The second of Husqvarna’s street concepts, the Husqvarna 401 Svartpilen is a scrambler styled machine that uses the same 373cc single-cylinder engine as the Vitpilen concept. Swedish for “Black Arrow”, the Svartpilen continues the idea that less is more, and applies the concept to a more off-road motif.
Not all the dissimilar to the Moab and Baja concepts the Husqvarna showed before its acquisition by KTM, clearly the Swedish brand is keen to tap into its lost history of Steve McQueen and the scrambler motif. Perhaps Ducati’s foray into this space is added motivation, but the Husqvarna 401 Svartpilen concept is a bike unique to itself.
That might be because the concept machine is based off the KTM 390 Duke, which is an unlikely though budget-friendly donor machine. With plenty of spots for luggage (and hand grips for tip-overs) we could see the Svartpilen being a more practical and “authentic” competitor to the Ducati Scrambler.
If there is enough enthusiasm for the project Husky says they will build the machine. Given the opportunities to make the Husqvarna 401 concepts for fairly cheap, the Swedish brand just might be onto something here. We like.
Source: Husqvarna
Be sure to stay up-to-the-minute, and not miss a single bike release, with all our EICMA coverage. You can also follow Asphalt & Rubber on Facebook and Twitter.
Comments