• Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

  • Hi everyone,

    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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Photos Wanted - 1970 Husky 400 Cr Promo Bike

BufoBolt

BufoBolt

Husqvarna
AA Class
Hi all,

Earlier this year I picked up a rough 1970 Husky 400 Cross in a UK Midlands used bike importers yard. After a little research it turns out to be the bike used by MED-International to promote the new model 1970 400 cross. It would have done the rounds of the US trade shows in Jan/ Feb/ March 1970.

Does anyone have any photos of the bike on the MED-International trade stand at any of these shows? Maybe if features in a US m/cycle mag around that time.

Bit of a long shot but thought I would ask. Kris
 
BufoBolt said:
Hi all,

Earlier this year I picked up a rough 1970 Husky 400 Cross in a UK Midlands used bike importers yard. After a little research it turns out to be the bike used by MED-International to promote the new model 1970 400 cross. It would have done the rounds of the US trade shows in Jan/ Feb/ March 1970.

Does anyone have any photos of the bike on the MED-International trade stand at any of these shows? Maybe if features in a US m/cycle mag around that time.

Bit of a long shot but thought I would ask. Kris
Click to expand...

i cant help with your photos...but how about a few pics of your find?
 
Try also Don Ince, San Diego, CA - he has the old Edison Dye documents. I don't have current contact info, but other readers may. Lars Larsson, also in San Diego may have info.

The ebay seller - vikingmtrs has many original MED-International documents from the early 70's - maybe this is Don's ebay sellers name?
 
Many thanks for the Cycle News link. I did not know about this. Looks like a really great source and will take me a while to go through it.

OK Confession Time! There is a bit more to this than I had been letting on.

This particular 400 cross had a very low serial number and being a US import I contacted Don Ince some months back to see if he had any info on the bike. Don got back to me immediately saying the serial number 'rang a bell'.

A short while later Don unearthed some paperwork showing that the Husky was air freighted from Sweden to San Diego in late 1969 by HVA, ahead of the first batch of 1970 motorcycles to arrive by ship in early Jan 1970. It was at the request of the US importer MED-International for promotional sales' of the new 1970 model.

Great provenance and I was happy to leave it at that. But a week later curiosity got the better of me and so I asked Don what exactly 'promotional sales' was. More detective work and more paperwork unearthed by Don revealed that after doing the rounds at the trade shows in early 1970, MED-Inter shipped the bike to Bruce Brown Films for 'Movie Use'.

It remained with Bruce Brown Films until April 1971 (on the set of On Any Sunday), where upon ownership of the bike was finally signed over from Husqvarna to Bruce Brown Films. Don thought it was probably signed over to Bruce without charge.

And so there it is. The first 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross to arrive in the US, darling model bike of the tradeshow catwalks, starlet of the movie 'On Any Sunday', and later personal ride of the movies director, turns up in a used bike importers yard in Midlands UK.

I am very grateful to Don for all his help in putting together the paperwork. Sounds like a ripping yarn except that the bike exists and here it is:

Bruce Browns 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross

BB400Pic1.jpg
 
So what to do with it now? When I bought it I had intended to fully restore it. But restore to what - as it was when it was a promo bike, as it would have been on the set of On Any Sunday, or as it was when Bruce Brown owned it. Or maybe just leave it as is. Would be interested to know what you guys think.
 
riding resto, leave it as is, but recover the seat, reco the motor and shoxs etc but no real cosmetics im thinking, just get it mechanically a1 so you can ride it a historic events without worrying about your 2000 bucks of new paint and shiny chrome. you can prob find a shiny tank for a static displays if a "better look" is required.
 
Thakns for your comment. Yes I also like the idea of not making any cosmetic resto. I can save a few thousand bucks and I really think it looks more interesting as it is.
 
A few more pics of the bike:
 

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Congratulations. What a great find and interesting story. My opinion, rider quality restore.
 
Fasthouse has a picture of a 1970 250 Husky owed by Bruce Brown. He certainly liked Huskys.

If you can find actual pictures of your 400 when Bruce Brown owned it then a restoration like he had it set up would be cool. Otherwise I agree with Steve J, rider quality restore.

I think it would be worth trying to share your story with Dana Brown to see if he could produce a picture, and maybe some more information.
 
I've seen the pictures of the 1970 Husky 250 owned by Bruce Brown and it is interesting to see the similarities of some of the mods. Agree that it would be really fantastic to see one or two pics of the bike in the day. Not sure how I would get in contact with Dana Brown.
 
rider resto is my vote. if you make em too pretty its a punch to the heart when you slap em down !
 
Hi All, the Bruce Brown 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross will be on display at the Kempton Park bike show on 2nd December. Bike will be displayed together with a 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross restored by Will Bennet. The restored bike was winner of best scrambler award at the Stafford show earlier this year. If you are going then look out for the display. Kris
 
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