New dog and new tricks
By John Dickinson on 11th Oct 13
So KTMs adventure with the Husqvarna brand is now underway with a vengeance and a huge range of Huskies is now on its way to the shops for your approval.
It is a shame how Husqvarna has been dragged from pillar to post over the years, so here's hoping that KTM ownership finally brings stability to the brand.
Once a byword for performance and quality the problems began when the Swedish company was bought by the Cagiva group and moved to Italy.
Since then it has been passed around the Italian ‘industry' until bought by BMW.
This was clearly so BMW could have a go at rivals KTM on their own patch, after KTM had begun to encroach on BMW's big trailie or Adventure bike market.
Unfortunately for BeeEmm the whole saga proved to be a huge embarrassment and ended when Husqvarna was sold to KTM boss Stefan Peirer.
So where now for the Husky brand?
With talk of ‘platform-style' production, as used in the car world, where several makes and models share a common ‘platform' the way forward is clearly to use KTM chassis/ components as a base and build from there.
The casualty in this is the loss of the Husaberg brand, Husaberg's very existence ironically came about after Husqvarna was shipped off to Italy from Sweden.
The Husaberg range will be dropped and Husqvarna's illustrious name will be used to offer off-roaders an iconic alternative to KTM's orange fleet.
With a full range of state-of-the-art two-stroke and four-stroke racers the new pack of Huskies will hit the ground running hard...
You will read in TMX this week about the sad passing of the well-known northern trials rider Blackie Holden.
When I first started riding trials, Blackie was the embodiment of traditional trials and I well remember watching him, always immaculately dressed in collar and tie, riding Westmorland club events, more often than not in company with other leading Yorkies like the Lampkins.
I could never really bellieve my luck back in those days that as a raw beginner I was riding in events and rubbing shoulders with living icons and the fact that they lost single-figure scores to my triple-figure efforts only enhanced my Sundays.
Blackie was a true gent and a wonderful rider to watch, all careful lines and delicate throttle control and I learnt much (although I never really put it into practice) from the likes of Blackie.
It was a privilege for me to eventually get to know the man – and his son Blackie Jr – and I am truly sorry to see his passing.
