CLASSIC MOTOCROSS IRON: 1960 HUSQVARNA 175 SILVERPILEN
The Silverpilen was the Swedish version of the Hodaka Ace 100—both were the bikes that spawned a generation of Grand Prix and AMA National stars
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The Silverpilen was the Swedish version of the Hodaka Ace 100—both were the bikes that spawned a generation of Grand Prix and AMA National stars
This is not a vintage bike…it is a vintage race bike. It is designed for racing by most one of the greatest bike builders ever
Bultaco riders called the Pursang MK II the “Boat Tail” for its similarity to a Chris Craft runabout
With a touch of panache, lots of hard work, a bundle of money and there you have the top ten
And even if you had seen one before, you would have had to look quick because it changed its name right in the middle of its 7-year run
In 1969, demand for Husqvarna motocross bikes in America would actually exceed the Swedish factory’s ability to produce them.
Dave went so far as to have a special run of Webco heads sand-cast at a foundry for his one-off Hodaka Super Rat—we’ll miss Dave’s attention to detail
Francisco Bulto’s baby Bul was designed for the ISDT
Racing the Parilla 250 Wildcat Scramblers against the smaller Cubs was like stealing candy from a baby
The “Mag 250” demonstrated Husqvarna’s ability to market a true “works” caliber motorcycle, They were an immediate success in the hands of AMA National privateers
From its humble start, Penton became a powerhouse, offering the 100 Berkshire, 125 Six Day, 175 Jackpiner and 250 Hare Scrambler
The 1972 CZ 400 was a close relative of the 1970 and 1971 models. The old CZ 360 was bored out to 380cc and called the 400
Brad Lackey was disappointed with Kawasaki’s less-than-enthusiastic support, so he put a Husky tank on his Kawasaki, repaint it black and wrote “Kaw” on it—it became the famous Black Kaw
Kawasaki was looking for a rider who could win the 125 crown, and Mike Kiedrowski was looking for revenge for being dropped by the Honda factory team at the end of the 1990 season
Honda went all Star Wars on the cosmetics, plus water-cooled the 1981 CR125 and CR250, introduced the ill-fated CR450 and unveiled the stupidest front number plate in motocross history
The four-stroke that Yamaha Japan wouldn’t build, but it got built anyway, then Yamaha USA wouldn’t import it, so it was sold as a kit bike
An off-road bike with an engine that could either be a twin or a twingle, but no matter how you cut it, it weighed too much
The first real Japanese motocross effort borrowed a few ideas from the Euro brands
Make that the short history of the Husqvarna Automatic and the men who raced them, built them and loved them
Webco started with a Rickman nickel-plated Micro-Metisse frame and bodywork to ensure that its 125-kitted engine would be in the best chassis of the day
The machines were very unique with their spring-loaded and removable skis. When the skis were attached, the soldier would control the bike with his feet in stirrups
The rotary-valve Maico MC125 was based on the MD125 road racer, but was the victim of bad timing and high pricing
Rickman promised Bultaco that they would not import Petite Metisses to the USA and you can guess how that turned out
Make no mistake about it, there are still a few Hodaka parts left on this Super Combat
“I placed my order with the Puch factory and got a message that they were no longer going to be in the motocross business. I should have never returned the test bikes.”
Husky used its 250cc development program to launch the 1966 Husqvarna 360 Viking. The Open class Husky was based on Torsten Hallman’s 250.
Suzuki used every bit of ingenuity gleaned from backyard mechanics, the latest information and lessons learned from previous failures
The 2005 CR250 should have dug a trench at low rpm, but instead of going “braapp” it went “wahhhhh.” On the positive side, it’s no longer a “wah, wah, wah” engine, just one “wah” in ’05
The Albin-powered Monark has the most unique history of any motocross bike ever made — it lived two lives
Reliability problems. Spanish metal. Added weight. Not popular. That’s why most El Bandidos ended up in junk yards