1971 Husqvarna 250 – VIN # MI 4473

Formerly the Property of Steve McQueen

The 250 Cross available here has been sympathetically preserved as it was
when McQueen owned it. This red and silver 1971 Husqvarna Moto-Cross
250 motorcycle is fully documented with the original Med-International
Husqvarna dealer invoice, dated October 19, 1971, reflecting Solar
Productions, McQueens production company, as being the buyer of Husky
Moto-Cross 250cc Frame No. MI-4473 and Engine No. 254319 for the total
price of $898. There is a typed note at the bottom of the invoice stating, Ship
to Valerians for Steve to have picked up. Also included is the original
Manufacturers Statement of Origin document, dated October 19, 1971, stating
the matching Solar Productions buyer information, complete with matching
make, model and serial number. Along with that, the Husqvarna Motorcycle
Buyers Registration Card, made out to Solar Productions in North Hollywood,
dated October 19, 1971, the Med International Selling Invoice (both copies,
yellow and pink) dated October 19, 1971, the California DMV Transfer of
Owners Interest In and Possession of Motor Vehicle from Med International,
the selling dealer, dated October 19, 1971, and an Enduro Entry Application
from the California Enduro Riders Association signed by Steve McQueen.
Under the influence of friend and stunt man Bud Ekins (who made the famous
motorcycle jump over the fence in The Great Escape ), McQueen usually rode

Triumphs in the 1960s. But when Husqvarna appeared in the States,
McQueen found another favorite, and famously rode a Husky in the 1971 film
“On Any Sunday”. The film created thousands of first time bikers in the U.S. and
worldwide, and sales exploded for Husqvarna overnight. The Husqvarna 250
Cross from the movie is the same model as this, except this motorcycle was
his personal bike. McQueen was known for riding the Huskys at Lake Elsinore
when he competed in 1970 & 1971 in the expert class. The motorcycle has
been sympathetically preserved; with the exception of some paint loss on the
front fender, it remains in excellent cosmetic and running condition.

He’s known as being the King of Cool by fans for his successful acting
career, but many don’t realize that McQueen was an avid motorcycle
racer as well. McQueen loved motorcycles possibly more than any other
Hollywood star – he rode them all over the world, raced them off-road,
and even had a classic bike collection valued in the millions of dollars.
Read on to learn more about Steve McQueen’s love affair with two-
wheeled machines!

As he built up his acting career throughout the 1950s, he continued to ride recreationally, but
the real encounter that would change him from casual rider to motorcycle legend took place in
1959, when he met Los Angeles Triumph dealer and racer, Bud Ekins. The two struck up a
friendship immediately, and it also began his relationship with Triumph.

If you wanted a high-performance motorcycle in those days, you went with a British bike. It just
so happened that in 1959, Triumph had just beaten the world speed record, and introduced a
hot new bike in honor of the where the record was set – the Bonneville. The T120, as it was also
known, was virtually a street-legal race bike at the time, weighing a tick over 400 pounds and
with a powerful 650cc twin-cylinder motor. McQueen snapped one up immediately.
But around the same time, he was also getting into dirt riding, something he had never done
before. “I first tried out dirt riding on a bike I’d borrowed from a neighbor, and the sense of
being out there on your own was tremendous…just kick it over, drive up the side of a hill, and
you’re free!” That freedom meant a lot to McQueen, and in some ways it had been something
he had been searching for all his life.

While they were experts in desert racing, they were out of their element in damp, muddy
Europe, and were plagued by injuries throughout the race. Nevertheless, the mere fact that
McQueen competed in the race was an accomplishment, as the ISDT was considered one of the
toughest races in the world, and it did a lot to cement the image of McQueen as a true
motorcycle racer in the public eye.

After returning to the west coast, McQueen continued to race on major circuits throughout the
1960s, such as the Baja 1000, Mint 400, and Elsinore Grand Prix. About the desert racing

McQueen loved so much, he said “In bike racing, I specialize; I do rough country riding, the long-
distance kind of thing. With a cycle, you’re dealing with natural terrain, you learn to read the
earth…I like being out there in a desert on a set of wheels. You’re really alive out there.”
McQueen became well known as a notable member of the motorcycle racing community, and
made major contributions to the sport, including holding a patent on his own motorcycle racing
seat design, writing motorcycle review articles for Popular Science magazine, funding an off-
road racing team, and most notably, producing what is still considered to be the best
motorcycle riding documentary ever made, “On Any Sunday”.

To this day, he is remembered more by motorcycle riders for what he did for the sport than for
anything he did in Hollywood. And if you look carefully, you can probably see what many people
say – that of all the photos taken of McQueen in his life, he always looked happiest when on the
back of a bike.

Courtesy of Bike Bandit, May, 2018
The sale also included documentation showing Solar Productions, McQueen’s
production company, as the buyer, and a Utah title from the seller (the owner
of Blacksmith Garage), who had this to say about the bike: “Steve McQueen owned
quite a few bikes and it seems that from time to time one will come up for sale.
However, there are very few, if any, of his bikes that have the importance, paperwork and
provenance and have had such a profound effect upon pop culture than MF-1987 (the
1968 360 Viking’s frame number). MF-1987 is a Steve McQueen collector’s dream.”
This is arguably the most famous of the Husqvarnas owned by Steve
McQueen, it’s the bike that he was riding on the now legendary cover of the
August 23rd, 1971 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.
McQueen and his Husqvarnas were inseparable, he switched to them after
riding Triumph desert sleds extensively for most of the 1960s. When the
Huskies arrived with their punchy two-stroke engines and impossibly low
curb weights, McQueen was hooked.

The Mighty Swedish Husqvarnas
Husqvarna was founded centuries before the invention of the motorcycle, it
was first formed near the town of Huskvarna in Sweden in 1689 to make
firearms including muskets. The company’s modern logo is a reference to

this, it’s designed to appear as though you’re looking down the open iron
sights of a firearm.
Over the course of Husqvarna’s history they diversified, first into making
bicycles in the 1800s, then into making motorcycles starting in 1903. By 1918
they were making the entire motorcycle in-house including the engines which
had previously been imported, this was around the time they first started
racing in cross-country and long-distance motorcycle races.
The Swedish company enjoy a significant number of race track successes
over the mid-20th century. They beat Norton and landed a 1-2 finish at the
Swedish Grand Prix in 1931 with riders Ragnar Sundqvist and Gunnar Kalen.
By the 1950s the company was largely focussing on off-road and motocross
events, Rolf Tibblin won the 1959 Motocross Championship on his 250cc
Husqvarna and the 1960 500cc Motocross Championship was won by Bill
Nilsson on a four-stroke Husqvarna.
The development of advanced two-stroke motocross motorcycles in the
1960s would launch Husqvarna to the forefront of the off-road motorcycle
world, and make their red-and-chrome fuel tanks world famous.
The Arrival Of Steve McQueen
Many people don’t know that Steve McQueen was a genuinely competitive
motorcycle racer in his day, it wasn’t just for show or just for fun, he was a
competitive rider who is said to have paid his way through acting school by
racing on weekends.
McQueen represented the United States as a member of the USA Six Days
Trial team in 1964 alongside the great Bud Ekins. He raced in a vast number
of events over the 1960s and into the 1970s including the Baja 1000, the Mint
400, and the Elsinore Grand Prix.
In 1968 McQueen is said to have been at an event and seen Bengt Aberg
racing his then-new 1968 Husqvarna 360 to victory. He bought the bike out
from under him and immediately set about familiarizing himself with it.
Steve McQueen’s Husqvarna 400 Cross

It was clear from the get go that this new, lightweight two-stroke machine
was superior to his old Triumph TR6C desert sled, and he became a devout
Husqvarna rider.
1971 also marked the release of the Oscar nominated motorcycle
documentary “On Any Sunday” from director Bruce Brown. The film would
showcase a wide variety of different motorcycle sports to an entirely new
audience, from cross-country races to flat track and everything in between.
McQueen partially funded the film through his own production company,
Solar Productions, and he famous appears in the film himself at a few points,
including in the famous closing stages of the film.

The cosmetic condition of this machine is just as
good as it looks in the photos. The running
condition of the machine is flawless, starting on
the first or second kick immediately.
This bike has been part of my collection for many
years, and has been drained of fuel and on display
in my home. The last time I rode this machine was
approximately 2 years ago, and since then, I
“mothballed it” and brought it into my living room
for display. There is absolutely nothing, besides
fueling, it would need to run and ride. It is a LOT of
fun to ride and rides with absolutely no issues.

Everything on this motorcycle is original, as far as I
can tell. Every one of the other finishes, including
the finishes on the exhaust pipe, are original, as is
the seat. 
As you can see from the photos in the photo
section, the machine has had absolutely no
restoration performed to any part of it. The
condition is exactly what it looks like in the
photos. 
All of the mechanical components were checked
over when I purchased the machine, and checked
again before I placed it on display, including the
clutch and brakes. The carb was also completely
gone through and functions perfectly. 
If you’d like any additional photos of any
particular part of the motorcycle, please let
me know. I’m happy to email or text it to you.

The description of this vehicle is written to the
best of my knowledge. However, I am by no means
an expert on vintage Husqvarna
motorcycles. Please don’t hesitate to ask for more
photos and, if possible, come and look in person
before the auction ends. ALL SALES ARE FINAL! If
you have any questions, please contact me before
the auction ends.
This motorcycle is being sold as is, where is with
no warranty, expressed, written or implied unless
there is a warranty in effect from the factory. The
seller shall not be responsible for the correct
description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects
herein, and makes no warranty in connection
therewith. No allowance or set aside will be made
on account of any incorrectness, imperfection,
defect or damage. Any descriptions or
representations are for identification purposes
only and are not to be construed as a warranty of
any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to
have thoroughly inspected the motorcycle and to
have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition
and value and to bid based upon that judgment
solely. The seller shall and will make every
reasonable effort to disclose any known defects
associated with this motorcycle at the buyers

request PRIOR to the close of sale. Seller assumes
no responsibility for any statements regardless of
any oral statements about the item.
Please remember that your bid constitutes a
legally binding contract to purchase this item. If
you require an inspection, have it done prior to
bidding. I strongly encourage all bidders to inspect
the motorcycle personally or enlist the services of
a professional inspector prior to placing a
bid. After the sale, inspections are not recognized
as a contingency to completing your obligation to
your winning bid. If there are any questions
regarding the above terms, please e-mail prior to
bidding.
Please do not waste my time or yours bidding on
an item you do not intend to pay for. If you bid on
this motorcycle and win, you are expected to pay
and pick it up in a timely manner!
I welcome ALL international bidders and am
happy to assist with making shipping
arrangements. I can also arrange for shipment on
my end for a nominal extra charge. If you are an
international buyer, I understand it can take some
time to arrange shipping, so I do not mind keeping

the motorcycle for a longer period of time until
pick up. Please contact me before the sale ends, if
possible, to discuss the specifics. 
Thanks for your interest!