Description
Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!
Additional photos of this 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross are available here for your perusal.
A truly iconic motorbike, the Husqvarna 400 Cross was made famous by Steve McQueen when he rode a 1970 model in the classic movie On Any Sunday.
Husky’s red tanks (with polished panels to minimize marring from the rider’s pants) became the defining off-road livery for many riders and was a symbol for Husqvarna’s racing success.
The 400 Cross is outfitted with a 395cc Husqvarna air cooled single cylinder two stroke motor that makes 40hp, paired with a left side kick start and a 4-speed transmission. The unit construction engine and expansion chamber were painted matte black to help dissipate heat.
This example is VIN: MH2504. The seller is the second owner – he acquired it on consignment from Valerian’s 2-Cycle City in 1972.
There is no odometer – true mileage is unknown. “According to the mods made to the bike before I got it, it appears to have been a serious desert racer. I personally put hundreds (3-4 thousand?) of miles on the bike over about 8 years. This bike is an old warhorse.” When the seller bought the bike in 1972, it already had the dent in the tank.
The bike was in storage for thirty years (the tank was emptied before storage) until the seller recently brought it back to life. The seller notes that he had always run the bike with Francisco’s Powermist castor oil (no longer available) in a 50:1 mix and the engine has never seized. Second gear was replaced at some point, which was a known flaw before his purchase. The current owner replaced wheels after a crash: “the wheels on the bike now are proper Akront rims exactly as stock.”
Modifications:
The original owner performed/installed the following:
Frame cut for desert racing. “The cut frame on mine is very subtle and you really have to know what you’re looking at. It lowered the rear a little and slightly changed the geometry of the forks. I always felt right at home on this thing.”
Black handlebars.
Leather flap over shifter.
Leather wrist/thumb guard on throttle side twist grip.
Wired spokes.
Suzuki front fork seals.
Chain guard delete.
Crash guards mounted under the frame to protect engine cases. “The stock frame splits at the base of the downtube and Ys off to either side. You can see where these guards bolt on to the lower engine mount, wrap around the cases, and go back by the foot pegs. Until last week I always thought these were stock because they seemed so logical. Turns out they were aftermarket.”
The head was drilled for a second spark plug (or compression release). It is also equipped with two coils and two plug wires each going to a respective spark plug. There is a controller on the handlebars that has a kill switch as well as a switch from one coil to the other. You can do this on the fly and if one plug fouls you can change to the other one. Currently, there is a compression release installed in the auxiliary plug hole. If you decide to use two spark plugs, the one in the auxiliary hole MUST have spacers (which are included in the sale) installed so the long reach plug won’t interfere with the piston.
The current owner performed/installed the following:
Spark arrestor.
Tool bag.
Plastic rear fenders.
Aftermarket rear shocks.
Recent Maintenance Work:
To bring this Husky back to life, the seller set the timing and adjusted the points, boil cleaned the carb and installed a new bowl gasket, adjusted the clutch, and flushed the gearbox oil. He also installed several new parts: air cleaner, kick starter rubber, hand grips, left side cover gasket, leather flap over the shifter, and compression release.
The sale includes a service manual and a tool kit.
“The green ring shown in one of the photos is the original carrier cage for the air cleaner foam. There is no replacement foam available these days and I installed one made by UNI which seems to be the standard now.”
The seller took it for a short ride around his neighborhood yesterday and says, “it is still strong and if I rolled on the throttle in second gear I could lift the front end up a few inches without any effort.” Currently located in Los Angeles, California, this Husqvarna is offered on a clean California “Off Highway Vehicle” title. Have any 400 Cross stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
Please Note: In response to customer requests, we are implementing an automatic bid bump: if your proxy bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, bidding will jump up to meet that price and you will see “Reserve price has been met” under the price. Please contact abhi@iconicmotorbikes.com if you have any questions!
