represent Husqvarna in the United States . True to the negative instinct from the leaders in Huskvarna , the simple answer was " no ", with a polite twist of saying " thank you for the interest ". Their point of view was enhanced by such factors as no desire to export , no motocross market available , no knowledge of recreational riding and last but not least , an unfavorable dollar-exchange rate which made Swedish goods expensive across the Atlantic .
1961 Husqvarna ad
1963 Husqvarna ad
However , Edison Dye from Oskaloosa in Iowa did not give in so easily as earlier interested parties had done . He had a temper of a whirlwind and was enough persistent to invite for a meeting by the fall of 1965 . Two representatives from Husqvarna met with the eager American in Scandinavia . Edison Dye convinced the Swedes that he was the right man for the job and bought 50 machines to be delivered during the 1966 season . The initial deliveries were airfreighted , which saved valuable time as Edison Dye wanted to give the very first Husqvarna to ace rider Malcolm Smith . He also wanted to have machines in his Californian showroom . For three years the Swedish factory had only churned out a few hundred units a year , but this
VOL . 7 ISSUE 1 - JANUARY 2022 // PAGE 171