Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 review, 2020: Swedish arrows, made in Pune

Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 overview

We will come later to the Svartpilen 250 and Vitpilen 250 review. First, these two unusual-looking motorcycles you see here, by a Swedish brand called Husqvarna.

Now, since many of you may not have heard of the brand, we will give you a short history lesson. Husqvarna has been building motorcycles since 1903, but the history behind the name dates much further back, to when the company used to make firearms. The company’s logo today is designed to look like the sight of a gun. They have a very storied history, particularly in off-road motorcycles in the late ‘80s. The brand was acquired by Cagiva, and then it was acquired by BMW. Then in 2013, the Pierer group bought out the brand.

The first modern road bikes from Husqvarna were the Vitpilen and Svartpilen 701, and they were followed by the 401s. And now Husqvarna has entered India with the 250s. This is the Vitpilen 250, and that is the Svartpilen 250. And that is your history lesson.

Introduction

Okay, now that you know about the brand, let us talk about the motorcycles. Given the KTM connection, you would not be surprised to hear that both bikes are based on the KTM 250 platform, and they are both manufactured by Bajaj at the Chakan plant. And what do these bikes intend to be? They are a modern, hipster representation of classic motorcycling genres.

Underneath you find very modern equipment lifted straight from the KTM 250 Duke, and this includes the steel trellis frame as well as a 248cc double-overhead-camshaft, liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. What differentiates these motorcycles is the design, and Husqvarna has gone to great lengths to remove any visual similarities to the KTMs.

Swedish minimalism is the overpowering theme that comes to design. There are two panels on the bodywork: one large one that flows to the back, and a smaller one here. A fun fact: Vitpilen is supposed to mean “white arrow”, whereas Svartpilen is supposed to mean “black arrow”. And that is ironic, because this bike is not white and that bike is not black. But so what if the colours do not match the names, because these are two completely out-of-the-box designs. The upward slope by the seat meeting the fuel tank is not the brand-offered heritage, but at the same time the design is unapologetically futuristic.

Design

For example, the distinct DRL and LED illumination are in stark contrast with the traditional circular shape of the headlamp. Also, the circular digital dial is another showcase of retro-meets-modern. And while it is quite functional, it is a little hard to read in the rain. Ending on the circular theme, there are other large round mirrors on both bikes, which do a fine job of showing the rider what his or her elbows look like.

Husqvarna has designed the Vitpilen to be a café racer, while the Svartpilen intends to be a scrambler. But there are a few more differences beyond the placement of the bars and footpegs. For example, the Svartpilen has more spokes in its wheels, it also gets a few extra details like a luggage rack on the fuel tank, and a heat shield for the exhaust.

The Vitpilen gets a single seat with a taller section for the pillion, while the Svartpilen gets a split seat with a flatter design to match its scrambling intentions.

The lack of any unnecessary stickers gels with a sophisticated design language, but Husqvarna has given the bikes some neat contrast colour details. On the Svartpilen you will get small doses of a funky green; the Vitpilen uses white detailing in the same areas. Strangely, the Vitpilen also gets green stitching on its seat that does not match the rest of the white detailing on the bike.

I love the attention to detail all over, and quality levels are consistent with KTM — except for a one-panel gap that stood out on both bikes. But with such a strong focus on a clean and minimal design, it is a pity to see such a messy jumble of wires and hoses around the engine. Even so, the Vitpilen looks ravishing with its radiant silver, racy proportions, even though it is nowhere near as comfortable as its more practical twin.

Differences between the Husqvarna Vitpilen 250 and Svartpilen 250

So those are the differences between the two bikes. But there are some very unique design details that I want to talk about more. For example, I was worried that this tank extension would come in the way of a tall rider’s leg, but there is no problem. It works as a nice brace under braking. And then if you come over to the rear, you will see that this is one of the neatest, cleanest tail sections on any motorcycle that has been sold and manufactured in India.

People spend thousands of rupees on tail tidies; Husqvarna has more or less done the job for you. If you are willing to sacrifice the practicality of this grab rail, take it off, and it will look spectacular.

Practicality

There is no question that these bikes are big on style. But the thing weighing on many of your minds is probably the seat height, at 842mm. This is the tallest seat on any affordable motorcycle this side of the KTM 390 Adventure.

Now, at this point Bajaj will ask you to change your perspective and look at the seat from the top instead. That is because the seat on the 2020 model has been slimmed down, just where the rider’s legs would extend, to meet the ground. Has it worked? I am not qualified to give you an opinion here, so I am going to call someone over — and he is 5 feet 4½ inches tall, and as I can see, he is pretty much on his tiptoes right now. And I think this shows that the Husqvarna is good for people who are about 5’6” or 5’7” at the least for you to be comfortable on the bike.

The good news is that all riders will fit well on both bikes. As for the pillion seat — well, it is far from roomy, but it is far less terrifying than your typical R15 or RC 200. And while the seats are narrow, the bikes themselves are also quite small machines, and they feel super slim and agile. If you like your motorcycles big and imposing, these Swedish machines certainly are not for you.

Ergonomics

In terms of ergonomics, both bikes feel quite like their KTM siblings, but with the rider sitting higher up. The Svartpilen is the more comfortable one. And interestingly, it also has a slightly tighter turning radius than the Duke 250. Also interesting is that while the Vitpilen has a bigger turning circle than its sibling, it is not as big as the RC 200’s.

With KTM trellis frames underneath, both are confident and engaging handlers, although we found that both bikes tend to get into a gentle wobble if you try to max them out.

Brakes

With a 320mm front disc, the brakes are up to the task, and you can disengage the rear ABS if you like. That being said, the bite is not as sharp as the KTM 390’s, and that is because the 250s do not use the more expensive sintered pads found on the 390s.

Tyres

Moving on to the tyres, the Vitpilen uses the same MRF Revz radials as the KTM 250 Duke, but the Svartpilen gets a new block-pattern tyre, which is also from MRF. These new tyres grip on tarmac quite well, and even in the wet. But I found that the rear feels a little different from the front when you lean into a corner. It is an unusual but not scary feeling, and it is probably down to the fact that the rear tyre has much bigger and more widely spaced blocks than the front. It is just something you have to get used to.

Suspension

Bajaj says that the Svartpilen’s suspension is set up slightly differently from the Duke 250’s, and that the rear has a little less travel. But for a couple of bikes of sporty intentions, I found that the Husqvarnas have perfectly acceptable ride comfort, and they deal with rough roads just fine.

The off-road-flavoured blocky tyres do find some more traction, and both bikes get a metal belly guard, which should prevent any significant damage from happening.

But with just under 150mm of ground clearance, rubber footpegs that get very slippery in the mud, and road-oriented ergonomics, this scrambler is more about design than actual capability. Can you take the Svartpilen off-road? Of course you can, but only to the extent that you would with the Duke 250. It is quite obvious that Husqvarna has designed both these bikes for life on the road.

Performance

Husqvarna uses the engine from the KTM 250 Duke in the same state of tune. With 30 horsepower it joins the KTMs as the most powerful bike in the segment. But the engine does not have much poke at low revs, and while the mid-range is decent, the article continues here with a sentence that is garbled past safe recovery in the archived copy — what survives reads “it will be an exaggeration that can only be found between 7000 and 10000RPM”. Read it as a note about where the engine pulls, and nothing more precise than that.

The revvy engine is fine, but we found that this engine also feels quite gruff, and that it creates vibrations in the bars, footpegs and seat. These vibrations are more pronounced on the Vitpilen, with its solid-mounted clip-on bars, and I had numb fingers after a couple of hours of brisk highway riding. The vibrations are not annoying, but while you can live with them, it is impossible to ignore them.

Performance-wise both bikes are pretty much identical, with a 0-100kph time of 9.2 seconds. This is about the same as a Suzuki Gixxer 250. Also like the Suzuki, the Husqvarnas can hit and/or show a top speed of about 150kph. But these bikes’ comfortable cruising speed is 90kph, because this engine starts to feel a little bit busy above that.

Add to that the [unclear phrase in the archived copy: “The factor sees”] the slim seats and the tiny 9.5-litre fuel tank, and you have a couple of bikes that are happier when kept within the embrace of an urban environment.

They are both reasonably quick. But having ridden the Husqvarnas highlighted what an excellent job Bajaj did with the same engine in their Dominar 250. Somehow they made their engine sound better, feel smoother, and more tractable. I think it is fair to say that the engine is not the driving force behind wanting to buy one of these two bikes.

Conclusion

The unique design is the big draw with these motorcycles. But there is one other factor that tempts. The Husqvarnas will be sold out of the KTM dealer network, but they have been priced a full ₹25,000 lower than the Duke 250, which for all practical purposes is identical under the skin. They are probably doing this to help establish a brand name that most Indians have never heard of, let alone know how to pronounce.

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A note added in 2026

Husqvarna is not in MotoSutra’s current catalogue — there is no brand page and no model record — so this launch review is the only place on this site where either motorcycle is discussed, and the ₹25,000 undercut above is the 2020 article’s own comparison with the Duke 250 rather than a current price. MotoSutra’s current record for the bike these two share everything with is the KTM 250 Duke.