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Husqvarna Vitpilen Family to Gain 125cc Member in the Future

Husqvarna has big plans for the Vitpilen motorcycles and it looks like the next bike we will see added to the family will be a 125cc machine.
Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen 1 photo
Photo: Husqvarna
What started out as a concept at EICMA 2014 materialized in the 401 Vitpilen and 401 Svartpilen, that later got a green light from Husky and will become real motorcycles for 2017.

After the initial Pilen (Swedish for The Arrow) were confirmed as actual future bikes, this year's EICMA show in Milan saw the 701 Vitpilen unveiled. Clearly a derivative of Husqvarna's new 701 platform, the 701 Vitpilen is an unequivocal declaration from the KTM-owned company that the street motorcycles have not been forgotten.

Husky made no mention as to when the 701 Vitpilen would become real, but judging by the concept they showed this year in Milan, the bike is almost ready to roll. Just like in the case of the 401 versions, we know that Mattighofen would make certain changes before presenting a production-ready model.

However, the engine is out there already, powering the 701 Supermoto and the 701 Enduro bikes. Street-ready suspensions can be effortlessly sourced from KTM's subsidiary WP, and this makes the frame, tank, seats and other minor parts the only ones left on the drawing board.

Will 2017 see the debut of a four-member Pilen family?

As for the 125cc machine, we can also expect Husqvarna to choose one of their engines that is the most suitable to be paired with a street-focused transmission, and this should not be too hard.

The suspensions, wheels, and controls are also an internal affair under KTM's generous roof, so we can say that 2017 might indeed bring a ton of new stuff from Husky in the road segment.

The main question is whether Husqvarna will decide to dish out all four bikes simultaneously. Such a bold move has its advantages and disadvantages, of course.

On the one hand, it will be seen as a very strong message from Husqvarna. This would mean that Husky is back with a bang after several troublesome years, and a change of hands from BMW to KTM. However, a maker that gushes out a 4-bike line-up is a sight to behold in awe.

On the other hand, Husky might want to draw attention for longer, spacing the releases differently and keeping the tension high in the market. This has more to do with marketing than with actually building the bikes, but one thing is sure: Husky is certainly back, and we're so glad to see that the badge is about so much more than rebranded KTMs as some feared.
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