Known for decades as an off-road vehicle brand, Husqvarna expanded its product line to include street vehicles after being acquired by KTM in 2013. The company’s most prominent models are the Svartpilen ( “Black Arrow” in Swedish) and Vitpilen (“White Arrow”). available in 401 and 701 versions and uses a single-cylinder engine adapted from the KTM 390 Duke (373cc) and 690 Duke (693cc). Vitpilens has a modern cafe racer design, while Svartpilens is more of a street track style.
Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 | The bigger the better
In 2024, the range was reduced to three models: Svartpilen 401, Svartpilen 801 and Vitpilen 401. The evolution of the Svartpilen 701 to the 801 was accompanied by a new engine platform – the 799cc LC8c parallel-twin was also included. found in the KTM 790 Duke and 790 Adventure.
While it doesn’t have the aggressive scrambler look of the Svartpilen 401 with its spoked wheels wrapped in knobby tires, the 801 still looks ready for a brawl. It has a dark color palette: black engine, chassis, wheels and a matte black tank cap, with sharp edges and flat edges – a design element common across all ‘Pilens. There are some silver highlights, such as the up-sloping exhaust pipes, vestigial skid plates and brushed aluminum radiator shroud, but there’s no pop of color.
One of the most functionally and visually interesting parts of the 801 is the subframe. Instead of a tubular steel trellis or some other frame covered by plastic bodywork, the Svartpilen’s rear end is a cast aluminum monocoque with integrated air intakes and an airbox housed inside. .
We had the opportunity to introduce the Svartpilen 801 at a press launch that Husqvarna held in Provence, a region in southern France famous for its wine, lavender and olives. The region’s terrain is like a carpet, with rugged mountains interspersed with narrow, winding roads. Part of the Tour de France passes through Provence, so it’s common to round a blind corner and encounter a small group of cyclists encroaching on the road. Sorry, folks!
Riding a new motorbike on some of the most beautiful roads in Europe is always a treat, and it helps make up for the dismal wages in the salt mines of motorcycling here. But our test ride on the Svartpilen 801 really hit the red line on the old Fun-o-meter because we were a small group of close-knit Americans who knew each other well. It’s like a lively Sunday outing with a few friends – a fast-moving school, like a school of barracuda. We’re all there to do our jobs, but it doesn’t feel like work.
Anyway, back to the bike.
I love it! End. j/k
Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 | More power, less overfilling
The addition of an additional pillar transformed the larger Svartpilen. Claimed horsepower has increased from 75 to 105 (at 9,250 rpm) and torque has increased from 53.1 lb-ft to 64.2 (at 8,000 rpm). Wet weight also increased, from 355 pounds to 421, but the number of pounds required per horsepower to push was reduced from 4.73 to 4.0. The 801’s Twin revs eagerly, its exhaust is spicy and its throttle control delivers immediate response.
Ye Olde Blacke Arrowe has a motocross-style vertical tapered aluminum handlebar with cross brace and a seating position that is part superbike, part sporty standard and all fun, suitable for attacking the corners as if they were a plate of hot fries. The footpegs are positioned high enough to provide good ground clearance when cornering but low enough to provide reasonable all-day comfort. The same goes for the wide, flat seat, which measures a pleasant 32.3 inches and is upholstered in grippy material that includes ribs for your satisfaction (or, according to Husqvarna, “glued ribs heat adds comfort and improves traction in wet conditions”.
Above the Svartpilen’s large, round LED headlights – a design element also found on other ‘Pilens adventure models as well as the Norden 901 – is a small windscreen that’s more style than function. Behind the screen is one rigidity 5-inch TFT color display with vivid graphics, easy-to-use menus to customize the vehicle’s electronics and smartphone connectivity (navigation, calls and music). Choose from several riding modes (Sport, Street and Rain) and cornering ABS with rear Supermoto mode, responsive traction control and up/down quickshifters are all part of the deal. favorable. For an additional $419.99, you can add Dynamic mode, which includes on-the-fly rear wheel slip adjuster, wheelie control, and engine slip adjustment. Cruise control will cost you an additional $288.99.
Related: Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition Review
Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 | Impressive horseback riding
Our test ride began on a cold, wet morning and I was a little hesitant to push the Svartpilen, especially with its half-knob Pirelli MT 60 RS tires. The front wheel is now 17 inches in diameter, giving the 801 a more agile feel than the 18 inches on the 701. With our superior speed through the hairpins, quick back and forth transitions as well as camber and different road surfaces, the Svartpilen is unshakable, its steering dampers quell any jerkiness and the Pirellis stick firmly to the tarmac.
Contributing to the Svarpilen’s coolness under pressure is the WP Apex suspension system, which has impressed us on other Husqvarna and KTM models. The 43mm upside-down fork is adjustable for compression and rebound via a five-position knob on the fork head, the monoshock is adjustable for rebound and spring preload, and has 5.5 degrees of travel front/rear /5.9 inches. The suspension is well controlled and strikes the same balance between sportiness and comfort as the El Camino strikes a balance between a car and a pickup truck.
Take hundreds of turns up and down mountains and around lakes, all while dodging cyclist on spandex, we continuously stepped on the gas and brake. Our bike wasn’t equipped with cruise control, but even if it was, we didn’t have a chance to use it. Svartpilen’s J.Juan braking system, with four-piston front radial calipers pressing 300mm discs, two-piston rear calipers clamping 240mm discs and steel-braided hydraulic lines, works very well. admirably, reducing speed in small increments and effectively delivering enough stopping power when I needed it.
Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 | Final thoughts
Husqvarna has created an interesting niche in the world of street motorcycles. Its Svartpilen and Vitpilen naked bikes and Norden adventure bikes have unique styling that stands out from the competition, are powered by proven KTM engines and are equipped with quality components and features. high quality.
All of that is fine, but it’s the magical combination of 11 herbs and spices that really matters. We don’t ride on spec sheets and we can’t look at a bike while we’re riding it. How does it make us feel? Excited? Hero? Twenty years younger?
Driving the Svartpilen 801 is a lot of fun. It gets my pulse racing, my nerves on edge, and makes me wish I could keep riding it instead of flying home, sitting at my desk, and writing 1,200 words about it. It may be called Black Arrow, but it warms my heart.
See more new bicycles here HorsemanMotorcycle buyers guide in 2024
Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 2024 technical specifications
- Basic price: $10,899
- Price as tested: $11,319 (Dynamic mode)
- Website: Husqvarna-Motorcycles.com
- Guarantee: 2 years, not yet introduced. mile
- Engine Type: Liquid cooled, horizontal parallel twin, DOHC w/ 4 valves per cylinder.
- Move: 799cc
- Diameter x piston stroke: 88.0 x 65.7mm
- Horse power: 105 horsepower @ 9,250 rpm (factory claim)
- Torque: 64.2 lb-ft @ 8,000 rpm (factory claim)
- Transmission process: 6-speed wet clutch, cable actuated
- Final drive: Chain
- The standard long: 54.6 inches.
- Rake/Trail: 24.5 degrees/3.9 inches.
- Seat height: 32.3 inches.
- Wet Weight: 421 lbs
- Fuel quantity: 3.7 gallons.
