In its long 111-year history, Husqvarna has continually re-invented itself. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Swedish company built bulky V-twin streetbikes. Then, postwar, lightweight single-cylinders became the norm, and by the 1960s Americans grew very familiar with off-road Husqvarnas thanks to Edison Dye—the man who first imported them to the US—and to riders such as J.N. Roberts, Steve McQueen, and Malcolm Smith, who helped popularize the brand by winning races and riding the fast red-tanked dirt bikes in On Any Sunday.
This week, at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Husky unveiled two new concepts that point to a new direction for the company—building fully modern streetbikes that pay homage to the lightweight Husqvarna singles of the 1940s, bikes such as the Svartkarna, Drombagen, and Silverpilen models.
The 401 Vitpilen, the “White Arrow,” is a compact machine with an emphasis on simplicity. “There’s nothing on the bike you don’t need,” explained KTM boss Stefan Pierer, who spoke at press conference in Milan.
Details about the concept bike are not abundant, but we do know the 401 Vitpilen uses the 1953 Silverpilen streetbike as its inspiration. This was a classic Husqvarna road machine designed by Sixten Sason, the Swedish industrial designer who styled the original Saab 92, known as the UrSaab. (If you haven’t seen this car, Google it now.)
At any rate, the 401 Vitpilen is very flat across its top, and its minimal bodywork helps give the rider good freedom of movement. Interestingly, the bracket for the LED headlight serves multiple functions such as a handlebar mount, helping to reduce the number of parts and simplify the overall design.
The engine is a liquid-cooled four-stroke single, presumably with 401cc.
The 401 Svartpilen, the “Black Arrow,” has a bit more attitude, thanks to its dark color, its knobby tires, its motocross-style handlebar, and protective guard for the LED headlight. Like the Vitpilen, the Svartpilen is free of gimmicks and “lavish design embellishments,” but the riding experience is more upright, comfortable, and natural. Husky also says the Vitpilen has a “timeless authenticity” in which “advanced engineering meets authentic design.”
Although it’s sometimes tough to get your head around that kind of designer speak, it’s much easier to see some of the neat details on the Svartpilen. These include a tank rack, another rack integrated into the seat, plus off-road footpegs and a lightweight but strong skid plate.
With both of these new concept bikes shown at EICMA 2014, Husqvarna says a “less is more” approach has been taken, and an emphasis has been placed on ease of use, good functionality, and outstanding design. It sure looks to us like Husky has succeeded, and although the Vitpilen and Svartpilen do look like show bikes without much chance for production let’s all remember that the Husqvarna 701 Concept shown at EICMA 2013 appeared as the production Husqvarna 701 Supermoto production bike at EICMA 2014.
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