1982 420 Auto , nostalgia got the better of me

Sooo back in '81 my very first husky was a 420 auto that I never really learned how to take care of or even set up properly. I've always wanted another crack at one knowing what a slick woods machine they can be when dialed.
I just came across an 82 420 today that seems to be worth saving, Suspension needs rebuilt (remote reservoir shocks)but the chassis seems tight and maintained. bike makes ok power and shifts through all gears.
It seems to be burning trans fluid (crank seal gear box side?), It's very noisy at idle, and compression feels a bit soft.

Do you guys know of anyone in the US or Canada that knows these engines and would want to go through this and freshen it up?

Same for shock/forks?


I have a feeling I'm going to need a ton of help on this one...Thanks in advance for any direction you guys can give!

Greg

Nice looking bike! Sorry I can't help.

Sorry- shocks-Drew Smith at W.E.R. There are posts about rebuilding the forks-do a search.

Awesome... thanks for the W.E.R. info

looks like an 81 to me. forks and headlight are the give away. very nice very clean motorcycle. good luck with it. there are a few auto guys here that will be piping in soon enough. with all kinds of great info .

Very nice find !
You have rear brake on left hand lever.
PM your adress and I'll send you the manuals I have on autos.

Maintenance on a 250 auto. Near the same as 420.
Words in swedish , pictures in english.
http://www.teamnorrland.se/Renovera AE.htm

look on the HVA factory website for the parts manual, should be a free download. print it out and have it in the workshop.

I would strip the bike down carefully, photo as you go ...every little thing...give the frame a paint a job, check the headstem and swing arm bearings and give them a good grease up or replace, get the shox to WER, someone will be along soon to recommend a good engine man for you.

You should at a minimum replace the engine seals but it sounds like it needs a fresh top end. the bottom end should be ok, but its easy to check.

service the forks, check your wheel bearings, grease the brake pivots, check and replace the brake shoes, check your chain rollers etc. get a new airfilter, repack the muffler and paint it up with the pipe.

replace or check and oil all the cables, grease up the throttle tube and clean and grease up the levers.

I would consider replacing the carb or getting a lectron. nothing harder than trying to sort a bike with a worn carby.

Phil at Husqvarnaparts.com has lots of parts..email for stuff off the menu..

once you have done this the bike will be good to go for many years with nothing more than a bit of regular maintenance.

don't forget to start a rebuild thread in the resto section and lots of advice will pour in

best get spinning spanners!!

No, Greg is correct his 420AE is an 82. 81's had the steel black and gold tank and black fork legs. 82's had the blue aluminum tank and gold fork legs and remained 35mm.

Also I must add this edit. You will find some of the 82's with the black and gold aluminum 82 style tank on some of the 82 420AE's that I believe dealers installed to make the bike more attractive to sell as they were having a hard time selling them. I myself have one of those with 53 original miles (ridden on grass only) and still sports the original tire with the H gun sight logo molded into the knobs.

you learn something new every day !

Thanks guys for all the input so far. great info! As I've been looking over the bike the last few days I think the focus will be on a full engine tear down and rebuild as necessary, (I'll need to find someone for this) suspension, and wear items like cables, grips, tires etc. Everything is pretty original and I'm inclined to leave it in "survivor quality" at least for now. I'm finishing up a CR500 Honda project now and will start tear down on this in a couple weeks.

My biggest concern for now is finding someone really savvy to go through the engine.

Thanks Michael,

I tried to PM you but I dont think I have full account use yet... Cant find a PM button or way to message you.

im surprised (really??) that someone hasn't given you an engine builder recommendation yet? maybe start a new thread with a heading like auto engine expert needed...

Make sure to grab the extra auto motor sitting on the ground. I noticed in your pictures. Looks like a low hour bike.

Marty

I did Marty! bike came with an extra tank (blue n white 81 or 82) an extra complete engine with good compression, and a set of cases with crank and ignition

Click to your inbox ( near alert and logout , in the right of the page).
And then go to PM/conversations. You'll find my message and email.

It's an ´81 if you look at the side panels.. The color of tank is not a safe way to say the year of the bike, my -81 have red tank with gold fork leg

Good to see that my guide is in use

Good eye, but...81 and 82 420 autos used the same side panels. They both used the 81 style side panels. So his 82 is correct with the 81 side panels.

Marty

Yeah...I wasn't sure either. It's titled as an 82 if that matters