Report: Husqvarna Svartpilen and Vitpilen Heading to Production in 2017

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Husqvarna‘s retro-inspired 401 Svartpilen and 401 Vitpilen concept models are headed for production, but we’ll have to wait until the 2017 model year to ride them.

Speaking with Swedish publication Bike.se, Managing Director Reinhold Zens confirmed the scrambler-influenced Svartpilen (“Black Arrow”) and the more cafe racer-styled Vitpilen (“White Arrow”) are planned for production. With a targeted model year of 2017, that means we will likely see the final production models revealed at the EICMA or Intermot shows in 2016. There’s still a lot of time until then, and Zens says those who liked the design of the concept models must accept that there will be some changes before they enter production.

“I can tell you that they will as 2017 model year,” says Zens. “They may not look the same, a concept is after all a design assignment dream while a finished model must follow the laws and rules, but they will definitely have the same style.”

The Svartpilen and Vitpilen concepts are powered by a single-cylinder engine, likely based on the powerplant used in the KTM 390 Duke and RC390. Both share similar LED headlights, trellis frames and WP suspension components. The Svartpilen sports a more utilitarian look with a rising exhaust, knobby tires, multiple mounting racks and more upright ergonomics while the Vitpilen looks sportier with clip-on handlebars lending a more aggressive riding position.

[Source: Bike.se]

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

More by Dennis Chung

Comments
Join the conversation
Next