A Brief History of the Marque
Sven Hakanson Motorverk produced a racing W twin two-stroke in 1969 for the 500 class.
Hakanson built his machine at the Lito factory in Helsingborg, which he had taken over after it ceased production in the late 1960s.
The HM500 consisting of two water-cooled two-stroke singles with coupled crankshafts. The machine had rotary valve induction fed by two Gardner carburetors. Development was aided using single cylinder versions, with the aim of bring the twin to 60bhp.
The gearbox was a Honda unit converted to five-speed close ration gearbox, and the clutch also started life in a Honda.
The frame was used a large diameter central tube which curved down over the engine from the steering head and had an intergal oil tank. Oil delivery was Yamaha autolube-style, and the front brake was an impressive Münch unit.
The first machine was purchased by Ron Gardner, who had supplied the carburettors, and whose intention was to run it in the 1970 season piloted by by Dave Simmonds. This did not come to pass, and Simmonds raced with Kawasaki.
The machine was extensively tested in Motorcyclist Illustrated magazine of November 1969.
Sven had been Swedish 50cc road-racing champion in 1952, and his wife was his chief mechanic. Their daughter, Eva Hakanson, became the fastest female motorcyclist in the world, achieving over 240 mph at Bonneville on a streamlined electric sidecar, the KillaJoule.
Sources: wikipedia.nl, wemoto.com
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