Bajaj Auto announces launch timeline for Husqvarna Vitpilen & Svartpilen 401 retro motorcycles

Bajaj Auto has just announced that the Husqvarna range of retro-modern motorcycles will be launched in India during this year’s festive season. Both motorcycles have been spied testing in India multiple times with specific changes to suit the market here.

When quizzed by MoneyControl about the two wheeler giant’s plans for 2019, Rakesh Sharma, chief commercial officer, Bajaj Auto, had this to say,

The market will see a lot of action beginning June. We already had a couple of introductions in the last two months. There has been an upgrade to the Dominar and the Avenger. Across the spectrum over the next 3-4 months the market will see 3-4 launches. These will be on smart innovations but not revolutionary. These will become the primary drivers of growth. We are on track with Husqvarna bikes and they will be launched in the middle of the year. It could be September–November period because that’s also when the festival sales peak. We have to make sure it has an impact. We are on track with that.

The Husqvarna Vitpilen and Svaartpilen 401 will sit on the KTM Duke 390’s platform but will have stylistic and ergonomic changes. In terms of looks, both motorcycles will be totally different from the KTM Duke 390. While the Vitpilen 401 will have a cafe racer stance with clip on handlebars and rear-set foot pegs, the Svartpilen 401 will have a Scrambler design with a high-set handlebar and forward biased footpegs to give the rider a more upright, relaxed stance.

Both bikes will use the 373cc, four stroke single cylinder engine borrowed from the KTM Duke 390. This liquid cooled, fuel injected motor that runs a four valve head and twin overhead camshafts, will make 44 Bhp of peak power and 37 Nm of peak torque. A 6 speed manual gearbox with a slipper clutch will be standard with this engine.

Both motorcycles will get identical suspension units but the tunes of the suspension is likely to vary. Upside down front forks and a monoshock rear shock absorber will be the suspension bits with the Svartpilen likely to get higher travel to handle off road bits. Also, the Svartpilen is likely to get tyres with more aggressive tread for on-off road usage. Both motorcycles are likely to be built at the KTM factory that Bajaj Auto runs in Chakan. Both bike will have extensive localization to keep costs low, and are likely to undercut the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 an Continental GT 650 in terms of pricing.