Husqvarna 401 concepts unveiled at EICMA

Swedish two-wheeler manufacturer Husqvarna has unveiled two new Street concept motorcycles at the ongoing EICMA Show in Milan, Italy. Christened 401 Vitpilen and 401 Svartpilen, these concepts are based on the KTM Duke 390 and are modern renditions of traditional cafe racer and scrambler motorcycles, respectively.

Husqvarna has taken a clean yet radical approach for both the 401 concepts, with an exposed frame and minimal bodywork. The 401 Vitpilen, or the White Arrow, has been inspired by 1953 Silverpilen motorcycle and has been styled to resemble an old-school cafe racer. The 401 Svartpilen on the other hand has been styled to look like a scrambler and gets a dark custom paint job and big knobbly tyres to go along with its character.

Both the 401 Vitpilen and the 401 Svartpilen are mechanically identical to the Duke 390. Built around a steel trellis frame, both of them are powered by the 375cc single-cylinder engine. While Husqvarna hasn’t divulged the specs of the engine used in the 401s, the same engine in Duke 390 and RC390 produces 43bhp and 35Nm of torque. Both the 401s feature the latest ride-by-wire throttle control, an advanced engine management system, WP suspension and a dedicated ABS and APTC slipper clutch borrowed from the company’s supermoto range.

While both the 401 Vitpilen and the 401 Svartpilen look totally mesmerising, they are too radical to make it to the production line. Husqvarna might have to make quite a few changes to these concepts to make them production worthy. But going by the amount of time it took them to launch the production version of the 701 concept, we are sure that we’ll be able to see the road-legal versions of the 401s in less than a year.