• Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

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    As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.

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Cantilever Suspended Husky

V

Vinskord

Husqvarna
AA Class
Anybody have any info or pics for this Husky? Is this a factory works bike or privateer?

Looks like a MK frame with a Mag 360 motor. The footpegs and rear brake pedal have been raised along with a trimmed engine case countershaft sprocket bracket to allow for a lowered air bell. The shock setup is similar to the Kramer Maicos of the same time period.


Cantilever - Copy.jpg
 
Interesting looking arrangement. If it is HVA factory it would have been late 73 or early 74. To my knowledge that particular production design motor is no older than that. Older 360 GP motors raced in 72 were built from the 125 crankcase and this one is not.

This motor is like the one raced by Mikkola in 74, however his was mounted in a traditional ML style frame. Once Mikkola won the world GP in 74 I don't see what purpose there would have been for HVA to pursue another frame design, especially using an MK frame.

My guess is this belonged to a privateer who acquired a 360 mag motor, had an old MK rolling frame, and had a lot of time on his hands.
 
Interesting I wonder how much different the suspension is between the stock setup and the cantilevered? Yamaha put the rear shock horizontal with there cantilever. Well more horizontal.
 
Yamaha monoshock was much longer. The bike pictured above has what looks to be a pair of maybe 14" shocks.
 
I installed a 85 Husqvarna rear swing arm and mono shock in a 82 cr frame. I had to cut the dog bone and thread both ends for a threaded rod and jam nut to adjust the length till the suspension fully worked.
 
Air cooled with a mono shock and just to see if it could be done. Too much idle time on my hands.
 
I guess this never caught on. The cantilever ratio can be adjusted by how much distance between the hinge pin to the shock and swingarm bolt location. If they had multiple holes on the swing arm and rotating triangle part you could adjust the shock too.
Adjustable rear suspension so close yet so far away.
 
In Don Richardsons Book " An Inventors Life" He mentions that it was a Husqvarna that He first put his rising rate suspension on at about this era. The last picture above could even be his work. He said that he let a Husqvarna factory test rider ride the bike but the factory wasn't interested in his design at all. He is generally credited with the rising rate design and has a Patent on it. It was Suzuki and there Full Floater that changed the world of suspension, and would later have to pay him for Patent infringement. Interesting enough it was Kawasaki who had it out first ( 1980 ) Unitrak but it was a loosing rate design. I understand that White Brothers made a kit to turn it into a rising rate. However Motocross action doesn't even mention Don Richardsons name when they reference the rising rate suspension history. None the less its an interesting book, the first half more than the second.
 
In Don Richardsons Book " An Inventors Life"
Click to expand...

Wow what an interesting story, thanks for posting 1982 XC 430. I'm proud of dirt bike enthusiasts who come up with technology that is better than the motorcycle mfg. engineers. I'm sure theres been many over the years.

Heres an excerpt from the L.A. Times 1987 about Richardsons legal battle with Suzuki.

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-03-28/news/mn-699_1_patent-suit

A federal court jury in Los Angeles decided Don Richardson, a lifelong motorcycle enthusiast, should be entitled to worldwide royalties for the unique floating shock absorber that he designed at the age of 19. (circa 1974)

"Suzuki just couldn't acknowledge that a young, American garage inventor could actually do better than their in-house people. This trial has proved them wrong.

The jury found that Suzuki had misappropriated two such secrets, entitling Richardson to a $12 royalty on each motorcycle in addition to the 50-cent royalty he was awarded for patent infringement.

The total amount of the award depends on the number of motorcycles sold, which also will be determined during post-trial motions. Lawyers for both sides agreed that it will range from $6 million to $19 million.

Richardson earlier obtained undisclosed settlements from two other Japanese motorcycle makers, Yamaha and Kawasaki, which he also claimed had violated his patent.

"This has been a seven-year ordeal for a young inventor trying to enforce a contract.
 
I was thinking that if I took a 85/250 mono shock frame and cut the lower basket out and welded a 82/250 basket in the 85 frame. I could run a 430 or 500 air cooled with a mono shock. I guess I have too much time on my hands.
 
I have had some interest in where to find the Book. It looks like the book has fallen off a cliff never to be seen again. Google will show what the Cover looks like and at least one of the pictures above. It looks like it was printed in 1014. None of the major book sellers will admit that it ever existed generally they just say its out of print and no longer available. But they don't list the book. Suzuki you didn't have anything to do with this did You ?
 
Thanks '1982 XC 430' for checking on the book.

Another interesting read - Patent #US3907332 A - Mr. Richardson's patent for the rising rate suspension system filed November 25. 1974:

https://www.google.com/patents/US3907332

Mr. Richardson also has numerous other patents for motorcycle related components.

Surprisingly for someone who has so greatly contributed to the development of motorcycle suspensions, Mr. Richardson in not in the AMA Hall of Fame.
 
Bigbill said:
I was thinking that if I took a 85/250 mono shock frame and cut the lower basket out and welded a 82/250 basket in the 85 frame. I could run a 430 or 500 air cooled with a mono shock. I guess I have too much time on my hands.
Click to expand...
i did the same thing with an air cooled four stroke single shock chassis, ran am 83 250 in it for awhile. no need to cut anything.
 
Another interesting read - Patent #US3907332 A - Mr. Richardson's patent for the rising rate suspension system filed November 25. 1974:
Click to expand...

Vinskord, the drawings in this patent look the same as the set up in the photo you posted above.

US3907332-1.png


c-j-frame-2-copy-png.86405
 
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