• Includes California registration card and letter from Competition Enterprises naming Dennis Lee Hopper as buyer
• Fully restored by Husky Restorations

Husqvarna was originally a military arsenal founded in 1689 to produce muskets for the Swedish Army. The company has since grown over nearly 330 years and its production has changed from weapons to sewing machines, kitchen equipment, bicycles, motorcycles, lawn mowers, chainsaws and a whole raft of construction products. That original company has been divided and sub-divided over the years – the motorcycle division, for example, is now owned by Austrian KTM, via Italian Cagiva/MV Agusta then German BMW. In the 1960s, the Husky lightweight, small capacity, 2-stroke, off-road bikes helped make the once dominant British large capacity, 4-stroke motorcycles quickly obsolete. Husqvarna was, during the two decades of the '60s and '70s, the dominant force in the dirt bike world, winning 14 motocross world championships, 24 enduro world championships and 11 Baja 1000 victories across the 125, 250 and 500 classes.
American Edison Dye of San Diego took notice and started importing Husqvarna's line into the Unites States. Shortly after the stateside debut, a Husky 250 was shown carrying a talented young racer by the name of Malcolm Smith across a perfect California beach in the seminal movie On Any Sunday. Then Steve McQueen on the cover of Sports Illustrated, as he charged his Husky, albeit a 400, through the Mojave Desert. And the popular explosion of the sport of dirt bike riding began. It is thus the Swedish Husqvarna, perhaps, that made motocross, desert racing, and then Supercross de rigueur.
This particular 1970 Cross model is an iconic 'red tank' 250cc, 4-speed – in 1970 Husqvarna made a total of only 5,076 motorcycles - and was bought new by Dennis Lee Hopper, of Venice, California. Hopper, the Hollywood wild man whose memorable career included an early turn in Rebel Without a Cause, and classic character roles in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He also directed, co-wrote, and starred in a motorcycle picture by the name of Easy Rider. He passed away on May 25, 2011 at age 74.
Hopper is the only known owner until the bike reached Rob Phillips, proprietor of Husky Restorations in upstate New York, who put it through a thorough restoration: 'All surfaces were stripped and re-coated; all the rubber pieces and the seat foam were replaced; the motor was torn down and the piston and all bearings were replaced.' This tough yet sublime dirt bike not only has that special pedigree but also the unique provenance to make it one of the most desirable motorcycles in the world.