As off-road motorcycle racing evolved through
the 1960s and early 1970s, a movement began away from lightly modified street
bikes toward machines designed from the outset for competition. In this period
before the Japanese manufacturers came to be involved, the Europeans set the
trends, building ever lighter and more powerful machines. Swedish maker
Husqvarna came to epitomize the success of motorcycles developed for and
extensively raced in closed-course competition. Its models won 14 motocross and
24 enduro (longer distance) titles through the late 1970s.
McQueen’s Husqvarna 400 Cross was the latest
in a line of big-bore motocross models that combines fearsome power and superb
handling. Up to that point, many off-road riders endured heavier, twin-cylinder
street models stripped and lightened as much as possible; even so, they were
leaden and cumbersome. Along came the two-stroke Husky 400 Cross, featuring a
breathtakingly lusty single-cylinder engine suspended in a lightweight steel
frame. This was the period before plastics, so the Husky presented a sculpted
aluminum fuel tank with a polished section to help reduce marring where the
rider meets the bike. The polished/bright-red combination became an iconic
symbol for motocross bikes of the 1970s.
Husqvarnas were featured in the indelible On
Any Sunday motorcycle movie, which put the company on the map for U.S. riders.
Seeing motorcycle legend Malcolm Smith and McQueen kick up long roostertails of
sand on the beach outside of Camp Pendleton minted new dirtbke enthusiasts with
every showing.
The Husky 400 Cross was a brutal, unforgiving motorcycle, difficult to ride
well, which McQueen absolutely did. It embodies McQueen’s desire to be taken
seriously as a rider and racer. His mastery of the Husky only helps fuel his
legend.