Husqvarna motorcycles have found a new home in South Africa - but not, as many expected, with well-established parent company BMW.
Instead they'll be marketed through a high-profile dealer network in the major centres of South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho, under the auspices of CMH Marine and Leisure, a division of Combined Motor Holdings, starting from 26 July.
The bicycle division of the Husqvarna armaments company - which has supplied rifles to the Swedish army since 1689 - began building motorcycles in 1903, making it the third-oldest motorcycle manufacturer in the world after Triumph (1902) and Harley-Davidson (also in 1903).
WORLD-BEATING OFF-ROADERS
It later became famous for world-beating motocross and enduro machines, dominating these disciplines in the 1960s and '70s, winning 14 motocross world championships in the 125, 250 and 500cc divisions, 24 enduro world championships and 11 wins in the notoriously tough Baja 1000 desert race.
In 1987, however, Husqvarna sold its motorcycle division to the Castiglioni family's Cagiva group, now MV Agusta SpA, and production was transferred from Huskvarna in Sweden to Varese in Italy, where it remained after Husqvarna was sold to BMW in 2007.
BMW has stated that it will continue to operate Husqvarna as a separate 'niche' brand, much as Mini is to the car side of BMW, which is why it will be marketed through its own dealer network in South Africa.
Certainly, it's difficult to imagine a hooligan bike like the Husqvarna Nuda 900R, pictured above, on the floor of your local Blue Propeller shop.