Bajaj Auto has officially launched the quarter-litre Husqvarna twins – the Svartpilen 250 and the Vitpilen 250 in India, at a starting price of Rs 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom). Both the motorcycles share their 248.8 cc engine with the KTM 250 Duke, and will also be retailed through the existing KTM dealerships across the country.
The Svartpilen and the Vitpilen might carry forward similar styling cues, but are both meant for different purposes altogether. The Svartpilen 250 is an urban scrambler which means that you can take the bike for mild off roading once in a while, while the Vitpilen 250 is a cafe racer and is meant to be driven on twisty roads.
Both the motorcycles get the same bodywork, albeit are offered with different paint schemes. The Vitpilen 250 sports a white fuel tank with silver accents and a grey tail section. On the other hand, the Svartpilen 250 gets a grey fuel tank with white accents and a silver tail section. The Svartpilen gets an upright riding position, as well as dual-purpose tyres, whereas the Vitpilen gets a lower handle bar and sportier seating position.
Powering both the Swedish bikes is the same BS6-compliant 248.8 cc single-cylinder 4-stroke liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine from the KTM 250 Duke that belts out 31 hp of maximum power at 9,000 rpm, and 24 Nm peak torque at 7,250 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox along with a slipper clutch.
The Swedish bikes come equipped with a 43 mm USD fork up front, along with a pre-load adjustable WP monoshock at the rear. Braking is taken care of by a 300 mm disc up front, and a 230 mm disc at the rear coupled with dual-channel ABS, which is standard. Both the bikes have a ground clearance of 145 mm, and come equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels. The Svartpilen 250 weighs 154 kg, while the Vitpilen’s kerb weight is rated at 153 kg.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Bajaj has priced the Husqvarna twins at a lower price than what it retails the KTM 250 Duke at, i.e. Rs 2,00,576 (ex-showroom, Delhi). Bookings for both the Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 have commenced, and the deliveries will commence starting from next month.
