Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 & Vitpilen 250 Revealed At India Bike Week 2019

Published: Saturday, December 7, 2019, 12:36 [IST]

Husqvarna has revealed the Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 at the ongoing India Bike Week 2019. The reveals also mark the Debut of the Husqvarna brand in the Indian market.

The swedish motorcycle manufacturer has taken Indian motorcycle enthusiasts by surprise by revealing two 250cc motorcycles. While we were all anticipating Husqvarna to launch the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401, the brand appears to have hit the right note with the 250s.

Husqvarna Svartpilen 250

The Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 is identical to the Svartpilen 401 in terms of design. It takes on the same scrambler-like design. Up front is the iconic circular headlamp with LED DRLs. Right above it is the digital instrument cluster.

The fuel tank is muscular and bulky while the rear end is minimalistic. While the Svartpilen 401 rode on wire-spoke-wheels, the 250 makes do with 8-spoke alloy wheels. It comes shod with dual-purpose tyres that only enhances the scrambler styling.

Svartpilen means ‘Black Arrow' in swedish and the pain on the motorcycle matches that description perfectly. The Svartpilen 250 revealed at IBW 2019 features a gunmetal grey paint job with lots of blacked out elements.

Husqvarna Vitpilen 250

Vitpilen in Swedish means, ‘White Arrow' and the 250 revealed at IBW matched it perfectly. It featured a satin silver finish that made it look beautiful. The Vitpilen takes on the design language of a cafe-racer.

Up front is the same circular headlamp and digital instrument cluster as on the Svartpilen. The Vitpilen 250 makes do with alloy wheels unlike the wire-spoke wheels on the 401. However, this one comes shod with grippy road-going tyres.

Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 & Vitpilen 250 Engine

The Husqvarna Svartpilen and Vitpilen 250 are based on the KTM 250 Duke and hence are powered by the same engine as well. The 248.8cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine produces a maximum power output of 31bhp and a peak torque output of 24Nm.

It uses the same 6-speed gearbox to drive the rear wheel. However, the Husqvarna bikes weigh in at just 153 kilograms while the KTM Duke 250 weighs 161 kilograms. Hence, we can expect the Husqvarna to be quicker.

We also expect the gearing on the Husqvarna 250s to be set up differently, to enable scrambler and cafe-racer like short-shifting. Husqvarna will be retailing these motorcycles through KTM's existing dealership network.

It will act as a more premium brand in the Bajaj-KTM-Husqvarna chain and will be more expensive than the KTM motorcycles it is based on. The Husqvarna motorcycles will go on sale in February 2020.

Thoughts On Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 & Vitpilen 250 Being Revealed At India Bike Week 2019

Husqvarna seems to have done the logical thing by entering the market with 250cc motorcycles. It is a premium brand and will command a higher price than the KTMs it is based on. Going by sales figures, the KTM 250 Duke is more popular than the 390 Duke.

Adding to this is the fact that the 390 Duke is already pretty expensive. If Husqvarna had brought in the Svartpilen and Vitpilen 401, it would be priced a lot higher than the Duke 390 and that couldn't be too good for sales figures.

Hence, the brand seems to have found middle ground here in the 250cc segment. Needless to say, the 250cc segment has suddenly become a lot more interesting.