83/84 engine and chassis numbers conundrum

[White Husky]

Hello. I have (I think) an 83 XC500, but I'm having difficulties with my numbers. Can anyone help? I am trying to road register.

The chassis number looks like XO-19353, but surely that's an 84 model? Does anyone have an '83 with such a high number?

I can't find the engine number. Anyone point me to its whereabouts? Research suggests it should either be 2094 for the early 500s or 0942(?) for the later 500? Mine has the longer straight kick start. Does that mean it should be 0942? Or not necessarily?

Thanks
Lucien.

 

[tommie d]

Frame number is for a 1984 (above 11000), engine number will be on top of left engine case, right behind kick starter area. some (alot) were stamped on the light side so they can be hard to read. metal gas tank or plastic? remember lots of huskys were mixed and matched by owners for a ridable bike or for profit. seen a few 84's with 83 gas tanks, sold for big bucks a few years back when the 83's were popular.

 

[White Husky]

Frames

metal gas tank or plastic? remember lots of huskys were mixed and matched by owners for a ridable bike or for profit. seen a few 84's with 83 gas tanks, sold for big bucks a few years back when the 83's were popular.

Hi Tommie, thanks for that. The tank is metal. Personally that is the one I prefer, as the plastic ones disclour it seems.

So here's another question - is the '83 frame different compared to the 84 frame, i.e. are the metal and plastic gas tanks completely interchangeable without modding the frame?

Also do I recall correctly that the seats changed in '84 to be more overlapping with the tank? Or was that '85?

Thanks

 

[ruwfo]

Lucien,
84 models had plastic tanks & the seat differ from the 83's. 1983
seats were yellow,84 blue/white with a more angled front to match
the tank.

Your correct the 85 & up Husky seats overlapped the the tank.

Here's a picture of my 84 500CR

John

 

[White Husky]

Hello John

I have the metal tank with the yellow seat, which is why I think mine is an '83. But the chassis number is too high?

I see you have the same engine as me (apart from the gears I suppose), i.e. the later-type longer straighter kick start lever. Do you mind me asking what your engine number looks like (2094-xxx or 0941-xxxx?) and whereabouts is it stamped, and is it obvious and clear, or hard to find?

Nice bike by the way!

Thanks
Lucien

 

[Leftcoast leftkicker]

Actually the biggest difference between the '83/84 500s was the frame, they pulled the head angle in 1.5-2 degrees so if you truly have an '84 frame then it's worth a lot (Frame Crafters & other charge upwards of $700 to do the same thing)

 

[White Husky]

Actually the biggest difference between the '83/84 500s was the frame, they pulled the head angle in 1.5-2 degrees

Bloomin'eck, that's interesting! How do you eeven start to know that level of detail LCK? Is there somewhere I can read up on this, or is it just 20 years experience or something like that? I'd really like to know more about these '80s Huskys. Where should I start?

Cheers
Lucien

 

[HuskyT]

How do you eeven start to know that level of detail LCK? Where should I start?

Cheers
Lucien

LeftCoast was born on the planet Vulcan................

T

 

[Bryll]

........must be Spock's brother that ended up in this forum then.



Did they do the same change to the head angle at the WR500 -84 frames?
I have two bikes (roaches) in the garage, one CR500 and one WR500 with plastic tanks and blue-white seats.
When I compare the frame numbers with the numbers listed here is the CR from -83 and the WR is from -84.
Everything on the CR seems to be from -84 except the frame

Peter

 

[Leftcoast leftkicker]

LOGICALLY:
I don't know if the WR frames were changed but would have to assume that they were since HVA tried to standardized (for costs) as much as possible. Part of the problem with changes for a small manufacturer is that HVA would still produce last year's stuff along side new model until previous supplies ran out so it doesn't surprise me that there's a lot of mix & match.

Peter, I guess one answer to your question would be to measure the head angles but that requires another person, plumb line & degree calc, etc.

 

[White Husky]

Peter, was the WR500 only introduced in 1984 (frame WO-11000+?)

Can I ask, do your CR/WR bikes have the 2094-xxxx engine or 0944-xxxx or 0941-xxxx ? And do they have the long straight kick start lever, or the curly one?

My source of ID numbers is http://www.huskyclub.com/model.html which seems fairly thorough.

 

[Bryll]

Leftcoast: I agree that it would be most cost effective to standardize the production. It could be possible that they used the same fixtures when welding the frames, since the different frame models are quite similar.
The CR frame is stripped and powder coated, so I'll try to check the head angle on that one

White Husky: I haven't found the numbers on the engines yet, but they got the straight kick start lever. The frame number on the WR starts with "WO 123xx" and is according to the ID list from -84. The CR frame number starts with "CO 08xxx" and should then be from -83. I need to move things around in the garage to be able to check the engine numbers, there's way to much crap in there blocking the old Huskys. In other words, the crap is blocking the old fart to reach the bikes

Peter

 

[White Husky]

I need to move things around in the garage to be able to check the engine numbers, there's way to much crap in there blocking the old Huskys.

Hi Peter, don't go shifting things around just for me. Next time those old Huskys see daylight, perhaps you could have a look and let me know. Good luck restoring them!

It seems that in the US you can ride your offroad bikes in the mountains and forests with a green sticker (or similar). Here in the UK we have to go the whole hog and fully register, tax and insure them for the road, which means number plate, lights, horn, indicators, low noise and road legal tyres. I'm trying to register my '83 XC500, which is why I'm trying to get my numbers all square!

The bike is at a registration agent now. He can't find the engine and chassis numbers, which is a problem.

The numbers I was told related to the bike don't seem to fit, i.e. '84 frame when it's supposed to be an '83. All that seems to actually be stamped on the bike is "HUSQVARNA1". I have seen that once before, and I think it means the frame has been replaced but normally the dealer would have stamped the frame number corresponding to the old frame after the "HUSQVARNA1". I think perhaps this didn't happen with my bike.

The engine on the bike is brand new, and similarly although we were told an engine number we can't find it. It's definitely not been removed, but I can't see the factory putting out an engine with no number. It maybe that we just need to look harder!

Cheers
Lucien

 

[Joe Chod]

83-84 engine numbers are VERY light stamped on left center case behind kicker. may have to do some scotchbrite pad scuffing but thats where they are. frame # on right side of steering stem tube. 83 tanks were metal as stated. 84 plastic. 83 seats were blck for WR, yellow for XC, and blue for CR. 84 were blue with white back trim for all in 84. Same pan for seat but 84 front was slighly angled and longer to fit snug on the 84 plastic tank. aside from fram rake/trail tighter for 84, the 2 smaller braces from the frame backbone were ata differnt angle than 83. (Not the main frame side ones that the boots rub on......the ones that are inboard around carb/airboot junction). Forks for 84 WR had a shorter bottom fork leg overhang to reduce drag possibilities in offroad ruts. They also had shorter travel than CR and XC. Some early 84 WR and XC had Betors rear shocks as Ohlins was on strike and the supply was dubious at best for early 84 off road models. final note.......althougn the side panels looked the same for 83 and 84, they are not. They are an interchangable fit BUT the front edge of the 83 was rounded off to "flow" into the 83 metal tank and jive with the flowing graphics of the 83 models (remember the cool flow from front to rear?) The 84 front edge of the side panels was angular to natch up with the tank which was Huskys first attempt to lower the fuel too. This is one way to spot a counterfeit too as many overlook it as the panels look so similiar. But the fly in that ointment was in USA in 84 Husky offered a free kit to re fit 83.s to look like 84s in 84 to blow out all leftover 83 models. This was seat, all plastic, graphics sticker kit, shoot even had a 6 speed free to drop into an 83 CR 500. What a deal. I took advantage of that in 84 myself on an 83 500. they also were given a free 175 cc kit (piston to head!) upgrade on 125 leftovers.

I am honestly at no answwr on the 84 frame with a 83 motor as the frame as mentioned was different and doubt it was a late run 83 as they would have sold it as an 84 in 84 trim.

I am looking for some old mags with real good details on 83 and 84 and will try to get a post up for you to see those articles so we don't have to type "War and Peace" about white Huskys and could just read old articles.

Hope this helped
Joe

 

[Bryll]

I went down to the garage this evening with my son to prepaire the bikes for Saturdays event on the track.
I had a problem last time to start my Cheney/Yamaha, I guessed there where some crap in the carb. It was as clean as a married mans wallet.
I soon gave it up, and started to move things around to finally reach my Husky roaches

The -83 CR500 engine got an area thats a little elevated behind the kick start lever. Couldn't find any number at all.
There's a few scratches and marks in the area for the number, but no engine number. I don't think the number is ground off, this part might have been changed for a new one sometime in the past......

The -84 WR500 engine doesn't have the elevated area at all, the number I found (very hard to read) ends with "94".
It must be "2094" that's stamped on the WR engine.

I'll try to get some pictures of my "roach collection" and upload them.
Some of you experienced gurus might be able to guide me in the jungle of numbers and models.

Shouldn't the CR and the WR engines be more or less copies of each other if they are that close in years (-83 and -84) ??
(I know the gearbox is different)

Pete

 

[ruwfo]

Lucien,

My motor # is 9041 , but like many said the number was lightly stamped,right behind the kicker, a few coats of paint & you'd never see it.

John

 

[White Husky]

Rake and trail

OK, I'm going to measure my rake so I can determine if I have the 1983 frame (30 degrees) or 1984 frame (28.5 degrees). That should answer definitively my questions.

The problem is the rear shocks have been replaced with newer none original shocks, and the front forks have been swapped for 87 model Husky forks.

Can anyone tell me the correct eye-to-eye for the rear shocks?

Can anyone tell me the correct fork length (centre-of-front-axle to underside of top nuts)? Alternatively does anyone know if the '83 and '87 forks for the CR500/XC500 are the same length?

Thanks very much.

 

[Bryll]

My rear shocks are 460mm eye-to-eye in length.
It's a pair of the original -83 -84 Husqvarna/Öhlins ITC shocks.

Can't tell you anything about the fork, it's still in pieces at home

Peter

 

[White Husky]

My rear shocks are 460mm eye-to-eye in length.
It's a pair of the original -83 -84 Husqvarna/Öhlins ITC shocks.

Hello Peter, thanks very much for the info!

Kind regards
Lucien

 

[Bryll]

No problem Lucien, I hope it will help you.
The Husqvarna ITC system, big news back in -83

Best regards

Peter