When the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401 debuted again in 2018, they stood other than the standard crowd of latest bikes with hard-to-pronounce Swedish names and minimalist neo-retro styling. Their sculpted physique panels that ran from the tank to the subframe and stubby tailsections had been fashionable, however their single spherical headlights and spoked wheels had an old-school vibe.
Whereas their names may sound like a set of bookcases you’d discover at Ikea, Svartpilen means “black arrow” and Vitpilen means “white arrow” in Husqvarna’s Swedish mom tongue. To keep away from any confusion, the Svartpilen is available in black/grey and the Vitpilen is available in white. Each are constructed on the identical platform because the KTM 390 Duke, which bought a main replace for 2024 that carries over to the ’Pilens.
Their shared single-cylinder engine has a 4mm-longer stroke, bumping displacement from 373cc to 399cc and boosting output to 44 hp (up from 43) and 28.8 lb-ft of torque (up from 27). The engine additionally has a brand new cylinder head, revised gas injection, and an up to date airbox. Gear modifications are smoother because of modifications to the 6-speed transmission, which is mated to a slip/help clutch. And the Straightforward Shift up/down quickshifter is now customary tools.
Wrapped across the engine is a brand new metal trellis body with extra torsional rigidity than its predecessor. Each the body and the brand new curved cast-aluminum swingarm had been designed so the rear shock may very well be mounted on the appropriate aspect of the bike, which permits a decrease seat top (32.2 inches, down from 32.9) and area for the brand new exhaust system’s chamber forward of the rear wheel.
Each bikes are outfitted with WP Apex suspension, with 5.9 inches of journey entrance and rear. The 43mm inverted open-cartridge fork has separate damping capabilities, with compression within the left tube and rebound in the appropriate tube. Handy tool-less fork-top adjusters enable 5 clicks of damping adjustability, however spring preload is mounted. The rear shock permits 5 clicks of rebound adjustability with a flathead screwdriver, and it has a ramped collar that enables 10 steps of preload adjustment utilizing a spanner (each instruments are within the toolkit).
Along with the decrease seat top, the Vitpilen’s clip-on handlebars, which had been mounted under the triple clamp previously, have been changed with an upright handlebar just like the Svartpilen’s, although with a barely decrease rise to swimsuit its roadster model. This offers each bikes a snug upright seating place.
The principle variations between the ’Pilens are styling and wheel/tire fitment. The Vitpilen leans into the roadster theme with 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels shod with Michelin Energy 6 sport tires. The scrambler-ish Svartpilen rolls on 17-inch spoked wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR knobby tires.
Gear Up
2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401
Husqvarna hosted a launch for the 401s that allowed us to trip one bike within the morning and the opposite within the afternoon. After loading up on caffeine and carbs on the breakfast bar, I threw a leg over the Svartpilen.
Bikes like these all the time really feel diminutive for a 6-foot-1, 210-lb man like me, however under no circumstances do they really feel cramped. Their handlebars have simply the correct quantity of top and width, and their slender seats make it straightforward to flat-foot at stops. As bare bikes, they’re free from the visible mass of a fairing. Weighing simply 341 lb for the Vitpilen and 351 lb for the Svartpilen, they’re slender, compact, and purposeful. The Svartpilen’s spoked wheels, chunkier tires, flyscreen, skid plate, and passenger seize bar account for its further weight.
For bikes priced at simply $5,899, the ’Pilens are outfitted with some good tech options. Along with the quickshifter, they’ve throttle-by-wire that permits two trip modes (Avenue and Rain), lean-sensitive traction management with three modes (Avenue, Rain, and Off), and cornering ABS with two modes (Highway and Supermoto; the latter disables rear ABS). In addition they have a 5-inch bonded-glass TFT full-color instrument panel, a Bluetooth connectivity system, a USB-C charging port, and LED lighting.
The launch for these bikes was in California’s coastal Santa Monica Mountains, aka the Malibu hills, that are north of Los Angeles and have been used as one among our go-to testing and pictures areas since Rider was based in 1974. Familiarity with these roads allowed me to focus extra on the bikes than what was across the subsequent bend. In Avenue mode, the Svartpilen has fast throttle response, and the 399cc Single spins up shortly.
With a modest 44 hp that peaks at 8,500 rpm, preserving the engine revved up is important for quick cornering. Comimg out of a nook in a gear too excessive or permitting the revs to drop kills one’s drive, so it pays to maintain the throttle cranked and to offer the quickshifter a exercise. Therein lays the attraction of the ‘Pilens: rider engagement. On greater bikes you may short-shift and get lazy, however the 401s demand the rider’s full consideration and enter to squeeze essentially the most out of them.
With a brief wheelbase, sporty steering geometry, and slender tires (110/70-R17 entrance, 150/60-R17 rear), the Svartpilen bends into and out of corners effortlessly, and it transitions back and forth with assured ease. Your entire exhaust system is tucked below the bike, serving to to maintain mass low and centralized. With rear preload set for my weight and the clickers clicked for a agency trip, the suspension smoothed out the dips and cracks which are so widespread within the Malibu canyons.
The Pirelli Scorpion Rally STRs have massive tread blocks that gripped the pavement nicely, they usually weren’t noisy like some knobbies might be. Single-disc brakes entrance and rear with steel-braided traces are equipped by ByBre, with an opposed 4-piston radial entrance caliper pinching a 320mm disc and 2-piston floating rear caliper pinching a 240mm disc. Braking energy and really feel had been passable, however given my husky weight and the tempo of aggressive, caffeine-addled motojournalists, I swear I might hear the brake pads groan in ache every time I gorilla-gripped the lever.
2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401
Practically all of the driving impressions above additionally apply to the Vitpilen. Apart from the colour of their bodywork and the Svartpilen’s barely taller handlebar and wee display peaking above the TFT instrument panel, you may’t inform the distinction between them from the saddle. They sound the identical, really feel the identical, and reply the identical.
What it actually comes right down to is tires. The Vitpilen’s Michelin Energy 6 tires are smoother, grippier, and have a extra responsive profile than the Svartpilen’s Pirelli knobbies. Each are premium tires, so the distinction isn’t night time and day. However the Michelins sharpen the steering and really feel extra steady when leaned over in corners, which imparts extra confidence to the rider.
Each bikes are numerous enjoyable to trip and are appropriate for a variety of riders. Their dimension and value naturally make them seem to be they’re supposed for brand new or younger riders, however an skilled outdated man like me would like to have one in my storage. However which one?
They’re priced the identical they usually supply almost the identical driving expertise, so what it comes right down to is styling choice – and tubeless versus tube-type tires. I like scramblers, so the Svartpilen can be my first selection primarily based purely on styling. However its spoked wheels require tubes, that are an actual headache relating to roadside flat restore.
For my cash, I’d purchase a Vitpilen, after which I’d dig into Husqvarna’s accent catalog to show it right into a avenue scrambler. I’d add a flyscreen, headlight protector, crash bars, radiator grille, and lever protectors, and when the Michelin Highway 6s put on out, I’d substitute them with some semi-knobby tires to finish the look.
2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 / Vitpilen 401 Specs
- Base Worth: $5,899
- Web site: HusqvarnaMotorcycles.com
- Guarantee: 2 yrs., unltd. miles
- Engine Kind: Liquid-cooled, transverse Single, DOHC w/ 4 valves per cyl.
- Displacement: 399cc
- Bore x Stroke: 89 x 64mm
- Horsepower: 44 hp @ 8,500 rpm (manufacturing facility declare)
- Torque: 28.8 lb-ft @ 7,000 rpm (manufacturing facility declare)
- Transmission: 6-speed, cable-actuated slip/help moist clutch
- Last Drive: Chain
- Wheelbase: 53.9 in.
- Rake/Path: 24 levels/3.7 in.
- Seat Peak: 32.2 in.
- Moist Weight: 351 lb / 341 lb
- Gas Capability: 3.4 gal.
