A spy shot has emerged of the next-gen Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 undergoing testing in India. The image reveals some key new details about the motorcycle.
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Likely to be Svartpilen 401 owing to knobby tyres, luggage rack on tank
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Loses tyre hugger from the outgoing model
Next-gen Husqvarna Svartpilen 401: what does the image reveal?
The next-gen KTM 390 Duke has been spotted testing a number of times in the past few months, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 has been spotted testing as well given that they share their underpinnings. This mule is likely to be the Svartpilen 401 given that it has wire-spoke wheels shod with knobby tyres and a luggage rack on the tank.
Like the new KTM, the next-gen Husqvarna has been spotted with an offset monoshock and an underbelly exhaust. The outgoing model had a side-mounted exhaust end can and a more traditional, central-mounted monoshock. Overall, this test mule appears larger than the outgoing motorcycle, with a wider split-seat arrangement. Other visible changes include a regular tail section extending from under the tail-lamp as opposed to the tyre hugger on the earlier model.
In terms of the engine, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 and the Vitpilen 401 will use the same single-cylinder, liquid-cooled unit from the new KTM 390 Duke. There have been rumours that displacement will be bumped up to 399cc from the current 373cc, but that is yet to be confirmed.
While it has been spotted testing in India, it remains to be seen whether it’ll be launched in the country as the outgoing Svartpilen/Vitpilen 401s were not sold here. If and when they do decide to launch it in India, expect the Husqvarna 401 twins to cost more than the current-gen KTM 390 Duke, which retails for Rs 2.97 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
