New Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 presented at EICMA

After seeing the first prototypes in 2014, it looks like 2018 will be the year we finally see the first street bike in the current era of Husqvarna roll off the assembly line. That honor goes to this new Vitpilen 701.

Husqvarna is serious, at least that is what it shows after presenting the new Vitpilen 701 2018 at EICMA 2017. Last year around this time we knew about the Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 prototypes, both made with the KTM 390 Duke as a base. Husqvarna TE 300i Enduro Headlight is very cool for the moto bike, you will like it.  Well, the first model to go into production will take the technical characteristics of the KTM 690 Duke as a reference.

It's not going to be a knock-off as such by simply putting the Husqvarna name instead of KTM. The engine is the same single-cylinder propeller (75 hp), as well as the tubular chassis and the suspensions signed by WP. However, the Vitpilen 701 will have a radically different aesthetic than the Duke and a target audience that will have little or nothing to do with its namesake from Mattighofen.

In Husqvarna's words, the new 2018 Vitpilen 701 is a "street bike with a progressive vintage design". It is clear that KTM and its collaborating brand want to bet on the neo-retro saddle segment through the Husqvarna seal, and in the case of the Vitpilen 701 striking details such as the sharp aesthetics of its bodywork or the small size of the tail in comparison with the rest of the set. The materials that dress it, as well as the driving position, also invite us to think that the Husqvarna will be inserted in the neoclassical segment.

Along with the new Vitpilen 701 2018, Husqvarna has also presented in Milan the prototype of the Svartpilen 701, which is essentially the same bike although with a different aesthetic due to the mixed tires that the Svartpilen wears and the larger diameter rims. As was the case with other concepts, the sensation it conveys is that of a very finished motorcycle, so it is likely that over the next year we will have more news about it, even more so if the arrival of the Vitpilen 701 at the dealers.