The Husqvarna Vitpilen shares its underpinnings with the KTM Duke 390 with parts for the bike shipped from the Bajaj-KTM plant in Chakan while the final assembly will take place in Europe.
Husqvarna is one of the oldest European motorcycle brands that was recently purchased by KTM CEO Stefan Pierer and is now part of the Austrian bike maker’s family. At the EICMA show last year, Husqvarna showcased two new concepts namely the Vitpilen and Svartpilen modern-retro motorcycles that share its underpinnings with the KTM Duke 390. With the bikes getting the green signal for production, the Vitpilen 401 was spotted testing for the first time in Europe and looks extremely close to the concept version.
As evident in the pictures, the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 uses the KTM Duke 390 as its donor model sharing the same exposed Trellis frame, orange alloy wheels and 373.2cc single-cylinder engine under the belly. However, compared to the KTM offering, the Vitpilen can be differentiated by the minimalistic and flattened fuel tank design, curved single seat and low clip-on handlebars. The bike also gets a more aggressive riding position as opposed to the upright position seen on the KTM version. Furthermore, while the test mule featured the headlight cluster from the Duke 390, the production version will sport the round unit similar to the concept along with spoked wheels.
The report further states that there is also a 125cc version of the Husqvarna Vitpilen, which confirms a complete family of motorcycles with different cubic capacities. The name Vitpilen essentially means ‘White Arrow’, so expect to see the white shade dominant on the production version as well. Considering that the Duke 390 is shipped from India to the European market, Husqvarna will also source the engine and chassis from the country and will later assemble all parts of the bike at its facility in Mattighofen.
Stefan Pierer is optimistic about getting the Husqvarna brand to India but also stated that its Indian partner Bajaj Auto is not ready to concentrate on the same at present. Instead, Bajaj is looking to regain its market share in the country that has been lost out to rivals Hero MotoCorp and Honda. The company is presently concentrating on its new Pulsar range that have received a good start and have planned more models that will be joining the lineup later this year.
Source – Visordown.com
