Saturday, February 2, 2013

a little bit of history

Have you ever noticed the old motocross bike sitting in the window up above the Sales desk?

It's a 1971 Husqvarna 400 Cross, the same make, model and year that Malcolm Smith and Steve McQueen rode in On Any Sunday.

It's a bike made famous by Swedish MX racer Bengt Aberg. Here's what Wiki has to say about him. 


Bengt Åberg (born 26 June 1944) is a former Swedish motocross racer.
He was one of the top riders in the Motocross Grand Prix World Championships during the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1968 he was part of the Swedish team that won the Trophée des Nations. 
He was the F.I.M. 500cc Motocross World Champion in 1969 and 1970 while riding for the Husqvarna factory racing team. Åberg was a 

member of three victorious Swedish teams at the Motocross des Nations in 1970, 1971 and 1974. 




It's a classic bike with a little story 
behind it. Our tech, Noah, saw it in a guy's barn, sitting back in a corner. At the time the guy didn't want to sell it because it had belonged to his deceased son, who bought it new. Many years later he finally sold it to Noah, who is now only the second owner of a 42 year old bike.

He restored it to its current excellent condition, rode it a few times, and parked it. It's been on display in our window for a couple years now. 

If you're a vintage bike lover, next time you're in ask to see it and one of us will take you upstairs for a closer look. 

Now that's a chain guard...







None of the neat fit and finish of today's bikes,
this thing was meant to go fast, not look good.



You can tell this one was ridden pretty hard at least a few times
but overall, it's in really nice condition.


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