1982 Husqvarna 430XC

After negotiating with my bride for several months, I finally decided that the weight I had put on recently, and my overly sedantary lifestyle were in need of change. "Ah!", Thought I, "What an excellent excuse to get back into Vintage Motocross!". And so the search began. However, now, in 2007, the already slim pickin's for desirable old MX racing bikes was even slimmer than when I sojourned into the scene four years ago. It took me three months to find a bike that A) I wanted, B) was in decent condition, and C) was in my limited budget.

I found it in early February of 2007. There was a very clean 1980 Suzuki RM-400T in Craigslist for $1400. I called the guy and he was the original owner. It was a very clean bike, and was only on the first oversize. It had Works Performance shocks and looked a lot like my next bike.

But something was wrong. It didn't "Bite me". There was no hook. No passion. The spark wasn't there. I just didn't want it.

I also did a little parts research, and found pistons were getting really hard to find for the RM-400's. There was one guy who was the sole distributor for new made Wiseco pistons, and he wanted a RIDICULOUS $180 each for the damned things. Sorry Suzuki. Not gonna do that.

I took a step back and thought about what I really wanted. I did more web research, and looked at lots of pictures and realized I wanted another Husqvarna. I can't tell you what it is about Huskys that I like, as I really don't have a serious committed sense of lust, or brand loyalty to them, but at this moment I own three Husky motorcycles and a lawnmower. I'm starting to think I'm a fan. I never thought of myself as a Husky fan. Back in the early 80's, me and all my MX cronies laughed at them for being so "behind the times"...Metal gas tank, steel swingarm, left sided kick-start, dual shocks...come on, those things are so...'70's! However, even then, we all agreed they did one thing right...They built the baddest looking bikes on the planet.

They still look bad-assed. I needed one.

An e-mail to my old chum Siege, asking if he knew of anyone selling a Husky produced results within hours. Yes, he did. A 430. "PERFECT", I said, and I was off to buy it.

The guy I bought it from was a great fellow, and had already done most of the hard work at fixing the bike up. However, he had a beautiful and rare Maico 440 (the late model one with the 440 motor factory stuffed into the 490 frame), and wanted to downsize projects. Fine I said and gave him his asking price. Rare for me, because I am a born haggler. No haggling here. When I saw the bike, lust filled my eyes, and I wrote him a check.

It was a 1982 Husqvarna 430 XC. I graduated in 1982. Nifty. 1982 is just about the NEWEST bike you could possibly race in the Evolution/Post-Vintage classes. The rules are: Air-cooled, Drum brakes, and non-linkage suspension. All the Japanese MX bikes were well on their way out of orbit by '82. Kawasaki had introduced the first modern linkage rear suspension in 1980, and by '82 Suzuki, Yamaha, and Honda had all joined them, AND gone water-cooled. Disk brakes were coming fast. It is a tribute to earlier Swedish engineering that Husqvarna was able to squeeze the last bit out of their time honored and proven successful designs when set up against these miracle, high-tech, bleeding edge Japanese bikes. I have a 1981 Dirt Bike magazine review of the 430XC, and it is surprisingly complimentary. Which is saying a lot from that notoriously picky magazine at that time.

  Overall rating, 0 to 100. Various categories, keeping intended use of machine in mind:

Effectiveness, stone stock........97

  *($2685 in 1981! Ouch! How expensive! How much did I pay for my 2006 Husqvarna???)

Not bad specs. I could live with them. This was just what I was looking for to bring me back into Vintage racing...I have a problem saying that, as this bike is so far away from it's true "Vintage" stable mates. 1982 is a long way from 1974 in terms of  motocross development and history.

The bike is very nearly complete, needing only a few nuts and bolts here and there (fenders, seat mount, etc.).

I was going to strip it down and powder coat it. Then I noticed some rust forming on the sand blasted pipe and silencer. ZOUNDS! Can't have that! A quick trip to the local NAPA store, and I had some high-temp exhaust manifold paint, along with some fuel line, and a couple bolts. I got home and shot the first coat of pipe paint, AND THEN read the instructions: Cures at 600degrees; Must cure within 8 hours of application. Damn. Only one way to get it even close to that temperature. I had to get it back together and running. PRONTO!

The jug was off  when I bought the bike. I had to clean it, and get it back on along with the head , carburetor, and pipe way before I had planned.

I worked like a man possessed. Then, as I was about half done, I realized I had the aftermarket pipe and silencer ordered, and wasn't planning on using the stock units anyway. After that, some of the urgency abated, but I still wanted the stock pipe to cure up, as I might want to use it someday...when the racing phase gives way to the museum phase.

I got it all together at about 3:30pm, and after realizing the carburetor bolts were still loose resulting in a gasoline wash of the whole bottom end (which really cleaned things up, by-the-way *VBG*), finally got it to light on the first kick (after fixing the carb...it was about the 50th kick before I realized what was wrong). Subsequently, it started first or second kick each try. That made me a lot happier than 50 kicks of a left-side kicker without a pop.

I ended up putting on a DOT legal Dunlop 606 520/90-17 rear tire on it. This is the same tire I have on my TE-510, and while it's street legal, it has served well off-road on the TE, and I couldn't find any other tire I trusted in 17". I was leery of how a DOT approved tire would work MXing, but it has worked quite well so far.

The previous owner just had the Öhlins rebuilt, along with the forks, and he had the damping changed for 250lb. rider, which, I am hesitant to say, just happens to be my exact settings.

Below is prior to my first race on it, sporting the trick new numbers I custom made for it, along with the new seat and rear fender.

Baaah-WAAAAAP!!!!

Here are some pics Siege posted from my inaugural run:

Click here!

The 430 just before practice on March 10th at Riverdale...

...and after my first moto. It was a bit muddy. Note the sand built up on the rims.

 Vintage motocross...What a gas!

Vintage...Evo...post-vintage...What ever! I am having so much fun doing this, you can call it gay barn door surfing, and I wouldn't care.

The Husky performed excellent, and the only weak link was me. I floundered a bit through practice, and my first couple moto's, but by the end of the day, felt right at home on the 430, and back on the race track. Still need some conditioning though...and about 40 lbs. less rider. :)

After three years off, I ran a 5,4 in the +40 Evolution Intermediate class for a 4th over all, and then I took a 4, 3 in the +40 Open Intermediate Evo class for a 3rd over all. My thighs were still sore three days later, but I was back, my bike ran great, and I proved I could run with  the fastest guys in the Intermediate class.

It was a good day.

I tore the bike down and had the frame powder-coated by the good folks at CT Specialties down in Tumwater. I was very happy with the results. They did a bang up job. I also sprang for a pipe and silencer from Eric Cook's Pro-Form Racing, via Maico Only, and am very happy with it. Here is a shot of the bike during reassembly showing the new coat and pipe:

There are a few more things I still need to do, such as replace the 56 tooth rear sprocket with a smaller one. I have new clutch parts on order, and I'd like to pop in a new top end when I have the time and money, but we're racing now, and that is really all that matters.

It was a fine bike. The powerband was a little more sedate than I usually like, and I couldn't get used to the wide-ratio transmission on the tracks we run up here. I sold it to another NW Vintage guy at a small loss, but it sounds like a good home. I hope to see it at the tracks. It'll probably end up beating me...They always do.

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