

Enduro:[12]

  • FE 450 E - 450 cc enduro with electric start
  • FE 550 E - 550 cc enduro with electric start
  • FE 650 E - 650 cc enduro with electric start

Supermoto:[13]

  • FS 550 E - 550 cc supermoto with electric start
  • FS 650 E - 650 cc supermoto with electric start
  • FS 650 C - 650 cc supermoto without electric start

[edit] 2009 Redesign

The 2009 FE 450 E is revealed to the public at the EICMA 2007 in Milano.
The 2009 FE 450 E is revealed to the public at the EICMA 2007 in Milano.

On November 6, 2007, at the International Motorcycle Exhibition in Milano, Husaberg unveiled a totally new design for the FE 450 E, announced as the 2009 model.[14] Apart from sporting new fairing, the new design will include a totally revamped engine, in a new position, rotated 180 degrees from top to bottom, and inclined forward at 70 degrees from vertical. The carburetor will be replaced by an EFI injection system and the chain drive will now be placed on the more standard left side. No kick start will be included.

[edit] References

  1. ^ www.husabergforce.com/thehusaberg.htm.
  2. ^ www.husaberg.com/Company.4.0.html.
  3. ^ www.husaberg.com.au/index.php?id=37.
  4. ^ www.motorcycledaily.com/29august02whatsup.html.
  5. ^ www.motorcycledaily.com/07september02husabergmove.html.
  6. ^ www.husaberg.com.au/index.php?id=37.
  7. ^ www.ktmusa.com.
  8. ^ www.husaberg.se/.
  9. ^ www.mcnews.com.au/NewBikeCatalogue/2004/Husaberg/FE450.htm.
  10. ^ www.joelsmets.be/Joel/2003pages/diversen/palmares.htm.
  11. ^ www.rekryc.mil.se/article.php?id=13187.
  12. ^ www.husaberg.se/Enduro.39.0.html.
  13. ^ www.husaberg.se/Supermoto.38.0.html.
  14. ^ news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/eicma-2007-husaberg.htm.

[edit] External links