Husqvarna Motorcycles
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| Private | |
| Industry |
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| Founded | Huskvarna, Sweden (1903) |
| Headquarters | Mattighofen, Austria |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Stefan Pierer, Oliver Göhring, Reinhold Zens |
| Parent | Pierer Industrie AG |
| Website | husqvarna-motorcycles |
Husqvarna Motorcycles GmbH, designs, engineers, manufactures and distributes , enduro, supermoto motorcycles and mopeds.
The company began producing motorcycles in 1903 at Huskvarna, Sweden, as a subsidiary of the Husqvarna armament firm.
Husqvarna was founded near the town of the same name in Sweden in 1689. As a maker of muskets, the logo still depicts a gun sight viewed from the end of the barrel.
As with many motorcycle manufacturers, Husqvarna first began producing bicycles in the late 19th century. In 1903, they made the jump to motorcycle manufacturing. The first "Husky" motorcycles used imported engines, and it wasn't until 1918 that Husqvarna began producing machines built entirely in-house. Around that time they secured a contract with the Swedish Army and began entering cross-country and long-distance motorcycle racing events. In 1920, Husqvarna established its own engine factory and the first engine to be designed was a 550 cc four-stroke 50-degree side-valve V-twin engine, similar to those made by companies like Harley-Davidson and Indian. Although they once made motorcycles for street use, and raced at road circuits such as the Isle of Man TT prior to World War II, they are better known for producing winning and enduro bikes.
Husqvarna competed in Grand Prix road racing in the 350cc and 500cc classes during the 1930s and was Sweden's largest motorcycle manufacturer by 1939. All of the racing bikes were based on a 50-degree V-twin prototype built by Folke Mannerstedt in 1931. The company team beat the Norton Works team at the Swedish GP in 1931 with a 1–2 finish by Ragnar Sundqvist and Gunnar Kalen. This and the next year's success led to a full commitment to the GP tracks with Stanley Woods and Ernie Nott joining the Husqvarna riding team. That year, Nott finished 3rd in the 350cc Junior TT and Woods ran out of gas 8 miles before the finish of the Senior TT. In 1935 the company withdrew racing support, but new bikes were still produced and raced privately, while the company focused on producing a new 2-stroke, 2-speed commuter bike. That year, Stanley Woods won the Swedish GP (marking the fourth year in a row that a "Husky" had won) on a 500cc Husqvarna motorcycle that weighted 279 pounds (127 kilograms).
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Wikipedia