Rockstar Husqvarna

Markus422
Posts
249
Joined
4/5/2018
Location
Seattle, WA US
5/6/2026 9:31pm

Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which actually made four strokes that were at least different from the main KTM brand and intriguing.

5
KirkChandler
Posts
1677
Joined
7/31/2015
Location
Oceanside, CA US
5/6/2026 9:41pm
Markus422 wrote:
Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which...

Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which actually made four strokes that were at least different from the main KTM brand and intriguing.

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.


Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to sell them as white bikes or red bikes until the next limit, repeat. 

It worked for Toyota/Lexus/Scion for cars. Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti. They packaged them as low/mid/high end. Similar to GasGas/Husky/KTM. 

2
ohh_454
Posts
2855
Joined
6/24/2023
Location
Nuevo, CA US
Fantasy
5/6/2026 9:58pm
NorCal1975 wrote:

Wonder what this could mean for the Coenens next year?  How many factory KTM rides are they prepared to line up on the AMA side?

They’ll be fine. RedBull KTM in Europe let Herlings walk knowing that the Coenens have their eyes on America, theyll make room for them if they come out here no matter what. 

1
jaun
Posts
718
Joined
4/27/2021
Location
MX
5/7/2026 3:27am
M1000 wrote:

Mookie going to need find new business friends. Lately he on rollercoaster. Seven folded, Husqvarna race team folding. Better hope fxr contract holds up. 

When did Seven fold?

4

The Shop

jaun
Posts
718
Joined
4/27/2021
Location
MX
5/7/2026 3:28am
Markus422 wrote:
Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which...

Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which actually made four strokes that were at least different from the main KTM brand and intriguing.

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to...

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.


Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to sell them as white bikes or red bikes until the next limit, repeat. 

It worked for Toyota/Lexus/Scion for cars. Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti. They packaged them as low/mid/high end. Similar to GasGas/Husky/KTM. 

This is the correct answer 

yak651
Posts
8601
Joined
8/26/2006
Location
Appleton, WI US
Fantasy
5/7/2026 3:33am
truck wrote:
So who is cooksey's source? Someone said in other thread he's got a KTM group source.... who is it? It's hilarious to me that people are arguing...

So who is cooksey's source? Someone said in other thread he's got a KTM group source.... who is it? 

It's hilarious to me that people are arguing that journalists don't or shouldn't report rumors, that they have to wait for the PR.... if that's the case, they serve literally no purpose. 

Such a weird dynamic in this sport.... journalists openly admit they bend to the will of those they cover so they don't lose access, don't report things until they're told they can, leak things when asked to, get scooped by a guy that's been totally shut out of the sport, then want to talk about the importance of independent journalism when feld starts talking about bringing it all in house. 

I get that if you piss someone off they might not talk to you but there's a limit to how far teams can take that and if that's the job you do it anyway. The whole point of racing is for the exposure. I don't really buy that the most established journalists are going to get shut out of the sport for doing their job. They might lose friends and free meals in the trucks, but journalists in all other sports manage to do the job without the need to maintain bro relationships, and the journalists themselves aren't in group chats with all the other journalists sharing info and making sure everyone is on the same page. Matthes talks all the time about his friend who covers hockey and the difference in the norms in the two sports, and the lack of self awareness every time he mentions it is baffling to me. The upside for him isn't that it allows him to do his job better, it's the friendships, and fans defend this instead of wanting more out of the people who cover the sport. 

Because they aren’t journalists, just people that have been around the sport. Weege is the closest but I believe even his degree was marketing. Was funny a couple weeks back when Steve made light of the PR from teams not being legit because they don’t have a degree in that field. Hello, you’re an ex mechanic (who wasn’t formally trained in that either) playing journalist!

4
1
AH387
Posts
1631
Joined
8/29/2019
Location
Bridgeville, PA US
5/7/2026 4:17am
Markus422 wrote:
Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which...

Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which actually made four strokes that were at least different from the main KTM brand and intriguing.

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to...

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.


Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to sell them as white bikes or red bikes until the next limit, repeat. 

It worked for Toyota/Lexus/Scion for cars. Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti. They packaged them as low/mid/high end. Similar to GasGas/Husky/KTM. 

Even if that is the case, these are racing products, with a racing team. It's a lot easier to tier a commuting vehicle at different price-points, than have 3 levels of a racing machine. Having 2 slightly worse versions at very little price difference, in this sport, doesn't make any sense. Why pay the same for those early Husky, when the airbox isn't as efficient as the KTM? Or to have no map switch and worse parts on a GG? I feel like had they left Gasgas on that original '22 platform, carbed 2 strokes etc, and kept the price down, then they had something. But I read in MXA that they said it cost the company more to leave that line on the old platforms. So it still all never made sense, in a round-about way, in my opinion. I loved that it created more teams and had more factory rider support though. And it sucks to see that now being rolled back. But at least in the tough times that they are in, that they are going to offer like the old "Factory Services" support for some of the satellite teams.

2
Motodragon
Posts
121
Joined
1/12/2022
Location
Middleburg, FL US
5/7/2026 5:27am
        I’m going to guess that Mookie rides Suzuki next year with Kenny. I think it would be a good fit, the budget...

        I’m going to guess that Mookie rides Suzuki next year with Kenny. I think it would be a good fit, the budget was there for JA, so it could definitely be figured out.

Juck wrote:

It would be really cool to see another Rockstar rider on Suzuki again. Rockstar Suzuki had maybe my favourite team livery of all time

Triumph needs a title sponsor and Malcolm could bring Rockstar with him. 

1
SEEMEFIRST
Posts
13571
Joined
8/21/2006
Location
Arlington, TX US
5/7/2026 5:29am
        I’m going to guess that Mookie rides Suzuki next year with Kenny. I think it would be a good fit, the budget...

        I’m going to guess that Mookie rides Suzuki next year with Kenny. I think it would be a good fit, the budget was there for JA, so it could definitely be figured out.

Juck wrote:

It would be really cool to see another Rockstar rider on Suzuki again. Rockstar Suzuki had maybe my favourite team livery of all time

Motodragon wrote:

Triumph needs a title sponsor and Malcolm could bring Rockstar with him. 

Probably a better shot with Bass Pro. Sounds like Rockstar is going all in on NASCAR.

2
5/7/2026 5:37am
Markus422 wrote:
Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which...

Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which actually made four strokes that were at least different from the main KTM brand and intriguing.

The very initial marketing plan was:

GasGas is a base model Toyota Highlander XE

KTM is a Toyota Highlander Platinum

Husky is a Lexus (whatever the Highlander in disguise is called) 

 

Then a regional rep said, in about 2017, the plan was to make Husqvarna the street/adventure bike line, KTM the MX/Enduro line, and GasGas the play bike line, but I don't know how credible he was. 

 

1
5/7/2026 7:44am
SEEMEFIRST wrote:

Probably a better shot with Bass Pro. Sounds like Rockstar is going all in on NASCAR.

Bass Pro and 5.11 Tactical, there may be something there.

Coach529
Posts
398
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Coeur d'Alene, ID US
5/7/2026 8:10am

The only thing I am worried about is if this will affect Phil.

 

2
olderandYZer
Posts
140
Joined
3/24/2020
Location
Bellefonte , WV US
5/8/2026 12:57pm
Markus422 wrote:
Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which...

Maybe dumb question but why did KTM acquire Husky and GasGas to make nearly identical bikes (i know subframe triple clamps sure) ,but kill Husaberg, which actually made four strokes that were at least different from the main KTM brand and intriguing.

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to...

Importation quotas is the rumor I always heard.


Sell/import 1 less orange bike than the limit that bumps your tariff/taxes to the next level, but continue to sell them as white bikes or red bikes until the next limit, repeat. 

It worked for Toyota/Lexus/Scion for cars. Honda/Acura, Nissan/Infiniti. They packaged them as low/mid/high end. Similar to GasGas/Husky/KTM. 

AH387 wrote:
Even if that is the case, these are racing products, with a racing team. It's a lot easier to tier a commuting vehicle at different price-points...

Even if that is the case, these are racing products, with a racing team. It's a lot easier to tier a commuting vehicle at different price-points, than have 3 levels of a racing machine. Having 2 slightly worse versions at very little price difference, in this sport, doesn't make any sense. Why pay the same for those early Husky, when the airbox isn't as efficient as the KTM? Or to have no map switch and worse parts on a GG? I feel like had they left Gasgas on that original '22 platform, carbed 2 strokes etc, and kept the price down, then they had something. But I read in MXA that they said it cost the company more to leave that line on the old platforms. So it still all never made sense, in a round-about way, in my opinion. I loved that it created more teams and had more factory rider support though. And it sucks to see that now being rolled back. But at least in the tough times that they are in, that they are going to offer like the old "Factory Services" support for some of the satellite teams.

Market share.

Marboro, Marboro lights, Marboro red, Marboro 100's, etc.

Market share

AH387
Posts
1631
Joined
8/29/2019
Location
Bridgeville, PA US
5/8/2026 1:28pm

Market share.

Marboro, Marboro lights, Marboro red, Marboro 100's, etc.

Market share

Yeah I get that it seems similar, but just like in my post with the commuter cars, it's not quite the same when it's a racing market and teams. Different flavor of cigs is just that. They do the same thing but taste different. 

The bikes you generally want the fastest, best version, which is why we all mod our bikes and buy the new models. So making 3 versions of the same bike and 2 of them are technically not as good as the other, is not ideal. Especially when the price difference is not much. A Gasgas with worse suspension, brakes, no map switch and a few other plain jane features (compared to the KTM) still costs more than a YZ. I'm sorry that just isn't a good business model.

2
5/8/2026 4:29pm

..Rockstar has been wanting out for awhile and the time has come ..it doesnt have anything to do with the bankruptcy .if Rockstar didnt pull out then Husky would be the same next year as this year...From what i understand there will be 3  or 4  250 riders and 2 possibly 3 450 riders for ktm..Rockstar to NASCAR 

1
olderandYZer
Posts
140
Joined
3/24/2020
Location
Bellefonte , WV US
5/8/2026 5:39pm Edited Date/Time 5/8/2026 5:40pm

Market share.

Marboro, Marboro lights, Marboro red, Marboro 100's, etc.

Market share

AH387 wrote:
Yeah I get that it seems similar, but just like in my post with the commuter cars, it's not quite the same when it's a racing...

Yeah I get that it seems similar, but just like in my post with the commuter cars, it's not quite the same when it's a racing market and teams. Different flavor of cigs is just that. They do the same thing but taste different. 

The bikes you generally want the fastest, best version, which is why we all mod our bikes and buy the new models. So making 3 versions of the same bike and 2 of them are technically not as good as the other, is not ideal. Especially when the price difference is not much. A Gasgas with worse suspension, brakes, no map switch and a few other plain jane features (compared to the KTM) still costs more than a YZ. I'm sorry that just isn't a good business model.

More dealers, more saturation of the market.  It worked till it didn't

 

Like you said, they do the same thing but taste different. 

 The world just changed. 

Post a reply to: Rockstar Husqvarna

The Latest