Husky Auto

Hello am looking at getting a 390 auto.
Just wondering if there are lots of issues with them?
Whats parts like to get?
Looking for some info / articles on them.

Cheers Rob

Do you have lots of money . If so then parts are easy enough to get

Main problem on a 390 is engaging drive, the gear and shaft wear quickly. however once you ride one you might think the coming expenses are worth it!!

Yes, they are a bit more expensive to run than a 6 speeder. But Steve is right, the extra expense is worth it. If you get one, strip the box and check it (it's so easy). Make sure the sprags are not falling to pieces and the surfaces they run on are smooth. It's worth replacing the mainshaft and dog gear on the end as they will chew up easy. There is loads of info on here regarding what else to check.
The oil is critical. Change it after every good ride (there is only one litre). Every other good ride pull the side cover and re-do the grooves in the clutch shoes.
Since i have built mine, I have no issues at all (touches wood !). It is one of my favorite rides. I have a similar 390WR as a six speed. It doesn't get ridden much now

Most of the problems and "bad" reputation you hear about on the autos is due to riders not educating themselves on the correct way to maintain them and ride them. Lot of the problems are self inflicted by the rider. I have been riding the 360, 390 and 420 autos for over 15 years and the only problems I have had is 3 broken 1st gear clutch springs on three different occasions and two of those were from a bad batch of springs that were not heat treated correctly. They are by far more fun to ride than any of my other manual shift Huskys. When I go riding and need to decide which bike to ride one of the autos is my first choice especially when it is wet and snotty riding in the spring.

If you do purchase an automatic and do not know the history on it I would advise you to take the motor and trans apart to inspect it and replace items that are worn. After that, if you don't already, you will have a better understanding of how the transmission works and will last a long time.

If you need help and info this is the place to get it, lots of knowledge here on this site and auto riders.

Marty

Put a 1st spring clutch cover to avoid damage when springs break and epoxy glue some magnets to retain steel dust !

The nut on the primary clutch is it really torqued to 110nm it seem's allful high i dont want to snap the end off. I did that once on the mag side on a 360wr because the book said 70nm.

Mine is 90Nm. Never had a problem. Just make sure you hold the primary clutch correctly. I put some pictures of my home made holder on the rebuild thread I did a while back.

On my 420's I torque the clutch hub nut to 120nm/ 85ft,lb. The reason that I do is because on the 420's the thread and nut is the same size as the 430 auto's and Husky increased the torque spec on the 430's. I have never had a 420 clutch hub work loose. And never stripped the threads. The 360/390 auto's have a smaller diameter thread size and use the 90mn/ 65ft,lb.This is also what the 420 assembly manual also called for but was just a spec carried over from the 360/390. Go with 120nm/85ft,lbs and you will not have any problems.

Marty

Thanks Marty will do.

Also after you get the motor running again. ride it for about 10-15 minutes to get everything good and warmed up. Then let the motor cool down to "room temperature" and pull the clutch cover and re-torque the nut one more time and you are good to go.

Marty

I finally got to look at the bike running and to me it seemed to rattle a lot.
Is it normal for the gearbox to be like that?
I rode it the shifts were smooth and seemed ok.

They are noisy,make sure you have the idle as low as it can be before engaging, I set mine so it almost stalling then turn it back up once its in gear

Going to look at an Auto tomorrow. Guy doesn't know what year. Thinks maybe 82-3. Says $200. He got a bunch bikes all at once from a sale. Six early 70s CZ's and boxes spare engines. Those are already sold. This could be interesting

nice work!! post up what else he has lying around husky wise

CZ stuff is rough. Really are six engines. The two chassis are 72-3. Lot spare engine parts in boxes. To the restorer bet lot of those parts are useful. Guess the buyers for all of that didn't take it. Couldn't agree on price. The Husky auto is twin shock air cooled. Beyond junk. The lower engine cases looked good though and complete. No plastics at all tank was aftermarket and all broken. Must be 80-81 era. Think I seen better bikes at the scrapyard. Was worth looking I guess. Like to find a 86 liquid auto that's complete and runs !