Many moons ago I made my way to Stockholm, Sweden, where I found work in a restaurant at the Hotel Domus, and very much enjoyed the endless summer days and the local fauna and flora—lots of it very blond. At that time, vehicles drove on “the other side of the road” as in England, and I dodged many a Volvo and Saab, but not one Husqvarna TT of 1934 vintage. That would have to wait until I migrated to Los Angeles where all things motorcycle are possible. As a result, and this several years ago, I had the good fortune to meet Chris Carlson, a native Swede now living the SoCal life, but also realizing a childhood dream to own and ride that very rare Husqy. Like all odysseys, it took time and determination and a few thousand miles traveled, and no small expenditure of hard-earned coin.
First, a big of background on the bike brand itself… There’s an oft-quoted mantra…”Husky by Name, Husky by Nature”…attributed to the Swedish marque that is most often associated with motocross or enduros particularly in the 1970s, when Husqvarna took center stage in European competitions. The abbreviation to Husky was probably a good thing since the full name of the company was Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag, named after its place of manufacture, a small town in central Sweden called oddly enough Huskvarna. Why the change from “k” to “q” is unknown (unless a reader knows the answer).
Like BSA, aka Birmingham Small Arms, and other early bike manufacturers, the roots lay with the production of military weaponry. Husqvarna’s founding extends back to 1689 as an armaments manufacturer that eventually evolved by 1867 into the Royal Arms Company, that entity appearing two years after the end of American Civil War. In other words the Husky has some long legs, not to mention some fairly sharp teeth.
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At the beginning of the 20th century, they added bicycles to their product line along rifles, sewing machines, chain saws, washing machines and luxury kitchen appliances.
In 1903, the same year that the fledging Milwaukee company of Harley-Davidson produced a handful of machines, Husqvarna went into motorcycle production based on their very sturdy bicycle frames, first fit with Belgium’s FN, a single cylinder belt-drive four-stroke of 1 ½ HP. Capable of about 30 mph, the new motorcycle did make some headlines even if they went up in smoke. An owner’s manual that came with the bike suggested that when cold, its operator should heat up the carburetor with a burning newspaper!
Husky’s 498cc air-cooled v-twin featured magnesium crankcase, lightweight alloy cylinders and heads. Producing 44 HP @ 7300 rpm and tipping the scales at 291 lb., the combination made for excellent power-to-weight ratio. During WWI, Britain’s BSA and America’s Indian and Harley-Davidson joined in the fray while Huskies served in the Swedish army. The war prompted new larger displacement models as did competition. By 1920, Husqvarna factory racers took 1-2-3 wins at Sweden’s 24-hour cross-country event. Roadracing prompted the development of a new purpose-built GP racing 498cc ohv light alloy engine producing 44 HP @ 7300 rpm.
However some fatal racing accidents and the appearance of Nazi Germany took a toll on Husky’s racing effort, followed in 1934 by a major disaster when the remaining factory 500 TT racers were destroyed in track and shipping accidents. As a result the bikes were consigned to a dusty corner of history. But as mentioned earlier, there was one young Swedish kid who was fascinated by the bikes while growing up, and he never forgot them. Chris Carlson explains, “I read about the daredevil Husqvarna riders who raced in the 1930s GP’s. Back in those days, the little Swedish villages that hosted the many races held throughout the year had maybe 1500 people, but during the race week, that would grow to over 300,000 because it was so popular. They would even have famous entertainers as part of the program, for example Duke Ellington and his jazz band. I never forgot those stories or photos or the 1934 Husqvarna roadracer.”
Fast forward a few decades and Chris’s dream of owning a Husky 500TT racer is finally realized. You just don’t go on eBay or bring a bucket of cash to one of the many bike auctions around the country to bid on a 1934 Husqvarna TT 500, because they simply don’t exist. Then one day in 1999, a friend was making a trip back to Sweden when Chris asked him to see if he could find him one of the old 1934 roadracers. Says Chris, “He called me from Sweden and said, I really can’t go on doing this because everybody is laughing at me here. There are just nothing left of the 1934 bikes to find.”
A bit later, another friend still living in Sweden wanted to sell a 1950 Vincent Black Lightning, and asked Chris to broker the deal. It was at this point that Chris heard about the odd goings on in a rustic garage in the boonies of Sweden. “He told me about a guy who was building some parts for another Vincent he was restoring. His name was Gosta (pronounced Josta) Svensson, and it also happened that he fabricated parts for the Husqvarna factory museum. I was told he had already finished building the first 500TT bike, the prototype taking over 10,000 hours.”
As they say the die was cast and Chris flew over to Sweden and took the opportunity to visit to Gosta’s garage in the forest. There were some extensive and intensive discussions. Chris really wanted a 500TT. Chris’ bike went into production, a process that eventually entailed the hand-making over 4,000 individual parts and an expenditure of three years’ time. Then in early September 2007, an air freight cargo plane landed at L.A.’s International Airport and waiting for it was one very excited Chris Carlson.
Girder fork design frontend is rigid design with spring tension ratio adjustable.
Both front and rear brakes were 180mm tapered drums locking down on 21-inch wheel up front, 19-inch on the rear.
Intricately designed steering damper effectively helped Husky track true and
eliminates potentially dangerous “speed wobbles” as it reached speeds in
excess of 120 mph on race courses across Europe. Helping to spark those speeds was a Bosch magneto.
Drilled extensively for decreased weight, “heel-toe” gear shifter stands out as one of few such “holy” components, one of some 4,000 individually handmade components. Gearbox, its internals “inspired” by the Norton design, was a 4-speed mated to a multi-disk clutch.
For several years thereafter Chris enjoyed his TT occasionally, taking it to vintage bike rallies and coming home with many a well-earned trophy. Since these photos were taken, the Husqy and Chris have moved on to new endeavors but the memories of a dream fulfilled will last forever or as they say in Swedish… för alltid… for keeps…and also the reason I wanted to refresh this story for all to enjoy. Thanks Chris.
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Tech
Displacement: 498cc air-cooled v-twin
Engine construction: magnesium crankcase; light alloy cylinders and cylinder heads.
Carburetion: twin one-inch Amals
Power output: 44 HP @ 6900 rpm
Transmission: 4-speed; dry multi-disk clutch
Ignition: Bosch magneto
Frame: rigid with girder fork frontend
Brakes: 180mm tapered hub drums front and rear
Weight: 291 lb.
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