Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401
A fleet of KTM and Husqvarna prototypes were caught
testing on public roads in Europe earlier this year. One of them was the
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401. The cafe racer which was showcased as a concept in
2014, is now showcased in production ready form today.
The company has also
showcased Svartpilen 401, both are basically the same bikes, but with
different names. This because they are of different colour. Vitpilen means
White Arrow, while Svartpilen means Black Arrow.
Both Vitplien 401 and Svartpilen 401 are based on
the Duke 390 and uses the same steel trellis frame, complete with the alloy
swing arm and WP inverted telescopic front forks. The ergonomics is typical of
a cafe racer with a low-mounted flat handlebar and rear set footpegs.
The bodywork remains true to the
concept with a circular LED integrated
headlamps (prototype wears a decoy), fully digital dashboard, a slender fuel
tank, and a minimalist tailpiece. The Vitpilen series will spawn more
derivatives with varying engine displacements. Each one will share its engine
with the respective KTM Duke counterparts.
Considering that the compact KTM Duke series is
being manufactured in India for global consumption, the closely related
Husqvarna models are also expected to call India as their home. The
Vitpilen/Svartpilen family of motorcycles will help KTM enhance the economies
of scale as well as cover wider audience base with its compact motorcycle
platform.
