Husqvarna 401 Twins Production To Start In India

Husqvarna India Vitpilen 401 Husqvarna 401
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401

The Vitpilen 401 and the Svartpilen 401 will enter production in the coming months. The Husqvarna 401 raises the bar for competitors in the style department.

According to a recent report from MoneyControl, KTM’s sister company, Husqvarna is moving the production of the smaller models to India in a few months. The news is surprising as the officials were earlier hoping for it to happen by the first quarter of 2019. The India launch of the two bikes was planned to take place later next year.

Husqvarna Svartpilen 401
Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Husqvarna 401 India Launch

As things are starting to move ahead of schedule, we may get to buy the bikes in India by mid-2019. That’s because there’s still quite a lot of groundwork to be done before launching a totally new brand in a market as cutthroat as ours.

The Vitpilen 401 and the Svartpilen 401 are based on the KTM 390 twins. This is great news as the 390s form a solid base and will add the requisite ‘go’ to match the ‘show’. However, these bikes look like a different breed altogether. The new models are trying to cash in on the growing popularity of lifestyle motorcycles. The demand for motorcycles delivering on the X-factor is on the rise as they are also a style statement and a status symbol. Royal Enfield is riding this tide but the so-called Bullet has become too common for its own good as it no longer stands out from the crowd.

KTM 390 Adventure Launching in India Next Year

 

Husqvarna India Vitpilen 401
Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Vintage Is Not The Only Way To Look Cool

The greatest thing about the Husqvarna twins is that they’re not making bikes that look like they’re built in the 70s. They’re making bikes that would’ve been made in the 70’s had they had all the technology we have today. This 4-year old official promo says it best:

“I don’t want what they had. I want what they wanted.”

Instead of looking back and reopening an old chapter of motorcycling, Husqvarna is happier embracing the modern technology and blending it with art. If you ask me, I’m not much of a fan of the old-school machines unless I see the ‘function’ in its ‘form’. Style for style’s sake has never been my thing. And yet, I can’t stop thinking about buying the Svartpilen 401. Even though I know that it doesn’t do much more than what a KTM 390 Duke already does. I’m trying as hard as I can to justify the price premium the 401 will carry over the 390. The 390 itself is a gorgeous motorcycle but the new Huskies are a work of art. It stands out effortlessly. Just watch an artist give a Vitpilen his stamp of approval:

Husqvarna 401 Price

In the US, the made-in-India 390 twins cost about $5,300 while the Husqvarna 401 twins cost $6,300. That’s an increase of roughly 20%. A simple calculation leads me to believe that the Vitpilen 401/Svartpilen 401 could cost around Rs. 2.9 lakh. If Bajaj decides to put locally-manufactured tyres on these models, then the price could drop to Rs. 2.7 lakh. But, I’d advise Bajaj to stick with top-spec rubber and not spoil the beautiful package.

Also, New Jawa 350 might be coming to India

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