Never Ridden – 1988 Husqvarna 430 Automatic

In Off-Road, Sweden by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This Husky sold for $7,150 at Mecum Kansas City.


Mecum’s auctioning off a few cars in Kansas City on December 5-7, but they’re sneaking in two bike lots as well. One is a modern Harley-Davidson with a freaky clown-themed paint job that I’m not interested in – the other is this pristine 80s Husky.

Designed on spec for the Swedish Army, the Husqvarna automatic bikes were built to be practical and easy to use. They proved to be interesting enough to survive in the commercial market for 12 years, ending in the late 80s with the 430 model you see here. The majority of the autos had a 4-speed auto with 4 centrifugal clutches. When you decelerated, the powerplant went into freewheeling mode, and then when you got back on the throttle, the bike would decide the appropriate gear based on rear wheel speed. For more information on the Husky automatics, check out this profile from BikeEXIF.

This bike (VIN: ZHUAE4309JS028054) was actually auctioned off by Mecum back in January 2018 at their large Las Vegas auction – it sold for $11,550 out of the Tom Reese collection.

Find this Husqvarna Automatic for sale in Kansas City, Kansas here in an upcoming Mecum auction.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Tim H!