It’s impossible to talk about vintage off-road motorcycles without mentioning the legendary Husqvarna Cross. Released in the 1960s, it was one of the bikes at the forefront of the transition from big four-stroke desert sleds to lighter purpose-built two-strokes. And who could forget a shirtless Steve McQueen wheelieing a Husqvarna 400 Cross on the cover of Sports Illustrated?
If there’s one bike hankering for a modern remake, it’s the Husqvarna Cross. Husqvarna hasn’t built it yet, so until they do, we’ll happily settle for “what if” custom jobs like this Cross tribute from Gas&Retro in Slovenia.
Gas&Retro’s Žiga Petek collaborated with the Slovenian Husqvarna dealer MotoXGeneration on the build. MotoXGeneration is a family business, run by brothers Rok, Martin, and Jure Rus. All three of them are motocross riders, and their father, Slavko Rus, was a top Slovenian motocrosser in the 1970s.
Rok reached out to Žiga about possibly building a custom motorcycle together, to commemorate Husqvarna’s 120th birthday. MotoXGeneration had a 2018 Husqvarna TC250 engine lying around and paired it up with the frame from a new Husqvarna FE 250. All they needed was a design direction for the build.
“Me and Rok started talking about what the bike should look like,” Žiga says. “We both agreed that should look like something Steve McQueen would ride—even though we were working with a four-stroke and not a two-stroke.”
The TC250 might not be a two-stroke, but it makes a respectable 46 hp in stock form. And both the TC250 and FE 250 hover around the 200 lbs mark in factory trim. So no matter how you cut it, Gas&Retro and MotoXGeneration had a spritely donor bike on their hands.
Rok’s brother, Martin, got to work on rebuilding the TC250 engine, while Žiga started playing with the frame. Rok had the idea to show the frame’s bare metal, so Žiga sand-blasted it, brushed it, and applied a clear coat to protect it. A custom subframe now sits at the back, with a kicked-up tail loop that tips its hat to the classic Husqvarna Cross design.
The team over at MotoXGeneration refinished some of the engine parts in gloss black, before mounting it into the FE 250 frame. From there, the Rus bros focused on building up the rest of the rolling chassis, so that they could send it over to Žiga to fabricate new bodywork.
On went a set of WP Suspension forks, lowered by 30 mm and upgraded with WP Pro internals. A new aluminum swingarm went on at the back, hooked up to a WP Suspension shock with a bladder system for easy adjustment. New DID rims were laced up to complete the set, measuring 21” at the front and 18” at the back.
Braking is courtesy of Brembo calipers, Galfer discs, and Magura master cylinders. MotoXGeneration also tweaked the Husky’s wiring, and installed a new speedo, push buttons, and a keyless ignition, all from Motogadget.
The Husky was then sent back to Gas&Retro so that Žiga could work his magic. The idea was to shape most of the bodywork out of aluminum—starting with a new vintage-style fuel tank that wears a Monza gas cap. “There was a lot of work to make it fit just right,” he admits.
Žiga also built a chunky retro-inspired seat base, and a pair of aluminum side covers. Hidden behind them is a custom intake with a K&N filter, along with the battery and electronics.
Handmade aluminum fenders bookend the bike; Žiga went big on the front, to emphasize the Husky’s retro style. The back’s finished off with a small Bates-type taillight, and turn signals that sit inside the frame rails. Žiga also handled some of the finer details—like the radiator’s new mesh cover.
Throughout the process, the bike continually ping-ponged between the Gas&Retro and MotoXGeneration workshops. It even made a turn at Akrapovič’s factory, where the Slovenian exhaust manufacturer built a custom titanium exhaust system specifically for this project.
One sticking point, however, was the headlight nacelle. “At the beginning, Rok bought an Acerbis fairing and plastic fenders,” says Žiga. “But then we talked, and I said to him ‘Mate, if I’m doing it all in aluminum I want to do the front fairing as well’.”
Rok agreed, so the bike went back to Gas&Retro once more for Žiga to shape the new headlight nacelle. The guys built it around an LED light, adding a modern touch to the retro setup.
By this point, the Husky’s livery was a no-brainer. Matej Mrzlika at MM Car Paint laid down the iconic Husqvarna red, white and yellow color scheme, with a few black touches thrown in for good measure. And Mitja Bizjak wrapped the seat in black leather with white stitching.
This might not be McQueen’s Husqvarna Cross, but it’s a damn fine tribute—and it probably goes like stink too. If Husqvarna is ever planning to build a modern classic Cross tribute, this would be a good blueprint.
Gas&Retro | Facebook | Instagram | MotoXGeneration | Images by Rok Plešnar
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