Howerton 77" Husky

ninety3
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ninety3
Edited Date/Time 11/3/2012 5:02pm
Nice Shot, thanks RXi


http://www.racerxonline.com/2011/04/17/40-day-countdown-to-ama-motocross-opener-1977
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drmarkr
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drmarkr 4/18/2011 3:29pm
4/18/2011 3:29pm
Placerville....
newmann
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newmann 4/18/2011 5:54pm
4/18/2011 5:54pm Edited Date/Time 10/31/2012 6:56am
Howerton's Husky, year and a half ago. He gave me the full rundown!



Looks pretty basic and not real trick. No doubt Howerton's skills came into play against the mighty works Honda's of the day.



Without a doubt, this is THE bike that made Fox Air Shox famous. Custom built Pro-Fab swingarm in an effort to eliminate flex and chain derailment. Stock hubs machined down



Custom chain guide and a 530 chain and sprockets.



The most bizarre tale came when Kent spun the rear wheel and we watched the countershaft sprocket wobble back and forth as it spun because the actual countershaft itself was bent! Can you imagine the 2011 SX Series winding down with four guys in the hunt and one of them rolls to the line in Vegas knowing their countershaft was bent???



Tape on the crossbar was the AMA tech inspection tag from the last race. Magnesium upper triple, aluminum lower. Fork lowers are magnesium.



Kent didn't like the feel of available grips so he got a razor blade and trimmed them till they felt just right. Throttle rolled back to get the cable out of harms way and a roll of electrical tape to reinforce things!



Of all the pipes they tried, Kent liked this one the best.



Cable saver! Old school.....



At a race Kent was admiring Mikkola's pegs and asking why he couldn't get "the good stuff".....so his mechanic skanked them!
Coyote
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Coyote 4/18/2011 7:06pm
4/18/2011 7:06pm
newmann wrote:
Howerton's Husky, year and a half ago. He gave me the full rundown! [img]http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/tt171/duc-man97/Howerton001.jpg[/img] Looks pretty basic and not real trick. No doubt Howerton's skills came...
Howerton's Husky, year and a half ago. He gave me the full rundown!



Looks pretty basic and not real trick. No doubt Howerton's skills came into play against the mighty works Honda's of the day.



Without a doubt, this is THE bike that made Fox Air Shox famous. Custom built Pro-Fab swingarm in an effort to eliminate flex and chain derailment. Stock hubs machined down



Custom chain guide and a 530 chain and sprockets.



The most bizarre tale came when Kent spun the rear wheel and we watched the countershaft sprocket wobble back and forth as it spun because the actual countershaft itself was bent! Can you imagine the 2011 SX Series winding down with four guys in the hunt and one of them rolls to the line in Vegas knowing their countershaft was bent???



Tape on the crossbar was the AMA tech inspection tag from the last race. Magnesium upper triple, aluminum lower. Fork lowers are magnesium.



Kent didn't like the feel of available grips so he got a razor blade and trimmed them till they felt just right. Throttle rolled back to get the cable out of harms way and a roll of electrical tape to reinforce things!



Of all the pipes they tried, Kent liked this one the best.



Cable saver! Old school.....



At a race Kent was admiring Mikkola's pegs and asking why he couldn't get "the good stuff".....so his mechanic skanked them!
anyone that could make one of these last an entire moto let alone 2 in the hands of Howertons skill got only two things to say...Eric Crippa!!!
ninety3
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ninety3 4/18/2011 7:13pm
4/18/2011 7:13pm
Yep
Crippa is the Man !

The Shop

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JOHN CHOATE
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JOHN CHOATE 4/18/2011 7:21pm
4/18/2011 7:21pm
Wow, thanks for posting. Very cool.
wildbill
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wildbill 4/18/2011 7:50pm
4/18/2011 7:50pm
That thing's a beautiful piece of European works.

I loved my 77 250-CR Husqvarna. Forks were lil 35mm flexy flyr's but at least they had a whopping 10 inches of travel plus, the flex made them feel pretty plush compared to my CZ's. Looks like Kent's were bigger and had gussets on the lowers. Mine was a six speed too which was cool because I had to shift that thing constantly to keep up any other 250. Not the fastest but a great trail and desert bike. Felt good in the air too.
TooOldToPlay
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TooOldToPlay 4/18/2011 8:10pm
4/18/2011 8:10pm
I remember the thing as a rocket in Howerton's hands at Red Bud in 77.......

Vet57
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Vet57 4/19/2011 6:03am
4/19/2011 6:03am
Man I miss the 70's....
Racer92
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Racer92 4/21/2011 7:40am
4/21/2011 7:40am Edited Date/Time 10/31/2012 6:46am
Excellent pictures.
TX24
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TX24 10/31/2012 6:22am
10/31/2012 6:22am
About a year ago Moto USA magazine ran a story about Husky. Had a great photo of Kent in action on that bike.
BobbyM
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BobbyM 10/31/2012 6:35am
10/31/2012 6:35am
drmarkr wrote:
Placerville....
Plymouth... you should have known
Smile
davistld01
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davistld01 10/31/2012 6:46am
10/31/2012 6:46am
There is ALWAYS room for another Husky thread Racer92! I loved my '74 Husky 125CR and Mag 250's more than pretty much any bikes I ever owned. The real trickness of the factory Huskys were pretty much under the skin so to speak...the handiwork in the turning down of stock parts, the strengthening of others...Crippa was a master at taking what he had to work with and making it last in the hands of Howerton. Nice to see Kent getting some web-time. He was a hero of mine as a younger man, and I was impressed the times I met him at how cool and totally approachable he was. Good dude!
dizzy8085
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dizzy8085 10/31/2012 7:07am
10/31/2012 7:07am
Kent and his son Derek still ride every weekend. Very humble people.

Derek is a ripper.
CR500Rider
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CR500Rider 10/31/2012 7:28am
10/31/2012 7:28am
Kent still gets around the track pretty quick..
davistld01
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davistld01 10/31/2012 9:31am
10/31/2012 9:31am
dizzy8085 wrote:
Kent and his son Derek still ride every weekend. Very humble people.

Derek is a ripper.
Cool! I was introduced to a young Kent Howerton by Wyman Priddy at a couple of Trans-AMA races, one in particular at Rio Bravo in Houston. He came off as genuine and nice as Wyman, and it was in direct opposite of the beast he became on the track! Amazing!
BobbyM
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BobbyM 10/31/2012 9:49am
10/31/2012 9:49am
Without a doubt, this is THE bike that made Fox Air Shox famous

not so sure about that although you may be right, there are a few more scooters you could add to that list...mainly wise's elsinore and richters rm.
motomike137
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motomike137 10/31/2012 1:34pm
10/31/2012 1:34pm
TooOldToPlay wrote:
I remember the thing as a rocket in Howerton's hands at Red Bud in 77....... [img]http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo154/TooOldToPlay/Howerton77RedBud.jpg[/img]
I remember the thing as a rocket in Howerton's hands at Red Bud in 77.......

I was there too... Kent made it go by judicious use of the clutch out of the corners. He pioneered the technique.
eemckenzieii
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eemckenzieii 11/3/2012 5:02pm
11/3/2012 5:02pm
Dudes and Dudettes, Still the legendary race at '81? saddleback between Hannah and Howerton has got to be viewed. Theres a video available. It was filmed by Hannah's mechanic. How ya all doing? Eugene McKenzie II on facebook. Look me up.

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