KTM and Husqvarna

[dcg141]

Wow..this one caught me off guard.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...arna-for-sale/

[BrantsDad]

Originally Posted by dcg141

Wow..this one caught me off guard.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...arna-for-sale/

You and me both.... I hope they aren't buying to dismantle

[desertgasser300]

Well at least you will have your choice of colors with KTM. They gave us orange then blue. Now we will have a red and white KTM.

[iajim]

I noticed some of the comments on this story included " KTM is an off-shoot of Husqvarna anyway". I can only assume that they never heard of Penton motorcycles, perhaps they weren't even alive in 1974, who knows? The point being, they didn't appear to be all that knowledgeable about these brands. Guess we'll have to wait & see how this one plays out.

[dcg141]

Originally Posted by iajim

I noticed some of the comments on this story included " KTM is an off-shoot of Husqvarna anyway". I can only assume that they never heard of Penton motorcycles, perhaps they weren't even alive in 1974, who knows? The point being, they didn't appear to be all that knowledgeable about these brands. Guess we'll have to wait & see how this one plays out.

There is a strange serendipity about it all. John wanted Husqvarna to build him engines...when they would not he talked KTM into doing it. Also KTM North America's president is Jon Erik Burleson. Yea that Burleson..lets face it his dad was Husqvarna in the US for a very long time. Alot of Husqvarna's employee's came to KTM when Eletrolux sold them to the Italians. Mark " Blackwater" Hyde still works there.

[twowheels]

Brand new assembly line and production processes, access to a bunch of new dual sport/street products, current owner doesn't seem that interested anymore ... it will be theirs for a song. Wouldn't want to have invested a bunch in a Husky franchise in the last couple years ... they will likely be absorbed into the pumpkin patch.

This just in ... WP suspenders will grace Huskies, and the CTS motor will get drop kicked in a New York minute ... Oh, and Juha has to come home now

[Ed Ventura]

Originally Posted by BrantsDad

You and me both.... I hope they aren't buying to dismantle

I just bought a 2013 TXC310. I can no longer plate a GG in connecticut.(Still keeping my plated 2007 GG). Every thing I have read seems the were making progress with BMW. Time will tell how this works out, Bet my contingence goes away

Ed

[GMP]

Just goes to show you how volatile the industry is even with the big players. Everyone thought BMW finally brought some stability to the brand and then this. I suppose it was a bad fit for BMW, and they decided that KTM is no longer a threat to a market that they have no interest in anymore.

I can't see this being any good for the hard core Husky guys, after all they are on Huskys as a prefered alternative to the KTMs just like we are. The bikes that survive will undoubtably end up as some kind of variant.

[Mark Berg - CPD]

High-placed motorcycle industry sources have tipped MCN off that BMW is negotiating the sale of Husqvarna to Austrian firm KTM with an announcement expected as early as the end of this week to officially confirm it.


I have been thinking about this since reading it yesterday afternoon....what you guys think? A great Wednesday morning coffee conversation piece!

[motorhead]

WOW
Not a fan of the orange kool-aid what so ever
thought bmw $$$ was a good thing-minus that te449 or whatever they call that g450x rebranded thingy
was really intrigued by the whole dfi smoker thing IF it has a designated chassis.
skipped the husky last purchase due to 2stroke in a four stoke chassis.
could care less which side my clutch is on or chain or how short/weird kickstarter is. None of those things were an issue to me last time I owned wr250