HUSQVARNA'S HERITAGE
The return of the historic Husqvarna marque to the streetbike sector under KTM’s ownership, with the recently launched and radically styled Svartpilen and Vitpilen singles made in India by KTM’s Bajaj partner for sale around the world, has prompted a reminder that the Swedish company was a major producer of road bikes long before it became the legendary off-road brand it’s best known as today.
However, motorcycles were just one of the many products that Husqvarna manufactured in its home base 200 miles SW of Stockholm at Huskvarna. And yes, that’s how the town spells its name, which translates as ‘the house by the mill’. It was founded in 1620 in nearby Jönköping by King Gustav II Adolf as a manufacturer of muskets – indeed, the Husqvarna logo still depicts a gun sight viewed from the end of the barrel. But in 1867 the now privatised company built a new, more modern factory on the shores of Lake Vättern, beside a series of waterfalls which provided hydro-electric power.
Today, this is the home of the extensive Husqvarna Museum, opened in 1993, whose substantial 2,400m² floor space tells the full story of this mini-conglomerate. Special emphasis is on the collection of around 100 different motorcycles and bicycles on display, all built in Sweden by its two-wheeled
