Husqvarna Svartpilen 250, Vitpilen 250: Key highlights from Bajaj's new foray

After the official reveal of the Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 at the India Bike Week in December of 2019, Bajaj Auto has now officially launched the Swedish two-wheeler brand in the Indian market, and that too at a very aggressive pricing of INR 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom, India).

For the uninitiated, Husqvarna was officially taken over by KTM back in January of 2013. This paved a pathway for Bajaj to introduce the same to the Indian market which is progressing to bigger capacity motorcycles, showing a huge potential for such iconic brands here.

Husqvarna’s initial offerings for India, the Vitpilen 250 and Svartpilen 250, are both technical twins of the KTM 250 Duke and are currently been manufactured by Bajaj Auto at its Chakan plant near Pune. The exterior styling on the 250 twins is enough to suggest that the bikes have been built around the same tubular trellis frame as its orange quarter-litre cousin. Moreover, the engine in question is also the same 248.8cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder unit which is known to deliver 30 PS of maximum power at 9,000 rpm and 24 Nm peak torque at 7.500rpm. Also, the transmission unit remains unchanged, which is a 6-speed gearbox.

Though, both the models are fundamentally the same from inside out, the company has tried to make a small distinction by altering the body type and thus appeal of the bikes. While the Svartpilen 250 is a scrambler inspired offering which features rugged styling, upright ergonomics and dual-purpose tyres, the Vitpilen 250, on the flipside, sources inspiration from cafe-racer design elements. Speaking of which, it comes with low slung clip-on handlebars, road focused tyres and a forward lean riding position. It weighs at 153 kg (dry), while the Svartpilen 250 is a kg heavier at 154 kg. Apart from that, both share the same suspension components, including WP upside-down front fork and single monoshock unit at the rear.

Bajaj Auto will sell the Husqvarna 250 twins from its wide spread KTM dealerships network until the brand establishes its own unique identity and is ready with more products for the Indian market.