August 2020 -- Vol 4 -- Issue 8 August 2020 | Page 212

On The Pegs 212
Husqvarna-sponsored camp was also held in the vicinity of San Diego and became
very popular to a large young audience.
By 1972 Husqvarna was done with their old crankcase design, which dated back
to the 1950s. Now, the factory had developed a new power plant in two versions –
a WR unit for offroad riding (Wide Ratio) and a CR outfit for motocross (Close Ratio).
On top of it all, the Swedes also introduced a big five-speed 450 WR machine and
a nimble six-speed 125cc bike. All these novelties were needed to satisfy the demanding
Americans, who cued for the latest Husqvarna bikes. The directors in Sweden
now had a five-year plan, aiming to sell 30,000 units yearly. In two years, sales
were up by 240 percent and close to 15,000 units – already halfway to their future
dreams. At this stage, there were broad smiles at the factory in Huskvarna.
In 1973 Husqvarna had two strong Six Days teams competing for the Silver Vase at
the ISDT, now being held in the United States. The American team was led by Malcolm
Smith and Dick Burleson while the leading Swedish men were Hans Hansson
and Bengt-Olof Gustavsson. Sweden led over the United States until the final stages
when Hansson drenched his machine in a ditch and was point-penalized. The victory
went to the home team while the Swedes had to be content with second spot.
But Husqvarna was the overall winner with two teams on the podium. The oil embargo
from OPEC had a strong and negative impact on the Swedish brand. Just as
things started to work out well in terms of production, sales slumped as restrictions
were imposed for offroad riding in the United States.
In the mid-1970s Husqvarna worked hard to develop new machinery. In 1976
there was a 360 WR model. Two years later it was tuned to a 390 WR while the 430
WR came along during 1981. In 1974 an odd 175cc WR was presented. It was a killer
in the woods where this featherweight bike had a little character from a 250cc
engine. During a few years, it sold well in the USA. Also, the cross-country program
with the XC-line for desert riding was now successful with good sales.
The strategy at the factory was to implement novelties in racing and see if it
worked. Ideas were then developed and transferred into the production line. The
offroad results in enduro and desert were unmatched during the 1970s, when the
Swedish brand won a series of important trophies. In 10 years, Husqvarna won 14
Baja races in the 500/1000 classes. They also captured 10 AMA National Enduro
Championships, of which the American Dick Burleson won seven titles. In 1979 the
Swedish ace Steve Tell from Stockholm took the first overall Novemberkasan trophy
on a 125cc Husky machine, which was a surprising achievement to everybody in
the trade. Nobody expected such a tiny motorcycle, with so few horsepower, to be
able to challenge the big guys on ‘stronger’ machines. n