2014 EICMA: Husqvarna 401 Svartpilen and Vitpilen Concepts
Alongside the new 701 Supermoto production model comes a pair of scrambler concepts from Husqvarna. Dubbed the 401 Svartpilen (Swedish for “Black Arrow”) and 401 Vitpilen (“White Arrow”), the two concepts draw upon the company’s past while still offering a futuristic styling.
At a quick glance, the Svartpilen and Vitpilen share many similarities with Ducati‘s recently introduced Scrambler. The concepts harken back to the same era in the ’60s and ’70s and share similar lines as well as a similar circular ring LED headlight as the Duc.
The concepts share the same Single-cylinder engine, trellis frame, WP suspension and braking components.
The Vitpilen harkens back to the 1953 Husqvarna Silverpilen, bringing back the earlier bike’s sense of functional simplicity. Rearset pegs and low clipons give it a cafe feel.
The Svartpilen pays its respects to Husqvarna’s off-road roots with knobbier tires and a higher under-seat exhaust. The seat is a grippier texture but the passenger accommodations were replaced by a small utility rack.
At the moment, the 401 Vitpilen and Svartpilen are only concept models, but then, so was the 701. If the Supermoto is any indication then we could expect to see production versions of the 401 concepts at next year’s EICMA show.
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
And just like that, every other retro-repro bike design out there - Triumph, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Royal Enfield, Honda and Yamaha included - suddenly looks very tired and very boring...
Husqvarna getting on the bullshitten wagon..