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In the past year or so, there have been a lot of rumours of Husqvarna coming to India. It was followed by confirmations that the Swedish icon is coming to India but we were not sure about the timelines. Recent hints had stated that the Husky would be here soon... but how soon? This spy shot of a Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 says, "Pretty soon!"
A post by Peyush Baranwal on Facebook gave us a sneak peek on one of the 401 Pilen brothers... or step-brothers of the KTM 390 Duke. We think that it is a Vitpilen because of the cafe-racer-ish stance, the lack of a skid plate and the single-piece (apparently) seat. Though it is very difficult to make out which one it is, we believe that our guess maybe just right.
Here's a link to the original post: Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 spied
Talking more about the motorcycle, it is powered by the engine from the KTM 390 Duke. Therefore, we expect the performance numbers of Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 to be in the same ballpark as its Austrian step-brother. That means, an impressive 44 bhp of power and 37 Nm of torque from the 373cc, liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine.
The engine is suspended in a chromium molybdenum steel trellis frame and the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 can be expected to exhibit the same handling characteristics as the 390 Duke... in one word, razor-sharp. According to Husqvarna, the frame, designed with specific flex characteristics, works in harmony with the WP suspension to offer a comfortable and confident feel combined with a tight turning circle for ease of use in urban environments.
The WP suspension on the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 consists of 43 mm open cartridge forks on the front (142 mm travel). The WP monoshock on the rear (150 mm travel) features a progressive damping system connected directly to the swingarm. Braking duties are handled by ByBre brake callipers gripping the 320mm front and 230mm rear perforated steel discs. It is also fitted with a Bosch ABS system.
Since the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 is more cafe-racer than its Scrambler-ish twin, the Svartpilen, we expect it to be shod with road tyres (Metzeler in all probability) with a 110-section on the front and 150-section on the rear. Both the wheels are 17" which indicates the road-focus of the bike. The official numbers on the international website mention the following specs; 835 mm of seat height, 145 mm of ground clearance, 9.6 L of fuel capacity, and a dry weight of 151 kg.
We do not expect a lot of changes in the Indian variant except for the grab-rail, saree-guard, and the usual deal. The spoked tyres that are seen on the international variant may be skipped in order to facilitate the fitment of tubeless tyres. Even if it does undergo a few changes, we'll be happy nonetheless to get a cafe-racer with the heart from a 390 Duke.
The design of the motorcycle is the real highlight of the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and while a few may be put off by the svelte lines, we sure as heck love it. While this is just a spy shot and does not reveal a lot about the bike, we have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of the Pilens (Svart too!) in the near future.
A post by Peyush Baranwal on Facebook gave us a sneak peek on one of the 401 Pilen brothers... or step-brothers of the KTM 390 Duke. We think that it is a Vitpilen because of the cafe-racer-ish stance, the lack of a skid plate and the single-piece (apparently) seat. Though it is very difficult to make out which one it is, we believe that our guess maybe just right.
Here's a link to the original post: Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 spied
Talking more about the motorcycle, it is powered by the engine from the KTM 390 Duke. Therefore, we expect the performance numbers of Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 to be in the same ballpark as its Austrian step-brother. That means, an impressive 44 bhp of power and 37 Nm of torque from the 373cc, liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine.
The engine is suspended in a chromium molybdenum steel trellis frame and the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 can be expected to exhibit the same handling characteristics as the 390 Duke... in one word, razor-sharp. According to Husqvarna, the frame, designed with specific flex characteristics, works in harmony with the WP suspension to offer a comfortable and confident feel combined with a tight turning circle for ease of use in urban environments.
The WP suspension on the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 consists of 43 mm open cartridge forks on the front (142 mm travel). The WP monoshock on the rear (150 mm travel) features a progressive damping system connected directly to the swingarm. Braking duties are handled by ByBre brake callipers gripping the 320mm front and 230mm rear perforated steel discs. It is also fitted with a Bosch ABS system.
Since the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 is more cafe-racer than its Scrambler-ish twin, the Svartpilen, we expect it to be shod with road tyres (Metzeler in all probability) with a 110-section on the front and 150-section on the rear. Both the wheels are 17" which indicates the road-focus of the bike. The official numbers on the international website mention the following specs; 835 mm of seat height, 145 mm of ground clearance, 9.6 L of fuel capacity, and a dry weight of 151 kg.
We do not expect a lot of changes in the Indian variant except for the grab-rail, saree-guard, and the usual deal. The spoked tyres that are seen on the international variant may be skipped in order to facilitate the fitment of tubeless tyres. Even if it does undergo a few changes, we'll be happy nonetheless to get a cafe-racer with the heart from a 390 Duke.
The design of the motorcycle is the real highlight of the Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and while a few may be put off by the svelte lines, we sure as heck love it. While this is just a spy shot and does not reveal a lot about the bike, we have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of the Pilens (Svart too!) in the near future.
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