Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 café racer spied testing

An early prototype of the Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 café racer has been spotted undergoing trials near KTM’s headquarters in Mattighofen, Austria. Seems like it was an excursion day for the prototypes at the KTM factory, as several upcoming models including the new KTM Duke 390, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and the KTM Duke 800 were also spotted venturing out of the company headquarters, donning heavy camouflage.

We call it a prototype as the Husqvarna Vitpilen 701 test mule still seems to be in an early stage of development. As the Vitpilen 701 shares its underpinnings with the single-cylinder Duke 690, the engine and frame seem to be ready. However, the company still seems to be working out the finer details when it comes to styling. The low set handlebars, rear set footpegs, unique shape of the fuel tank and the flat seat point at the bike’s café racer character, though the lack of any bodywork leaves us second guessing about how the final production model will look like. 

Well, we can always turn towards the original Vitpilen 701 concept to get a fair idea. Unveiled at the 2015 EICMA Show in Milan, Italy, the concept previewed a newo-retro racer with carbon fibre bits and bare metal artistry. It remains to be seen how much of it actually ends up on the production model. We can expect the Vitpilen 701 to make its maiden public appearance by the end of this year.

Source: VisorDown