1966 Husqvarna 250 Motocross - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

Description

1966 Husqvarna 250 Motocross - 4-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, vintage magazine article
Page Size: Approx: 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
Husqvarna (pronounced oosk-varna) is a name that
has been associated with racing motorcycles for more
years than most of us can remember. The company was
founded around the year 1700 to produce firearms, and
to this day Husqvama is noted for manufacturing some of
the world’s finest rifles. Interest in motorcycles began
just after the turn of the century, placing Husqvarna
among the European pioneers. During the early 1930s,
the Swedish company’s overhead valve Vee-twin was the
scourge of road racing. Even the illustrious Stanley Woods
joined the “Husky” team and helped the factory to bring
home some Grand Prix victories.
In recent years Husqvarna has been synonymous with
European Moto-Cross to the extent of producing world
championship winning machines. The subject of our road
test is a machine much in demand by private owners in
Europe because it is nearer the actual machine used by
the factory than most other production scramblers. At
this point it should be made clear that the Husky is not a
play bike; rather, it is an outright racing scrambler that
has to be ridden hard to be fully appreciated.
European scrambles are run over very rough terrain,
usually on a comparatively short course that has to be
covered in several laps, similar to some eastern U.S.
events. However, most western scrambles are run over a
longer and generally smoother course. This leads us to
our first complaint regarding the Husky — the seat is too
hard for the long hundred-mile type events to which west-
erners are accustomed. You may notice that Europeans
ride on the footpegs a great deal, due mainly to the rough
going, and if this is the case it matters precious little how
the seat feels. Our usual long distance gallop across the
lone prairie was called to a halt rather quickly when the
hard ride became a serious complaint. We then decided
to run our alternative short, bumpy, twisty course that is
similar to those found nearer the Husky’s home.
To say we liked the handling would be an understate-
ment. Steering is extremely precise. The front wheel is
always where you want it to be and it is not necessary
to slide the Husky all over the place to aim it in the
direction you want; simply point the front wheel and then
proceed on to the next turn. One very assuring handling
characteristic we discovered was that even when things
get a bit sticky, the front end will always do its best to
sort things out for its rider. The Husky is a very forgiving
motorcycle, with the sort of rock steady handling that
adds considerably to one’s confidence.
Husky has not come by these handling qualities acci-
dentally; the forks are patterned after Norton units, long
considered among the finest in the world, which now have
more than standard travel. To prevent the fork stanchions
from flexing relative to the steering head, the fork crowns
are heavily constructed from chrome-moly steel. The
steering head itself is generously gussetted and although
the machine is very light there is a complete lack of light
alloy parts in these highly stressed areas. Rear swing arm
action is controlled by Girling units, springs were set in
the first notch or “soft” position for our 150-160 pound
test crew. Under these conditions we were unable to find
fault with the suspension in any way....
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