| Type | Subdivision |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motorcycle |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Mattighofen, Austria |
| Parent | KTM |
| Website | www.husaberg.com |
Husaberg is a manufacturer of off-road and supermoto four-stroke and two-stroke motorcycles. Husaberg motorcycles are known for their larger displacement engines and for their race-oriented construction. Originally based in Sweden, its motorcycles are now developed and manufactured in Austria by parent company KTM.
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After the motorcycle section of the traditional Swedish brand Husqvarna was bought in 1987 by Italian company Cagiva, 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.[1]
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, Jimmie Eriksson, Walter Bartolini, Kent Karlsson, Anders Eriksson, Jaroslav Katriňák, Mike Tosswill and Peter Jansson.[2]
Good results on the tracks could not compensate for slow sales, and Husaberg was eventually purchased by the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM in 1995.[3]
Although Husaberg motorcycles have been produced at the KTM factory in Mattighofen, Austria since 2003, and the development department is also at KTM in Mattighofen, the Motorsport department remains in Sweden.[4][5]
Husaberg's previous slogan, "Ready to Race" was adopted by KTM as its own. Husaberg's current slogan is now "4 Stroke Force."[3][6][7]
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. 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.[8]
Husaberg won the FIM 500 cc Motocross World Championship with Belgian rider Joël Smets in 1995, 1997 and 1998.[9]
They also won 6 Enduro World Championships 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.
The Swedish military uses Husaberg motorcycles, notably for the demonstration team, the Arméns Lejon.[10]
The current lineup includes enduro and supermoto models only. The motocross 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:
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:
4-stroke Motocross:
Supermoto:
Two-stroke Enduro:
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[11] are:
Enduro:
Motocross/cross country:
Supermoto:
For 2009 there are two enduro models available with the new revolutionary engine and a lot of other technical highlights:
Enduro:[12]
The current models for 2008 are as follow:
Enduro:[13]
Supermoto:[14]
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.[15] 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 and the chain drive will now be placed on the more standard left side.