The new-gen KTM 250 Duke is such an entertainer that it instantly became my favourite of the many 250s on sale in India, but the motorcycle you see here has changed that. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, because the Vitpilen 250 is essentially the same bike under its Swedish skin as they both share the same platform. However, there are a couple of things this Husqvarna does differently that just earn it the edge in my books.
The first is the looks. The latest KTMs are aggressively wild and angular, but they can be a bit too much for some people, and that’s where the more sophisticated Huskies come in. Mature doesn’t mean boring, though, and these bikes have a pretty unique style as well. The lighter-coloured Vitpilen, in particular, seems to catch a lot more attention than its bigger sibling, the Svartpilen 401, which only comes in dark grey.
The new Vitpilen’s looks certainly aren’t as quirky-cool as the first-gen model, but that bike had plenty of compromises, particularly in the fact that it was very small yet rather tall. Crucially, the new bike looks larger and has much more road presence.
Where the gen-2 model loses out is in its more conventional-looking tail end, but that brings in the advantage of practicality – with its wide mudguard, this bike throws far less road filth back up onto itself compared to the gen-1 machine.
Looks are a personal thing, but what appeals to me is the fact that the Vitpilen 250 is considerably more spacious for taller riders. The longer seat doesn’t lock you in place like the KTM does, and the 20mm increase in seat height is also kinder on the knees.
Of course, this will come as a bit of a negative for very short riders, but at 820mm, the seat isn’t super tall either, and this bike is much lower than the first-gen model.
The rest is all very familiar, and that’s a good thing. The 249cc liquid-cooled SOHC 31hp/25Nm motor is an excitingly energetic thing that reminds me of the first-gen KTM 200 Duke. That’s because the real fun only arrives above 6,000rpm, and it’s very short-geared, so you need to keep feeding it fast gearshifts to stay in the sweet spot. Spicing up this process is a lovely bi-directional quickshifter that you’ll never get tired of using.
But while it has its fast and frenetic side, the Vitpilen 250 can also be ridden in a sedate manner. This engine doesn’t lurch and surge at low revs like its ancestors used to, and it’s pleasantly tractable as well – to the point that you almost never have to use the first gear. Fuel-efficiency figures should be similar to the KTM (34.1kpl in the city and 39.66kpl on the highway). Our performance tests show it being one second slower in the 0-100kph run, but that’s down to the fact that we tested the bike in wet conditions.
Ride and handling are pretty much the same as well. It’s a light and quick steering handler that loves to charge through corners. The brakes are surprisingly good, and the suspension works well to quite a high degree – you’ll only miss the higher-quality adjustable suspension from the bigger 390/401 models when pushing close to the limit.
Suspension comfort is also quite pleasant for a bike of this nature, although the Vitpilen has a slightly more lean-forward riding position than the KTM 250 Duke, thanks to a flatter handlebar. I suspect it should be fairly straightforward to install the higher bar from the Svartpilen 401 if you want a more upright riding position.
Equipment-wise, the bike comes with switchable ABS and the earlier-mentioned bi-directional quickshifter. The rider is fed information via a large LCD dash with a simple and easy-to-use layout, and the chunky new switchgear adds to the premium experience. The only downside is that this display is not Bluetooth-compatible, unlike the KTM’s.
The final piece that goes in the Husqvarna’s favour is the price. At Rs 2.19 lakh, ex-showroom, the Vitpilen 250 costs about Rs 21,000 less than the KTM 250 Duke, and you really aren’t missing out on much for that price difference. That’s why it’s now my favourite of the 250s.
Also see: Husqvarna Vitpilen 250 video review
