CLASSIC MOTOCROSS IRON: 1960 HUSQVARNA 175 SILVERPILEN

On Nov 22, 2023 Last updated Nov 27, 2023

By Tom White

When Husqvarna introduced the 175cc Silverpilen in 1955, Swedish young men were drawn to this lightweight and racy-looking machine (much as American teenagers were draw to the affordable Hodaka Ace 100 a decade later). The black and red paint job, along with the generous use of lightweight alloy components, was a good base, and soon a healthy aftermarket for accessories developed.

The 9.5 horsepower machine was the perfect starting point for many aspiring tuners. Gote Lindstrom was one of the young tuners who developed a reputation for his “hot rod” parts for the Silverpilen (Silver Arrow). By 1959, Lindstrom had developed a 250cc cylinder, high-compression head, modified crank, larger 32mm Bing carburetor and expansion chamber exhaust. Another Swede, Gustav Flink, built intake manifolds, cylinders and heads, but took it a step further by building a 250cc engine that would bolt into the stock Silverpilen chassis.

In time, both Lindstrom and Flink would go on to manufacture their own motorcycles — similar in many ways to the Silverpilen, but with four-speed transmissions (instead of the three-speed), 250cc engines, double cradle frames, and improved forks and shocks. Future World Champions Torsten Hallman and Rolf Tibblin started their racing careers on Silverpilens.

The Silverpilen followed the model 281, the 175cc Drömbågen (Dreambike), which had been a very slow seller, because it could only be ridden by riders 18 years and older, which was the same age as you could get a car drivers license in Sweden. Thus, Husqvarna made an effort to build a light weight bike under 75 kg, about 166 lbs, that could be ridden legally by 16 year olds. Only the bottom end and the front wheel of the Dreambike was used, everything else was high strength chromoly steel or aluminum. The cast iron cylinder was replaced by an aluminum cylinder with a chrome bore, a first at the time, made by Kolbenschmidt in Germany.

The Silverpilen was a pure street bike as it was sold with street tires and a horn, but riders soon started to modify them and raced them successfully in Swedish enduros and motocross events. The factory at first had no intention of building a race bike, but after an internal debate they built a few factory specials in 1958 that were successfully raced at first by Rolf Tibblin.

Our featured 1960 MC282E Silverpilen had been revised over earlier production models with a new-style gas tank and seat cover for a racier look. The Silverpilen was made as light as it could be by using alloy pieces where possible. Production of the Silverpilen lasted until 1965 when it was replaced by the Husqvarna 250 Cross, a competition bike and a direct development from the lightweight Silverpilen. Only 100 were made and sold out immediately. That bike was the start of the successful 1960s for Husqvarna. A 200cc model, called the Guldpilen (Golden Arrow), was also made in 1960 , but it was not as successful.

Silverpilens are beautiful, racy-looking bikes. Collectors should look for the sculptured fuel tank and attractive red/black upholstery on the seat. The hand-formed alloy fenders are works of art, and other alloy items like the chain guard, exhaust heat shield and horn are very difficult to find. The forward leaning, cantilevered, shock design was a good ten years ahead of the development curve.

When new, the 1960 Husqvarna Silverpilen sold for around 2000 Swedish crowns (about $380 U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of the time). This was a lot of money in 1960 currency. The Silverpilen was never imported to America, thus they are rarely found on the vintage collectors’ market in the USA. In Sweden, a nice example sells today for about $4000 (40,000 Crown).

For more info on classic bikes go to www.earlyyearsofmx.com