How Popular are Husaberg Bikes?

Husaberg is a Swedish-born range of dirt bikes developed in 1988. It was developed after a group of former Husqvarna engineers decided to start a new company to produce four-stroke and two-stroke enduro machines for off-road racing. Their first attempt was a disaster as the starting gear blew into pieces, scattering across the feet of distinguished guests. It was the second attempt to develop another endure bike that bore the name Husaberg. During an enduro race in the southern part of Sweden, Thomas Gustavsson, the chief developer of the dirt bikes, declined to name the second version of the bikes because he was uncertain about their success. It was then that he named them Husaberg Motor AB and it has since stuck. It is these features that caused the bikes to win several competitions, including six senior and three Junior Enduro World Champs and three FIM 500CC Motocross World Championships.

Why Husaberg Bikes are Still Popular

Husaberg mainly focused on the production of super moto and enduro bikes that are known for their outstanding performance, low weight nature and unique build. The premise was to develop dirt bike designs that focused on the radical reduction of weight and centralising the weight at the centre of the mass. These features made the brand the main contributor to a new breed of off-road four strokes with radically improved parts. Bikers can still find OEM Husberg parts at shop Fowlers. Previous four-stroke models were overweight compared to the lightweight Husaberg bikes, which were more comfortable to ride.

Acquisition of Husaberg Brand

Australians were particularly enthusiastic about Husaberg bikes and were often the most significant market. It had also extended operations to the USA, Singapore, New Zealand and South America. Despite the impressive performance, the sales didn’t increase as much until KTM purchased the brand in 1995. KTM is said to have borrowed its current slogan ‘Ready to Race’ from Husaberg. The company had been manufacturing the bikes until KTM purchased Husqvarna and decided that the latter name was more iconic than the old Husaberg. The acquisition also introduced a range of improvements on the original bikes and fitted new Husberg parts to enhance performance.

Redesigned Engines

The 2009 Husaberg bikes used 565 or 448 cc single overhead camshaft engines with a radical design. The developer wanted to fit the crankshaft near the centre of gravity where hygroscopic power had minimal effects on the handling of the bike. This design also improved the handling of a four-stroke single cylinder.

Improved Electronic Fuel Injection

Husaberg is not the first off-road bike to use this feature. This time it introduced other benefits like cleaner throttle response, better consumption of fuel and mid-range and top-end power. The emissions were also fewer and fiddled less to allow the right level of jetting.

New Front Wheel Brakes

Italian specialists Brembo are credited with this development. The brakes feature new, lighter and smaller pistons to provide optimal braking power while applying the least effort.

Manifold Exhaust System

The new design integrated an elaborate exhaust system into the bike that protected it from rock damage. A lightweight aluminium silencer was also fitted to reduce noise.