Whats next?

I need to hear from the natives :twisted:

What do we need in berg land now????? Looking for suggestions on what you may think would take Husaberg to the next level. So far so good, but I'm ready to catch some attention.

Throw me a bone :idea:

Cheers
jedi

Hi Josh,

there's bound to be better suggestions than this, but I'm going to give it because I think it would help a lot:

Merchandise for one. I've worn holes in the shirts I've bought from CafePress, and I drink coffee out of my Husaberg mug until it's got permanent stains.

You need an easy online method for a wide range of merchandise. We can't promote your product with nothing to hold, wear or ride, and we can't be riding all the time

shirts, hats, mugs, stickers, banners, graphics kits, riding gloves, etc. There's some really innovative advertising going on right now.

thanks,
json

A race replica bike. This would not be a replacement for the stardard fe model, but rather a fe-r (race). The 'berg is the best handling, lightest 4T outthere, but in my neck of the woods, the benchmark is a 250 2T, and you need to compete with them. It would have a slimmer tank (similar to those on the factory enduro bikes), a lighter ti exhaust, and no estart. A majority of the WEC bikes are of this construction.

How about larger fuel tanks. fuel tanks that would allow fittment of a cooling fan or fans like KTM has made available in there hard parts catalog.
Bike armour, full skid plates, water pump guards, rotor guards etc..
A more complete "Hard Parts" offering in general.
Some sort of rider sponsership program, at least for national events such as AMA and GNCC.

Hi Jedi,

The availability of a somewhat larger fuel tank. Not a Paris to Dakar type, just 3 or 3.5 gallons would be nice. I myself would prefer a 3 gallon tank as that would take me about 90 miles easy. In the hard parts section, it appears that the aux fuel tank is MIA. And from what I've read from other members, the aux tank is a real pain to install on the Kokusan (sp?) ignition fitted bikes. I think it would just need a modification to the mold to make an indentation for the ignition box and it would be good to go. Seems like that would be cheaper to do, than making a new mold for a bigger gas tank. However, I have had no problems in any of the District 37 desert races making it to the pits.

A full coverage skid plate would be good as well. Something along the line of an XR650 skid plate. One that comes up higher in the front with holes in it for air flow, and a wrap around feature on the sides, and full coverage of the bottom frame tubes.

A cooling fan retro kit for all the bikes. I race National Hare & Hounds, and regular desert races out here in Southern California. And even in the winter time races, there can be instances where you have no choice but to abuse the clutch in tight spaces, and very little forward movement sometimes, which makes my bike overheat. So it would be nice to have a small fan that would help move some air in those situations where there is not a whole lot of forward momentum.

And to that end, just having a coolant catch tank would be a great help, at least then the coolant would be pulled back in when the motor cooled a bit. Seems like this would be great for enduro's where there is allot of technical stuff with slow speeds.

Perhaps, like tm enduro suggested, having a race type model. I know Husaberg's motto is ready to race out out of the crate. But perhaps a "racers package" or "extreme off road package" or something like that, that would include the aux tank, skid plate, overflow tank, aux fan, rear disc guard, etc...x

Some sort of sponsorship program would be good, although I know that it's asking allot. But it wouldn't have to be allot either, maybe just a % off on parts etc.... say a certain amount for entering and finishing races and flying a Husaberg banner. I think that what is going to get the Husaberg's noticed is their presence at the races, and of course the trails. I think I am the only rider on a Husaberg at the District 37 desert races (350 riders average), and Grand Prix's. People are always checking out my bike and asking questions about it. The questions about how much it breaks are far and few these days, mainly b/c they see me at sign up, the start, and the finish.

The warranty that you came up with is a great idea, and didn't go un-noticed.

My two cents,

I will be buying a new fe 550 shortly and the biggest problem I have is no large tank. I know that in a large part of the country a 200 mile day is unheard of but out west when dualsported that is not uncommon. A 90 -100 mile range is a nesisity. The only reason that my buddy ( who has owned 3 Husabergs and hooked me) switched to KT*****nm was for the larger tank. The underseat tank is a pain in the a** for service reasons and does not fit all that well on the 2001-2004 bikes and is really not too well for the 2005. I have carried gas in 1 gallon delo 400 bottles in a pack or on a belt and there has got to be a better way to extend the range.I am in the process of trying to make a tank out of a silencer and do the dual exhaust look to give me an extra gallon and still have easy service. Besides with the aux tank you loose that "cool, what the hell is missing from the bike?' look.
Three gallon tank, Good fitting, easy to remove and put on skid plate are my two whishes. Keep the parts availablility going strong as you are now.
BTW the warranty is the greatest thing since sliced bread and none of my buddies can belive it.

hello
iagree with the race version just not as expensive as the husky centennial model but would this not be the idea of the force edition??. what you could do is to have a limeted edition like the factory ktm 525 exc? with sump and tall frame guards brush guards full race can and an alloy tank.
if you do put me down for one
and more 'hard parts would be nice
thanks

does that = 2 sales

keep em coming

providing some find their way to the uk :wink:

My two old worn out pennies worth,

In my mind, being an engineer, I can really only think of few ways to sell more. Better product and cheaper price. Better product, well that really isn't necessary or an option, since they are already the best. That leaves cost. Jedi, if you are about selling more bikes, then offer them at less of a cut to yourself. Yes, you might say this isn't possible, since you already don't make much, but look at what Hyandai is doing with cars, good product, really cheap, and they are selling tons of 'em.

I see what you are asking as, how can we spread the Husaberg name and let people know these things even exist, right? Well, every dealer I go into in my area looking for something, they say, "What's a Husaberg?", and I respond with "The best dirtbike ever made, you are missing out!" Anywho, maybe a flyer, or some sort of ad campaign that simply "spreads the word". BTW the Dirt Rider ads are a great start!!!

Another way would be to show up at events. Again, I know, cost. But, the force rides wouldn't be a bad place to start. I know the east ride will be occuring at a VERY popular place for people to ride. People are going to wonder what is going on when they see 20 of these bikes they have never seen before, and whoa, look, a tent with the same logo, maybe I'll go check it out... Crap, send a letter to Two Wheel Tuesday to get them to show up and do a spot on this new growing brand that is better than the rest! You guys need to relocate to kansas or somewhere more centrally located for driving Again, too much to ask.

Promotions: For instance. Offer a package deal, maybe once a year, where one could buy a berg, and at no extra cost, they would get one set of complete riding gear covered with Husaberg logos. So often do we see the "yamaha family" or the "Honda family", maybe this would help produce a Husaberg family. On that same note, why doesn't Husaberg or KTM offer a kids bike? Granted, that is not what they are about, but a replasticked KTM 50cc might do the trick. Offer family packages.

I really like the apparel and gear idea!!! Make them the LOSS LEADER, like bananas. Don't make money on them, hoping all of us will buy at least one shirt, pants, etc...

This problem really involves all of us too, for the more you sell, the cheaper it is for us to buy one in the end!!!!

-Parsko

JEDI

1) LONGER STROKE TO BORE RATIO
i think that the 450's lack torque and the factory should be encouraged to go back to 60.1mm stroke and bore out to 97mm. i realise this gets away from the 100mm (by 58mm stroke) that they want but it would bring back the 400 crank.

2) BRING BACK THE 'STEADY EDDIE'
also like ktm they should re-introduce the 400 as a trail bike. do one or two things to help it along the way such as large tank, rack.

3) 650 CAMSHAFT IN OTHER MODELS
the 450 lacks torque (the above is a part answer) and i know the camshaft in this model to be very mild. the 650 cam may even fit straight in as performance hop-up. i've seen the figures for this cam and it would give more low end. at the moment the ktm has it on grunt. the mags will tell you that the husey's are easier to ride (re; less powerful) especially in the wet.

4) LESS OFFSET TRIPLE CLAMPS
get some triple clamps on them with less offset. mine handles beautifully and when i get to the woods it's like a 2T. go fo the KTM 20mm (huseys are 22mm) or even lower to 18mm or 16mm.

5) STRENGTHEN THE SWINGARM PIVOT AREA
this is an area that SM riders beef up. the needle rollers are loose on the dowels and the spindle is loose in the dowels! very poor!

6) BIGGER EXHAUST VALVES
the ktm's run 35/30. the huseys run 35/27. i believe they cast the exhaust valves too near to each other. on the next 'change' move the exhaust guides and seats further apart and go for 35/30 as well. this will not lose any bottom but would gain further up.

cheers

Taffy

Hi Josh,

In my opinion education is paramount.
Outside of coughing up the money what are your dealership requirements? Who educates Husaberg dealership service personnel regarding the proper care and feeding of a new Husaberg?

The Parts situation is much improved as is new unit availability, however, with exception of myself and a few others via this site where does one turn when truly in need of technical assistance?

My same old story:
Loosen your purse strings and contract me or someone like me to address and support technical issues right here, right now in North America.

And / Or

Tell me what series you wish to contest, provide a "real operating budget" and lets win a championship.

Personally liking me and / or my attitude is not a prerequisite to recognizing the value of us working together. Hey, sometimes I don't even like myself. Such being said, once the egos (including my own) are in check most people actually find me quite pleasant. Just ask Brett.

HusaSaint indeed. :evil:

Regards,
Dale

PS
The majority of what Taffy posted regarding engine upgrades is near word for word my personal Husaberg documentation derived from actual testing. Said items exist including a 60.1 mm stroke 450 that produces 57 RWHP.

The perfect venue to showcase Husaberg's IMHO would be an Endurocross like the one that debuted late last year in Las Vegas. Of course Supermoto would be O.K. too but Supercross would certainly give the most exposure. With Graham Cheney as the pilot, Dale Lineaweaver making the horsepower and Brett Saunders spreading the good cheer this would truly be the impossible line up. This would be sweet revenge toward the Japanese biased magazines as they would be forced to tell the world that Husaberg came in first irregardless of how many advertising dollars were spent by them.

Taffy said:

JEDI

1) LONGER STROKE TO BORE RATIO
i think that the 450's lack torque and the factory should be encouraged to go back to 60.1mm stroke and bore out to 97mm. i realise this gets away from the 100mm (by 58mm stroke) that they want but it would bring back the 400 crank.

2) BRING BACK THE 'STEADY EDDIE'
also like ktm they should re-introduce the 400 as a trail bike. do one or two things to help it along the way such as large tank, rack.

3) 650 CAMSHAFT IN OTHER MODELS
the 450 lacks torque (the above is a part answer) and i know the camshaft in this model to be very mild. the 650 cam may even fit straight in as performance hop-up. i've seen the figures for this cam and it would give more low end. at the moment the ktm has it on grunt. the mags will tell you that the husey's are easier to ride (re; less powerful) especially in the wet.

4) LESS OFFSET TRIPLE CLAMPS
get some triple clamps on them with less offset. mine handles beautifully and when i get to the woods it's like a 2T. go fo the KTM 20mm (huseys are 22mm) or even lower to 18mm or 16mm.

5) STRENGTHEN THE SWINGARM PIVOT AREA
this is an area that SM riders beef up. the needle rollers are loose on the dowels and the spindle is loose in the dowels! very poor!

6) BIGGER EXHAUST VALVES
the ktm's run 35/30. the huseys run 35/27. i believe they cast the exhaust valves too near to each other. on the next 'change' move the exhaust guides and seats further apart and go for 35/30 as well. this will not lose any bottom but would gain further up.

cheers

Taffy

Click to expand...

Aside from the fact that BMG will probably will have little influence over HBG corporate. (Australia and the UK seem to have to introduce their own fix programs.)

1 - I agree
2 - I disagree, the longer stroke 450 would be have a better market.
3 - Once verified as a good performance option BMG could just offer this in a US based Force Parts catalog. Though something with a milder ramp speed would also be desirable.
4 - Husaberg already offers a 16/18mm adjustable clamp for the 05 FS models, so this could be listed under the Force parts.
5 - This partly goes under the better quality control area, though I would like to see some additional bracing in this are and the downtube for SM bikes like KTM is doing for their SMR line.
6 - The current sizing across the HBG line is the 35/30 KTM(old Berg) sizing. I think the 550/650 would benefit from the better profiled cam and larger 37/31 or 32 valves.

Obviously the best exposure is gained through a winnng race team. Also there you will best be served in ironing out little problems with design.

Whenever I find myself at the local SM or TT or dirt track racing scene, I see literally hundreds of bikes, mostly Honda and KTM. I think since these brands have such a successful national racing program, it just trickles down that the small privateers, etc... choose these brands first.

I would think Supercross would be the last choice. IMO, these bikes are horrible for that kind of racing. And Enduro? Well suited for the brand, but who sees it???

And please build these guys a tank :twisted: :twisted:

I for one would love nothing more than to turn my dead time (85%) towards watching/following a run at a national title behind a husaberg sponsored team. I believe brand recognition would bring around the sales of bikes which would bring around the merchandise and everything else. But that would have to come after the "RECOGNITION". Scrap some cash together and put Dale to work on some bikes. Get yourselves a pilot that can hold the the forks straight, and get them registered in some races. There is no doubt in anyones mind that Husaberg would win races!!!

P.S.
Some Husaberg stuff would be cool too! (pun intended)

Regards,

Imo the product is already there. I'm no mechanic and don't really understand the implications of some of the mechanical points above, but, all I know is that on any trail I would rather ride my motorcycle than any of the competitor brands. So to my mind, all that leaves is: Education, and Exposure.

In Australia, there has recently been a flood of advertising in magazines, particularly trail-rider-based mags. (That is where most sales are in this country.) This has greatly increased the exposure of the brand and now riders are talking about Husaberg that never would have thought of us before.

Another method that would help in this regard is (as others have mentioned) a race team. Even one top-level rider in our National Offroad Championship, the state-based Offroad Series or the Australian 4 Day Enduro would be great exposure. Currently that's a black hole for us, totally dominated by KTM Yamaha and Husky...

Anyway it's all money obviously, but that's my take on the situation here.

Oh and of course merch never hurts, so long as it's not extortionately priced :twisted:

I should have put this in my earlier post. It is generally recognized as fact:

WHAT WINS ON SUNDAY SELLS ON MONDAY

A MotoCross model WITHOUT a balancer In a 95X62 Bore\Stroke with 18MM Triple Trees and beefed up swingarm area. Tweak it to pull close to 50HP with responsive power. Dale could help here. Hire someone like Lorocco or Dowd when the big 4 decide they are too old and let the old boys give Husaberg some much needed recognition.
Take Wolfman and Lump on a trip to Mikes Sky Ranch expenses paid (Include a trip to La Cascada cantina for Margaritas and Senoritas for some real points) to gather some much needed publicity.
An offroad team. Kiedrowski and friends don't make anything near the MX stars.
Return to a separate balancer in front of the crank.
Keep up the Motard effort. Would hate to see the one good thing they have get axed for the above.
dan

To the best of my knowledge BMG receives little if any assistance from Austria be it financial and / or otherwise. From what I gather BMG is basically acting as a broker and doing a fine job as such.

With regard to product development and / or upgrades I believe BMG looks to KTM / Husaberg Austria. Unfortunately such proves sluggish @ best.

In my opinion and as I have stated numerous times in the past BMG - Husaberg could indeed benefit from a North American development program which included a "professional" race effort. The original Husaberg crew believed such a program to be of value as I was once on their payroll.

Just the same BMG has heard it all before and hey, what do I know anyway. :roll:

Dale