MILAN SHOW: Husqvarna wows with two concept bikes

Husqvarna’s second modern rebirth is underway with these two concept bikes and a new production supermoto shown for the first time at the Milan motorcycle show today.

The production bike is the 701 Supermoto which is a high performance single cylinder bike but will be street legal. Much more interesting are the two bare-basic concept bikes which are a lot more true to the essence of the Husqvarna history which was epitomised by Steve McQueen and Malcolm Smith riding the bikes in desert races in the 1960s.

The Husqvarna brand has been through a tumultuous few years having passed from the ownership of the MV Agusta company to BMW before being bought by KTM. It is now being reformed as a company that mixes the incredible heritage of the Husqvarna label with modern technology and access to the manufacturing clout of parent company KTM and Indian partners Bajaj.

The 401 Vitpilen (Swedish for white arrow) is as basic as it can be with a 400cc single-cylinder four-stroke engine and uses a 1953 Silverpilen as inspiration and aims to be as minimal as possible.

The 401 Svartpilen (Swedish for black arrow) is another minimal design and has clear links to the old bikes with underseat exhausts for better ground clearance and racks for luggage, tools and anything needed while riding off road.