I know this is not Penton, but JP was involved with Husqvarna from the early days in the US so I thought you guys might like this. My first brand new off-the-showroom full size bike was an '82 Husqvarna XC125, and I have been looking for another one for 10+ years. One came up on eBay and I won it. It was in Detroit, but I was already going to Illinois to my Sister's for Christmas so I popped over and got it. the picture below is me with my brand spanking new Husky in late '82.
(http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/x348/kartwheel68/xc1251.jpg)
I didnt look at the bike super close when I picked it up because I wanted to get back on the road headed south. Now that I look at the bike a little closer, I think the bike has VERY low hours on it. It still has what I believe to be the original Trelleborg Deep Grip front and Ten Master 744 rear tires on it. I suppose it could have had Trelleborgs put back on it when the originals wore out, but there are no tire tool marks in the gold anodize on the rims. I dont know anyone that did that, most people put Metzler or Cheng Shins especially out west where I was since the Trelleborgs were a soft terrain tire. Also, the decals on the side panels show very little wear and I dont think the bike ever ran much with the 125 pipe, the 175 kit pipe is on it now, because there is zero rust at the head pipe area where it gets the hottest and burns the paint. It has the same orange Koni remote res shocks my bike had, dont know why this bike did not get Ohlins, but these are the originals and they dont leak.
OK, hi res pictures of the bike.
http://picasaweb.google.com/bkirby84c/1982HusqvarnaXC125#
I cleaned the carb, which was not dirty, set the float height so that it would not overflow, and it started on the 3rd kick. The clutch slips really bad, and there is a little wiggle at the flywheel so it will probably need some main bearings, but overall it feels tight and runs well. There are also paint "X" marks on the frame, both hubs, and the cases, maybe this bike was ridden at the Rose City ISDT Qualifier by someone?
Brian
Congratulations Brian. She's a beauty!!
You go Brian! Mike
Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 175-400'S
75 Can Am 175 TNT & 77 250 Black Widow
1976-78 RM & 77-79 PE Suzuki's
74 CR250M 07 CR125R & CR150R
Brian,
Clutch could just be slipping from setting up and just need cleaning up from lack of use. Neat bike.
Ron Carbaugh
Great find Brian - the 1982 XC was my favorite bike of all time too. Mine was a 250.
Is there any chance that this is an 81? In 82 I thought they all got the primary kick motor & piggyback Ohlins (maybe not the 125 though -in some years it got treated like a stepchild with leftover parts, etc.).
You can check the frame # at Husky Club here: http://www.huskyclub.com/model.htm
Craig has a wealth of info on his website. Note that he has been iffy about shipping ordered parts. There are several dealers who still race the old bikes, but I have found //www.Husqvarna-Parts.com to be the most reliable. Phillip is a nice guy, and has many unique items that aren't listed on his web site. he is in Arizona.
So - it has a 175 pipe - is it a 175? those are even harder to find. Even if not the larger pipe should help the 125 breathe better.
I used to build those motors in my sleep. Let me know if you need help with anything. I have a neat trick to really make it run (safely) if you are comfortable splitting the cases & using a port grinder - there was a horrible mismatch in the transfer ports where the cylinder met the bottom end. You have to split the cases & then bolt the cylinder to each half & scribe the case, then remove about 1/4 square inch of metal from the case, blending it to the cylinder. Really makes that motor breathe without changing any port timing or jetting.
Again - great find.
So will you be racing the Husky or your Berkie this year.........
Clark
Good looking set of wheels Brian. Good luck with the project. Bob
Thanks guys, like many of you with your first bikes, I have a very strong sentimental attachment to this bike since it was my first new one. Even though it was not all that great compared to its Japanese competitors, when I first heard about "Evo" racing 10-12 years ago my first thought was not about all the excellent Japanese bikes I had, it was "man, I'd love to find another '82 Husky XC125".
Ron,
I plan on pulling the clutch cover off tomorrow and inspecting the plates and scuffing them if they look serviceable otherwise.
Clark,
Its an '82 for sure, the frame number is XN16251. For some reason, the XC125 came with Koni remote res shocks and the WR125 had Betor piggybacks instead of Ohlins, the CR125 and all the other models had Ohlins, but Husky went cheap on the XC and WR. I remember being a little miffed I didnt get Ohlins when I got the bike new, but I have no memory of the suspension except that it was good so the Konis must have worked. I am going to ride it a bit with the Konis since the shafts look perfect, they are not leaking, and have good damping. I remember my bike had primary kick, but I also bought the Dirt Bike magazine with the test of the bike and they said it didnt have primary kick. When I started the bike this morning I didnt even notice if it had primary kick, I'll check that tomorrow.
The bike has the 175 pipe and 125 top end on it now, but it came with the original 125 pipe and 175 top end too. The 175 cylinder looks good, but the piston seized, no damage to the bore but the piston is not usable. Those pistons are basically non-existent now, the only real chance of finding one is on a dealer's shelf who has had them since '82. I am going to keep looking, I'll eventually find one. I plan on splitting the cases to put new main bearings in it, so I'll do the case/transfer match while I have it down, if I have any questions I'll get ahold of you for sure.
Brian
Change the oil to ATF or motorcycle oil. If modern automobile oil is used the clutch will slip.
Here are pics of the paint marks on the front hub and frame. Do these look like the marks they used at Qualifiers?
http://picasaweb.google.com/bkirby84c/1982HusqvarnaXC125#5556261694036655090
http://picasaweb.google.com/bkirby84c/1982HusqvarnaXC125#5556261606666834978
Brian
My 1978 and 1980 390 Husky manuals say to use non-detergent 20w50 motor oil. Brian, did you get a manual with your bike?
Mick
Brian, Thank you for sharing your interesting story and photo. What number did you use on the Husky's plates? Keep us updated with the restoration. Joe
Brian,
Those marks are "probably" from a qualifier. I only rode the Alabama qualifiers, and they used a small circle or "blob" of paint. I'm sure it varied by the club holding the event. Maybe Dwight can remember what they did in Oregon.
From the pics it's definitely not a primary kick motor. The clutch cover would be different. I remember how excited we were to finally get primary kick, but Husky's version didn't work that well - there was always a dragging feeling like you didn't pull the lever all the way in. this motor is easier to work on & probably lighter.
I have pdf versions of the parts & shop manuals for that bike. Let me know your email address.
Try Phillip in AZ for the piston. If he can't find one he can give you the name of some dealers that may have it.
When it's apart check the shift forks closely. That model motor used to bend the 2nd/3rd fork regularly (worse on larger motors though) & round off the dogs for the same gears. The transmission has to be "timed" when you put it back together. It's in the manual.
Clark,
I checked today after taking the clutch cover off and cleaning the plates, it definitely has primary kick. When I bought mine in '82 I didnt even know there were bikes without primary kick, so I would have noticed that. The funny thing is, I just got the '82 Dirt Bike magazine with the test of the bike, and their test bike did not have primary kick but maybe it was an early year bike? I know for sure though that my new bike and this one here both have primary kick.
Brian
ATF oil!
I was watching that one on ebay Brian. It could'nt have gone to a more deserving buyer. Congrats and good luck with it.
This fall I twice trail rode (apx 65 miles total) a 1983 Husqvarna XC500. I was soooo impressed with how great it handled. If I have any complaint, I'd say they are overly tall. Other than that, I'm a firm believer and admirer of '83 Husky's.
Bob
Ohh...you've touched a soft spot in my "collective" heart, Brian. From 1981-84, I raced hare scrambles in Ohio and Southern Michigan. Most of this effort was done on an IT175, but I fantasized about the small bore Husky during this time. Fantasy became reality when I picked up the 83 WR125 (White Lightning!). As I recall, I actually went with the WR spec because it had shorter suspension (10" vs. 12" of the XC and CR). Mine came with Betors, but the XC did show up with Ohlins in 1983 - there was just no way those orange Konis were going to be a color match for all that white, yellow, and blue paint and plastic that the bike was suddenly adorned with.
But I didn't stop there. Maybe it was for the reasons described above by Southrider, but I struggled with the stock 125 power - at least relative to what I was used to from the IT. Figuring might makes right, after one race and maybe a couple of trail rides, I picked up the phone and ordered the 175 kit from MCC in Illinois. That setup seemed to work much better for me - I think it's worth mentioning - this bike needed the extra power. The Husky experts can correct me, but there was nothing "downsized" about the Husky chassis just because it was a 1-2-5. It was big, and probably kinda heavy for a "tiddler". Also mounted a screaming yellow "safety" seat and somehow got my hands on the shorter WR Ohlins, but paid dearly as I recall.
Enjoyed the 175 power much more. Started clicking better with the bike and I think got back up to the speed I was racing the IT (I could usually finish on the podium in B 200 with the Blue Boy). But, as fondly as I look back on this Husky, I never achieved the results that I did on the (smaller) Yamaha. I think part of this was attributable to some professional (lifestyle) changes that greatly reduced my race weekend opportunities for a while. I showed up at a nuke construction/startup site (Fermi 2 in Michigan) and was put on 6 12's for almost a year. I was just cooked (wealthy, but cooked).
But part of it may have been the "bigger" bike attributes of these particular Huskies.
But YOU are Brian Kirby. A guy who has looked a Penton 400 in the face and laughed. From on top of a milk crate admittedly.
Have fun with the project, BK. Happy New Years and thank YOU for your POG advice and racing adventures for 2010. Great stuff.