Gas Gas to aquire Italian Husqvarna engines 2T and 4T

GG is an odd little company by most standards. They are for the most part an assembly house, and use local suppliers(even the frames are made outside), as in the same town, for most of the parts. These suppliers in many cases are totally dependent on GG. What happens is they go out of business and then others come online to take there place, so there is a problem with consistent quality. There has also been cash flow issues that caused them to source surplus parts from other OEMs to meet production. Maybe things will change but history is history. A guy that used to participate over on GGRC went to Spain and toured the factory, I wouldn't post BS. We'll see how things play out.

I was writing on some thread out here that pissed ktm owners might leave those bikes and come to GG ... I still think ktm riders might leave but I can't say they will land on a GG now ... I'm back-tracking on that one ...

Well with the platform sharing that is going on now why not grab and Xlight chassis, copy it put in a red head and a 125 two stroke and put Gas Gas graphics on it presto you have and instant hit A lightweight Husqgasser The Gasser 250 and 300 is a great engine. While they get these Husky designs they need to focus on losing some of the fat and they will have a great bike!

Personally I know a few east coast guys that were AA riders putting a great name out there for Gas Gas regionally that have very different opinions than what's being posted here. They were left high and dry by Gas Gas and the importer and now ride orange.

Also if you think Husky wasn't a "finish it yourself" type of bike you have had a very different experience than me. My 2011 is the biggest heap of crap I have even experienced. My local dealer has been utterly useless(Wagner Motorsports)! Almost everything was lose when I got the bike and it has spent months in the shop under warranty to no avail. Now it's depreciated to the point of next to nothing. Were at the point where it's not even worth getting ride of its worth so little. So I don't see how Gas Gas could be any worse! I just hope parts will be available long enough for me to feel like I recouped some of my expense once I get it running again.

Your story sounds like my KTM story, my 4 stroke KTM decided to punch a hole in the main cases with the rod. I ended parting out the chasis and I still have the motor laying in pieces in my garage. I have learned over the years that all brands produce Monday bikes, just check around on any forum. It still sucks for both you and I though we both bought bike models that others bought and got to ride the crap out of and ours never were right from the factory.

Own five or so new GGs and then talk to me. Bikes are fine to ride, just very inconsistent build and need to be sorted. Disheartening at times to the average guy who pays full for new bike and has to keep it for awhile. AAs can ride anything, change bikes often, and are not going to say anything bad about a sponsored ride.

I don't own a Husky, but I have in the past and my brother is a Husky guy so I'm familiar. Build quality is much more consistent based on the three he has had. Latest Xlite is fine. You can't judge things by one bike, its just statistics.

I think it would be cool to turn the Italian Husqvarna bikes into NEW OSSA motorcycles. Frame and all. I would buy one for sure.

GAS GAS Frames suck. Too rigid. I hate perimeter style frames. Too rigid, too hard to work on the engines and carbs.

Sorry, I love my WR, but I think it'd be a shame to replace this, it's just got too much, too innovative to discard:

Well, as a 20+ yr. rider of Husky and 10+ yr rider of GG and a few KTM's sprinkled in... ALL of the boutique bikes are that way... they share virtually everything from engineers to suppliers so it's certainly not just a GG issue, any time you ride a boutique bike from ANY company you can run into those issues. I must add... unless you are a big company such as KTM. I hope GG can use the thumper technology to their advantage like Husky did with 'Berg motors... odd how it can come full circle!

Too weird to keep. Just doesn't work.
Things develop the way they have for a reason. No reason to reinvent the wheel.
EFI ? No thanks. Go with a Lectron carb. Works as well as EFI. Simpler. Easier to setup than a standard carb. Better throttle response. Better fuel economy than a standard carb.
Exhaust port needs to face forward for cooling.
Every backwards designed engine has failed to live up to expectations. Even the current Yamaha 4 stroke. Look at the Cannondale disaster. BMW disaster. Husaberg (was a limited success).The Husky engineers had to completely redesign the BMW engine to make it work.

They are not all the same. Sure, all have certain design characteristics that could be interpreted as flaws and some surely are flaws. Otherwise one mans flaw is another's desirable point. What I'm talking about here is simple QC/QA practices throughout the mfg process. I spent part of my career working for an office of the German TUV as a Compliance Engineer, approving product designs, ISO audits, and factory inspections for standards compliance, so I know how this stuff works. You don't have to be a big company to do things right. Look at Beta and Sherco, leaving GG in the dust. As far as sharing engineers thats a stretch. Beta does a lot of work for KTM and supplies engines, primarily the minis. GG uses local suppliers, but the problem seems to be they never reject, or properly test any parts! Those parts always seem to find their way into production. I'm sure its about money and time but something has to give, mgt decisions have to be made and made correctly. Problems ALWAYS get worse and ultimately cost more if they are kicked down the road. I have had problems of this nature with EVERY GG I have had. The point here is not a simple bash on GG, but there will have to be some significant changes in the culture of quality and how things are done to compete with Beta and Sherco now, and especially if those XLite motors are to be produced successfully. The market is only so big, and today not getting much bigger. I would turn that place upside down if I were the major investors, but don't know if thats possible in light of the Spanish laws, unions, etc.

As far as the frames, thats a matter of opinion only. They shared some of the spotty quality, mainly in fit and welding, as the rest of the bike but they do not suck in performance. GG always had a very good handle on balancing steering precision and stability. The newer frames are actually made pretty well, the only issue I have is the poor steering lock angle.

While I have had some funny quirks with Gas Gas they seem to be moving in the right direction. Whether good or bad Clay is gone. They will be using the Husky 125 engine! That is what I heard from a very reliable source!! And the 4-stroke Red Head gets a place to go! And they just got government money and are working with Ossa. Build quality has been questionable at times and I do not like the fact some year bikes will have different brake pedals or stuff from different suppliers but for a small company they seem to listen to input. Now copy the Xlite chassis and throw away the heavy frame and Bingo you have a lightweight contender! AKA a Husky in Gas Gas costume is better then a KTM Husky in costume. All in fun I assure you................................ PS steering lock angle is ridiculous and in the tight stuff will affect a fast rider. The same porky bike that tracks well because of the weight issue will also violently throw you side to side swapping to a point of potential death if you lose it and side swipe a tree. The bike was great at even upper B rider skills but I felt fell short when trying to really push the envelope. In the hands of a skilled younger rider then myself may work better. But the 144 Husky can be pushed VERY very hard and you can trust it! Which means ALOT ! If you ever looked at the breakdown of a 12's gasser subframe it is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Super heavy and abundance of parts. A super small airbox because of it and almost for sure will snap and cost you a bundle if you flip the bike. The 13's put a band aid on it and the 14's I'm not completely sure. Sweet looking does not make up for a serious bike that needs a serious diet and I think a Gasser without estart weighs more then a 450 4-stroke with electric start Less pasta and cheese is in order I do believe One hec of a motor that 300 had!!

I had a '12 GG 250 in addition to four others over the years and know all about the subframe. I upgraded to the new alloy part so it would sell easier. '14 is essentially the same as an upgraded '12/'13.

I think your missing the point of the thread in that these motors will be mfg by GG, NOT Husky in Italy, as it was an intellectual property deal. That changes things, IMO.

There is no Husky in Italy. How does something not being manufactured by something that does not exist change things?

I didn't think it was complicated. Simply put, considering GG history, be very careful about GG mfg Xlites.

I hope they hide a fortune in the the cases for when the Chinese bearings seize up...

Actually, that really could work out well. Supposedly, at the Bajaj factories in India where the "other" market KTMs are being made, KTM is ensuring the quality and tolerances remain high. SP probably doesn't care to enforce that level of scrutiny for Husky parts, however, I can't see him taking that risk to his name and future sales either. And if they are using the old Italian factory, then that would mean the inspection visits would be cheaper in time and money, so they could be more frequent.