Please visit this page often for new and existing articles on Husqvarna Motorcycles along with other general motorcycle advice. Whether you're new to motorcycles looking for maintaince advice or if you are wanting to improve your riding ability, we definitely feel like you are at the right place.
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Husqvarna Motorcycle Articles
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2 stroke engines require oil to be mixed in the fuel and a separate oil is needed for the transmission. We found a lot of people asking us what kind of gear oil should they use in old vintage Husqvarna motorcycles.
For the older vintage Husqvarna motorcycles, pre 90's, it's recommended that you use regular 30 wt oil for transmission fluid. Any straight 30 wt oil that is not synthetic will work perfect.
It does sound basic but remember that the clutch plates were made a long time ago and the new oils of today were not made for this purpose.
Break-In process for 2-Stroke Vintage Husqvarna's
Start with fresh 92 Octane pump gas. Gas older than 5 weeks is considered bad due to low quality fuels of today. Mix your gas to a 32:1 ratio with any mix you like. Basic gas mix works best, don't need anything fancy like newer bikes do.
For transmission/gear oil, we recommend using basic Valvoline 30wt oil. This has shown the best results from our experience and just happens to be the cheapest. NO synthetic oils!
Before your first engine start-up, you must follow the procedure below:
Step 1: Prelube cylinder w/ thin layer of engine oil before installing head.
Then tighten all head studs to 22-24 Ft-lbs.
Step 2: Wait 15 minutes, do not start engine, and re-tighten studs to the same 22-24 Ft-lbs.
Why? Cause the pressure will stretch the head studs and the new gasket(s) will flatten.
Step 3: Then start engine, let idle for 5 minutes, and go for a 30 minute ride at no more than 1/2 throttle.
Step 4: Once engine is cool, re-tighten head studs again to the same 22-24 Ft-lbs, change transmission oil,
check clutch cable adjustment, and change the spark plug to finish the break-in process.
You must re-tighten the head studs 3 separate times or you may run the risk of low compression or even possible engine failure.
Don't be a victom of loose spokes. When your spokes get loose, your wheel starts to wobble and causes spokes to break leading to complete wheel failure. Just a couple of loose spokes will cause your wheel to be unbalanced which then needs re-truing. Those first couple spokes will be the first to break if not tightened.
How to check your spokes
- All it takes is 1 spoke to loosen which will cause another to loosen which will lead to the rest of them coming loose. Just by tighting these first few loose spokes will stop the process.
- When spokes loosen, they start to wobble and flex which gives them no other choice but to break at the nipple.
- To check if a spoke is loose, simply tap it with a piece of metal like a wrench. If tight, it will make a high pitch "ting" sound. If loose, it will make a low pitch "dong" sound.
- If only 1 or 2 are slightly loose, no big deal just tighten those few loose ones. But if there are several loose spokes then your wheel may need to be trued again.
How to prevent loose spokes
- Always have fresh, smooth rolling bearings. Worn bearings cause vibrations at high speeds that will start the process.
- Bent rotors or sprocket will cause vibrations that start the process.
- A single dimple in the edge of the rim can start the process
Cautions
Of course everyone knows that you can easily crash a wheelie by going over backwards or running into something. But what everyone doesn't know is that bringing the front tire down out of a wheelie sometimes can be the most dangerous, especially at high speeds. What I mean is if the front tire is just barely off dead center straight when landing, you will get head shake (handle bars bouncing back and forth).
The thing to remember about head shake is that once it starts, you will most likely crash unless you can control it. I have had even the smallest head shake get so bad that I crash within 1-2 seconds of it starting. Head shake is serious and you must learn how to control small doses of it to learn how to control the serious High speed head shake that could end in death.
Also, don't forget that your front tire slows down the longer you ride a wheelie and can sometimes come to a complete stop. This causes a big disruption when landing and can easily cause head shake. Think of it as an airplane landing, you will get the same tire squelch if riding on the street.
What is the best way to control Head Shake? Get down low with the bike and tense every last muscle in your body to get the wheels back into alignment. A position similar to riding through whoops is ideal, tucked down low holding on with everything you got.
The Basics
- Most important is to be smooth with your throttle. The smoother that you roll on & off the throttle, the smoother & easier that your wheelie will be.
- Trick to the pull up - Everyone knows how to give it full throttle to pull up the front tire. But what everyone doesn't know is the trick to sticking the pull up. The trick is to gently EASE off the throttle once the wheel is high enough. This easing off will easily bring the bike into the balance point with no herky jerky action which sets you up for longer distance.
- The Balance Point - Every bike has one and every bike is different. I always start small by not riding a wheelie but just popping the front tire off the ground to get the feel of what the bike wants to do. After several pops then, if you feel comfortable, you should move to a 20-30 ft. wheelie and work your way up from there. Before you know it, you'll be riding a mile long wheelie.
Motorcycle chains take a serious beating especially in muddy or sandy conditions. The only way to prevent extensive wear is to periodically oil your chain. But sometimes this alone is not enough because chain lube can only be applied to the exterior and not the interior. So if chain lube is not enough, what is the best way of oiling your chain and what is the best chain lube available?
Well, I'll tell you right now, you will never be able to oil anything better than a brand new chain straight from the factory. To do that you would have to completely dismantle your chain to soak each individual piece with their high quality lubricant, not going to happen.
The easiest, fastest, and best way to oil your chain is by using your old motor oil. Next time that you go to do your periodic engine oil change, simply heat the oil by running your engine before performing oil change. 5-10 minutes of idling should be good, use your judgment here depending on outside temperature.
While your engine is heating the oil, remove and clean your chain to prepare it for oiling. Once the oil is warm, shut-off engine and drain it out into your regular drain pan. Here's the trick, throw your chain into the oil pan full of HOT oil and let it sit for several hours or even over night. After soaking, remove chain and hang it over oil pan allowing all excess oil to drip off. Wipe clean with a rag leaving all the oil on the interior and not the exterior.
Doing this trick allows the heated oil to work its way deep into the pins of the chain. All the oil is back inside of the chain where its most needed with no oil residue on outside that could cause a mess. This simple trick is one of the best ways of oiling your chain that is very comparable to having a brand new chain straight from the factory.
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