Husaberg
Encyclopedia
Husaberg is a manufacturer
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...

 of off-road and supermoto
Supermoto
Supermoto is motorcycle racing on a circuit that alternates between three types of track: flat track, motocross and road racing, using motorcycles designed for that purpose...

 four-stroke and two-stroke motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

s. Husaberg motorcycles are known for their larger displacement engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...

s and for their race-oriented construction. Originally based in Sweden, its motorcycles are now developed and manufactured in Austria by parent company KTM
KTM
KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer.The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen...

.

Origins

After the motorcycle section of the traditional Swedish brand Husqvarna
Husqvarna Motorcycles
Husqvarna Motorcycles, a subsidiary of BMW, is a company manufacturing motocross, enduro and supermoto motorcycles. The company began producing motorcycles in 1903 at Huskvarna, Sweden, as a branch of the Husqvarna armament firm which had supplied the Swedish army with rifles since 1689.-History:As...

 was bought in 1987 by Italian company Cagiva
Cagiva
Cagiva is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer. It was founded in 1950 by Giovanni Castiglioni in Varese, originally producing small metal components. It went into the motorcycle industry in 1978. The name is a portmanteau derived from the founder and the founding location, i.e. CAstiglioni GIovanni...

, some of its engineers, led by Thomas Gustavsson, stayed in Sweden and founded Husaberg Motor AB in 1988.
The name Husaberg was only made official by Gustavsson when entering an enduro race at Skillingaryd, as he was forced to declare the make of his motorcycle.

The Husaberg team tried to compensate for their lack of funds by their courage to rely on technical innovations and could never afford to hire established professional riders but rather ambitious rookies such as Joël Smets
Joël Smets
Joël Smets is a former motocross world champion from Belgium, who was named Belgian Sportsman of the Year in 2000.-International career:...

, Jimmie Eriksson, Walter Bartolini, Kent Karlsson, Anders Eriksson
Anders Eriksson (enduro rider)
Anders Eriksson is a Swedish enduro rider and a seven-time World Enduro Champion. He debuted in the World Enduro Championship with Kawasaki in 1991, and took his first world title with Husaberg in the 350 cc class in 1995...

, Jaroslav Katriňák
Jaroslav Katriňák
Jaroslav Katriňák is a Slovak endurance motorcycle racer. Among his greatest achievements is achieving first overall in the Enduro World Championship in 1991, in the category of + 350 cc 4T and 9th overall place at 2007 Dakar Rally in the motorcycles classification. In the summer of 2008 he won...

, Mike Tosswill and Peter Jansson.

KTM ownership

Good results on the tracks could not compensate for slow sales, and Husaberg was eventually purchased by the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM
KTM
KTM Sportmotorcycle AG is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and moped manufacturer.The company was founded in 1934 by engineer Hans Trunkenpolz in Mattighofen. It started out as a metal working shop and was named Kraftfahrzeuge Trunkenpolz Mattighofen...

 in 1995.

Although Husaberg motorcycles have been produced at the KTM factory in Mattighofen
Mattighofen
Mattighofen is a town in the district Braunau am Inn, part of the Innviertel region, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.Initially Mattighofen belonged to the stem duchy of Bavaria, that became a part of Francia. In 757 a Kaiserpfalz of the ruling Carolingian dynasty was documented here...

, Austria since 2003, and the development department is also at KTM in Mattighofen, the Motorsport department remains in Sweden.

Husaberg's previous slogan, "Ready to Race" was adopted by KTM as its own. Husaberg's current slogan is now "4 Stroke Force."

Reliability

The earlier Husaberg engines (1989–1996) were known to have premature engine failures due to the fact that they do not have an oil pump and rely on oil delivery from the timing chain
Timing belt
A timing belt, or cam belt , is a part of an internal combustion engine that controls the timing of the engine's valves. Some engines, such as the flat-4 Volkswagen air-cooled engine, and the straight-6 Toyota F engine use timing gears...

. The reliability and quality of the engines have improved over the years and, from 1997 on, have been comparable to that of more established brands.

Palmares

Husaberg won the FIM
Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

 500 cc Motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

 World Championship with Belgian rider Joël Smets
Joël Smets
Joël Smets is a former motocross world champion from Belgium, who was named Belgian Sportsman of the Year in 2000.-International career:...

 in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

They also won 6 Enduro World Championships
World Enduro Championship
The FIM World Enduro Championship is the world championship series for enduro, a popular form of off-road motorcycle sport. The championship currently features three classes , along with separate categories for junior and female riders. The WEC was first organized in 1990, and currently consists...

 in 1990, 1991 (2), 1995, 1996 and 1998. Three more Junior Enduro World Championships followed in 2005/2006 by Joakim Ljunggren and in 2009 by Oriol Mena.

Military use

The Swedish military
Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish Armed Forces is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of the Realm. The primary task of the agency is to train, organize and to deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the Realm in the...

 uses Husaberg motorcycles, notably for the demonstration team, the Arméns Lejon.

Models

The current lineup includes enduro
Enduro
Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on courses that are predominantly off-road. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges...

 and supermoto
Supermoto
Supermoto is motorcycle racing on a circuit that alternates between three types of track: flat track, motocross and road racing, using motorcycles designed for that purpose...

 models only. The motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...

 and cross-country (wide ratio gearing, no lighting kit) models have been discontinued. The model names are all composed of two letters: "F" as "Four-Stroke", "T" as "Two-Stroke", then either "X" for the motocross, "E" for the enduro, or "S" for the supermoto models. Some older models were also listed with the number of gears: 4 or 6.

Previous models included different displacements, such as:
  • 501 cc enduro and motocross
  • 470 cc cross-country
  • 400 cc enduro
  • 350 cc enduro

2011 models

Besides technical refinements for the existing models, Husaberg is for the first time in its 22-year history offering two-stroke enduro models.

4-stroke Enduro:
  • FE 390 - 390 cc enduro
  • FE 450 - 450 cc enduro
  • FE 570 - 570 cc enduro

4-stroke Motocross:
  • FX 450 - 450 cc cross country

Supermoto:
  • FS 570 - 570 cc super moto

Two-stroke Enduro:
  • TE 250 - 250 cc two-stroke enduro
  • TE 300 - 300 cc two-stroke enduro

2010 models

The model lineup for 2010 adds three new models to the program. All models are based on the chassis and engine that was introduced in 2009. The models are:

Enduro:
  • FE 390 (new) - 390 cc enduro
  • FE 450 - 450 cc enduro
  • FE 570 - 570 cc enduro

Motocross/cross country:
  • FX 450 (new) - 450 cc cross country

Supermoto:
  • FS 570 (new) - 570 cc super moto

2009 models

For 2009 there are two enduro models available with the new revolutionary engine and a lot of other technical highlights:

Enduro:
  • FE 450 - 450 cc enduro with electric start only
  • FE 570 - 570 cc enduro with electric start only

2008 Models

The current models for 2008 are as follow:

Enduro:
  • FE 450 E - 450 cc enduro with electric start
  • FE 550 E - 550 cc enduro with electric start
  • FE 650 E - 650 cc enduro with electric start


Supermoto:
  • FS 550 E - 550 cc supermoto with electric start
  • FS 650 E - 650 cc supermoto with electric start
  • FS 650 C - 650 cc supermoto without electric start race only version

2009 Redesign

On November 6, 2007, at the International Motorcycle Exhibition in Milano, Husaberg unveiled a totally new design for the FE 450 E, announced as the 2009 model. Apart from sporting new fairing, the new design will include a totally revamped engine, in a new position, rotated 180 degrees from top to bottom, and inclined forward at 70 degrees from vertical. The carburetor will be replaced by an EFI injection system
Fuel injection
Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....

and the chain drive will now be placed on the more standard left side.
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