End of The Husaberg name????

someone please correct me if I am wrong..
But I understand that the Husqvarna name does not belong to KTM ,it is the property of Husqvarna Sweden,maker of lawn and garden equipment,chainsaws and a wide range of other products.
The Husqvarna brand name that KTM is using in its newly acquired motorcycle line is leased from Husqvarna Sweden.
.... just seems to me a poor business decision to invest heavily in a brand that you will never own and can a brand that you have owned and developed for almost 20 years...
I understand that Piers got Husky from BMW for what appeared to be next to nothing ,and wants to capitalize on that but really the only winner in this deal was Cagiva...again.

If they were to bring back the 70* motor it would need to fit in a chassis similar to where it
had been taken from which would make it again a Husaberg IMO. Why call it a Husqvarna at that point?
Just my thoughts though... I think we may see the Husqvarna chassis and design modified with
a KTM motor in it.
And since they said they were to add Husaberg technology makes it more interesting.
This could simply mean that the Husqvarna will evolve in the direction that Husaberg did in 2013
but hopefully not as far as being a rebadge.
By keeping enough of it's characteristics and design it would be similar to the idea that
Beta used with the 2007 KTM motor.


pollo

in relation to who owns the huqvarna name as far as I'm aware they have been completely seperate for years with nothing to do with each other and husqvarna motorcycles name isn't licences from anyone else...though I could be wrong.
if they do kill off 'Berg it will be a shame as they probably have a better rep now than Husky, but historically I suppose Husky is a better known brand especially in the biggest market, the US.

cypher said:

if they do kill off 'Berg it will be a shame as they probably have a better rep now than Husky, but historically I suppose Husky is a better known brand especially in the biggest market, the US.

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I found it amazing that more Husabergs were sold in Australia than in US. I would have thought US was the bigger market too.

gthusa said:

The US is not the only market where Husaberg is sold, sometimes americans believe the world ends at the east or west coast but it keeps going. Places like Australia, who even have their own KTM and HBG version (AUS), just like the US does (US), they buy more dirt bikes that americans!!!!!!! KTM factory produces just around 100,000 bikes a year. Out of those, approx 7,000 Husabergs, and 20,000 EXC's. The rest are minis, street bikes, MXers, SXers, etc... etc... Out of the 7,000 HBGs, over 2,000 go to Australia! Can you believe that? AMAZING right? Then, the largest market is EU, followed by the rest of the countries that buy EU (including but not limited to: Asia, Africa, EU, LatAm) and then... the US.

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I will be really sad to see the berg name disappear but at the end of the day i will try to buy the best bike i can, regardless of the badge! Especially if it is made in the same place, by the same people! If the best bike is now called a KTM, Husky or even ( gulp) a Japper then that is the one i will buy.

should have clarified that by biggest market I meant for total off road motorcycle sales, not just Berg or Husky sales.

cypher said:

in relation to who owns the huqvarna name as far as I'm aware they have been completely seperate for years with nothing to do with each other and husqvarna motorcycles name isn't licences from anyone else...though I could be wrong.
if they do kill off 'Berg it will be a shame as they probably have a better rep now than Husky, but historically I suppose Husky is a better known brand especially in the biggest market, the US.

Click to expand...

A little research yeilds that Husqvarna AB sweden own the rights to the Husqvarna motorcycle name ,logo etc.
Cagiva had the first licensing agreement and it was to renewed in ten year periods.
BMW were quite far along in the negotiations with Cagiva concerning the Husqvarna sale before they realised that the Brand name was not the property of Cagiva and would have to be re-negotiated with Husqvarna AB Sweden...
Piers and KTM had to again re-negotiate the licencing agreement with Husqvarna AB Sweden upon the transfer and sale from BMW...reportedly the fee has grown with each transfer.

nsman said:

A little research yeilds that Husqvarna AB sweden own the rights to the Husqvarna motorcycle name ,logo etc.
Cagiva had the first licensing agreement and it was to renewed in ten year periods.
BMW were quite far along in the negotiations with Cagiva concerning the Husqvarna sale before they realised that the Brand name was not the property of Cagiva and would have to be re-negotiated with Husqvarna AB Sweden...
Piers and KTM had to again re-negotiate the licencing agreement with Husqvarna AB Sweden upon the transfer and sale from BMW...reportedly the fee has grown with each transfer.

Click to expand...

send me a link to what you found as would be quite interested in reading it. guess i was looking in the wrong places.

the license is mentioned in the write up and interview with Pierer at the beginning of this thread. it had just been renewed for a 10-year period by BMW just before the sale. as said it is owned by a Husqvarna company back in Sweden.

I think this has more to do with getting dealers where they want them. Husky open new areas and Husaberg don't - simple. It's just business gentlemen!

I was hoping against hope that they might let Husaberg have the trail/enduro and Husky the MX but no such luck!

if you forget my statement above about dealer location you have the difficulty that

everyone has heard of Husqvarna -young and old.
nobody off the current bike scene has heard of Husaberg

But bikes are sold on present form and at present Husabergs are selling better than Huskys.

Husaberg are WINNING and making great bikes
Husqy designs are in meltdown. nothing looks any good to me except the little 250/310.

Husqy sales are on the way down
Husaberg sales are on the way up

there are greater sales to be had in 2T and Husky of course are known for their 2T

greater strides are to be made in 4T and Husaberg have always broken new ground, and the right ground at the right moment. after all we all accepted the LDCs because they were right!

I thought we were meant to be a conservative lot!

what a dilemma hey?

my next question to myself would be: so what did I fall in love with in the first place? why am I loyal for a second bike? or even a third?

how can a brand take my soul when every fresh machine should be a fresh start?

well to me Husaberg have always made the right bike, a rider's bike, someone who doesn't race can like a Husaberg. in recent times they have made a 2T that is an out and out winner. Husaberg on their own would never have got to this point. so the soul is still to make unique 4T bikes.

there is nothing in a name though is there? but what if the next Husaberg is a peaky little sh*t that offers a rock hard seat, peaky performance, race suspension that removes your teeth fillings and then you get told by the manufacturers: "this follows in the great tradition of Husqvarna"!

we're proper phuqed then aren't we! we've all bought into a chisel!

so I ask if we can identify Husaberg as it leaves the building? at the beginning there were the MX 501s that won three world titles in 4 seasons during the mid 1990s. fair enough but since then it has been a serious enduro weapon. it is KNOWN to the average rider as a sweet handling green laning bike with usable power. the 390/450/570 all backed that up. and lest we forget, the 650 was only 5 years ago the dog's bollox in SM, the best natural out-of-the-crate SM bike around.

again, like the early 501, when a bike is deigned well it offers winning performance and a good ride, they aren't mutually exclusive - it can and has been done.

I believe that Husky's edgy bikes aren't what the market wants. Husaberg have had it right. the LDC broke new ground and for anyone green laning (trailing) it is a WONDERFUL BIKE. if it had been made in 450 to 650 engines and and not 60cc lower it would have a cult following as well!

THEREFORE IS IT THAT IT IS THE STYLE OF THE BIKE MADE THAT IS IMPORTANT AND NOT THE NAME? SO LET'S HOPE THEY DON'T MAKE A HUSKY THAT IS LIKE A...................HUSKY?

here's a small point. who says Husky is known as yellow and blue? I always thought it was red and white? :?: :?:

regards

Taffy

Hi

I think the question is that Husaberg and Husqwarna, wore both bought by KTM, but for completely different reasons.
Husaberg was bought because of the technology, they had a 4T engine that ktm could not do at that time. Husqwarna was bought because of the market share, it is much more easy for ktm to grow their market like this.

I don't think that Husqwarna has much more to offer than one 100 year name and the dealers, they will not use much of their bikes, and I think ktm will do the same as they did with husaberg, they will make a ktm with different plastics.
So I think, in a couple of years it won't make economic sense like husaberg, so they will kill it again.

I remember Husqwarna from the old days and the bikes wore never that good, and when they were bought by cagiva and husaberg came up, it was the end of the husqwarna knowledge and innovation power, that husaberg got.

So again, the question is, what is ktm buying ? And why ?

:cheers:
ZAGA

Well, the announcement that 2014 would be the last year Husaberg was sad. More so since it's essentially a very lightly modified KTM (IMO). I believe that Husqvarna is simply going to be Husaberg with a different name. Hopefully, they go back to allowing Husqvaberg to operate semi-independent from KTM as they did with Husaberg early on.

You guys know a helluva lot more than I do about Husaberg. What I really liked about Husaberg was how they were backed by KTM but were not the same. The RFS motor for KTM was very similar but still not a Husaberg. The direction taken in the last two years has the brands too close together for my taste. My understanding that the 2 stroke berg is a helluva bike doesn't keep me from wincing at a 2 stroke Husaberg. Yes, I'd buy one over a KTM but it's likely a brand loyalty thing over a "better bike" thing.

Now I just have to stock up on seals, cylinders, rods and all kinds of other bits to keep my Husaberg alive. Hey Taffy, you're still going to be churning out stuff for these bikes, aren't ya? please!

The model year 2014 Husabergs have been released!

http://www.husaberg.com/news/single/hus ... odels.html

2014 models are out ....

.... and the link confirms that 2014 models will be the last Husabergs.

can someone not think of a really good reason why we can't plead for clemency?

enduros & Supermoto = Husaberg and MX = Husky was all I could think of?

regards

Taffy

Taffy's lengthy post was very eloquent, especially the part where he admits falling in love with the brand. Much of a motorcyclist's heart and soul are in the brand and that is because we know how that brand evolved historically over the years to become the bike it is called today. No matter what they call it now, they can never take away the history or the evolution of the brand and that is why Husabergs through 2012 will become very valuable bikes, sought out by the purists, if and when Husqvarna takes off in sales.

Awww bugger :cry: :cry: Now I need a need a new bike so I don't tear up my "museum piece". :bounce3: Maybe a new husavarnaberg ? It's a bad deal that's for purists and enthusiasts alike, wish i had kept my old bike :cry:

Maybe they will look something like these:

Just checked out the 2014 release. Am I the only one that wants to put my name down to own one of the last bergs? I was checking out a 2013 501 at the dealers the other day and thought it was an awesome looking machine, like my mates new KTM 500 but a little better again! I commented to my girl that she didn't have to worry because I couldn't bring myself to trade my 570 but now Im thinking I will need to buy a new one outright next year, ha ha ha ha!

I was getting ready to sell one of my 2005 FE650s. A California green sticker bike.
But with this recent news of the end of Husaberg I might wait it out a little longer.
Anyone with any interest can pm me and we can talk about it.

pollo