VOL. 55 ISSUE 16 APRIL 24, 2018 P103
mountain roads like something between a
supermoto and a superbike, and I caught
myself wondering what my friends would
think when I could keep up with them on
their liter bikes on the little white arrow. It
handles so well, and the more I pushed it,
the more it proved itself.
Our lead rider was Javier Echevarria Ruiz
of Black & Rad, a local well versed in the
Barcelona back roads. He led my group,
and with each check in his rearview mirror I
could see his smile growing bigger under his
helmet as he saw me right behind, taking to
the Vitpilen with pure excitement, ready to
push through the next canyon at the head of
our little Husqvarna biker gang.
We stopped at an old-fashioned coffee
truck at the top of the mountain, where I
chatted up the bike with Justin Maxwell, one
of the main figures at Husqvarna who made
the Vitpilen a reality.
He told me that despite KTM bones in the
I anticipated it would be rigid and
fun for about a half a day on the
back roads—thankfully, the Vitpilen
proved to be much more than just
a pretty face around Barcelona's
beautiful mountain roads.
The gas
tank is one-
of-a-kind
and unlike
anything
on the road
today.
The cafe-racer
stance may not
be for everyone,
but the Vitpilen
is surprisingly
comfortable.