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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 Rumored to Be Built in India

Even though this rumor still needs confirmation, here it goes: Husqvarna's new middleweight machines Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 are said to enter production in KTM's Indian plant at Chakan, near Mumbai, in India.
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 concept 1 photo
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
If you ask us, this does not come as a huge surprise, given how these machines came into being and what parts are going to be used in them. Neither KTM nor Husqvarna made a secret of the fact that the new bikes would use the Duke 390 and RC390 platforms. Learning now that the Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401, which are quite similar to the KTM, might be built in India only makes sense.

The two 401 machines were introduced two years ago at EICMA in concept guise, following the earlier 701 impersonations. However, mules were already spotted on the road during the summer of 2015, and this reveals that KTM and Husky have been working around the clock to have them ready soon.

At the heart of the Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 we will find the 373cc Duke 390 mill, making them A2-compliant in Europe and therefore suitable for both new and returning riders.

A matter of quality and the suspicions of the European riders

Husqvarna has plenty of choices for other parts from the KTM catalog, and since the 390 machines are built in India, it felt somewhat natural that the Austrian manufacturer would keep everything under the same roof.

Now, the natural question of build quality is, of course, one of the main questions, at least for the potential customers in Europe. Apparently, not all the KTM machines built in India have the same quality, and this might represent an issue.

Far from generalizing regarding the quality of certain products manufactured in Asia, it looks like some of the customers have had issues even with KTM bikes, and their fears are somewhat understandable.

Anyway, given the "boutique" character of these motorcycles, we can expect that KTM/ Husqvarna will be supervising the manufacturing process with an eagle eye, trying to avoid anything that could compromise the high-tier attribute of these machines.
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