Launched! The Husky 250s Are More Affordable Than The KTM 250 Duke

The Huskies are finally here! Husqvarna has begun its India operations by launching the Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 at an introductory price of Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Yes, both motorcycles arrive at the same price but are meant to deliver varied riding experiences. Bookings for the bikes have begun at 100 KTM dealerships across 45 cities with deliveries to begin soon. The motorcycles were unveiled at the India Bike Week 2019.

In abroad markets, small capacity Husqvarnas, like the Svartpilen 401 and the Vitpilen 401, are priced on par with its KTM cousin -- the 390 Duke BS6. However for India, the initial impression was that the Husqvarna would be the more premium brand between the two. The launched prices are surprising, as it manages to undercut the KTM 250 Duke BS6, the bike on which the 250cc Huskies are based on, by Rs 20,000.

Looks aside, there are fundamental changes between the setup of the Husqvarna 250s and the 250 Duke. The Huskies are lighter, have a lower ground clearance and a taller seat height. And while the Vitpilen 250 (the cafe racer) runs on the same road-spec MRF Revz C1 tyres as the 250 Duke, the Svartpilen 250 (the urban scrambler) comes shod with brand-new dual-purpose MRF Revz D tyres.

Thankfully, there are no changes to report in the shared power unit as the 248.8cc single-cylinder engine makes 30PS and 24Nm. Given the proximity to the April 1 deadline, the engine is BS6-compliant.