Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna is renowned for its elegantly designed motorcycles with performance borrowed from KTM bikes. The bikemaker recently launched the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 and the Husqvarna Vitpilen 250, and here’s how the Svartpilen 401 feels in the real world:

The Svartpilen 401 is as gorgeous as any other Husqvarna bike. Its round headlight is complemented by a boxy flyscreen that does a neat job of hiding the somewhat large TFT instrument cluster. The fuel tank extensions add to the visual mass, and the tank panels extend all the way to the side profile of the bike. While the pillion grab rail is functional, it could’ve been designed to be a bit sleeker.

While the conventional rear fender works well in keeping the muck at bay, a tyre hugger with integrated number plate holder would have looked even better, if you’re willing to live with the relatively lesser practicality. Overall, the bike is 20 percent larger than before, and it finally looks properly life-sized.

The Husqvarna Svartpilen 401’s 399cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine (making 46PS and 39Nm), gearing, sprocketing are all shared with the KTM 390 Duke Gen 3. Not surprisingly, the engine is extremely peppy and can let you go past 130kmph before you know it. Cruising at 110-120kmph feels the most comfortable as the vibrations are minimal at this range. That said, the bike has enough grunt to push past 140kmph every now and then. There are vibrations on the footpegs and handlebars, they’re not substantial enough to distract you. The meat of the performance comes in after 5000rpm, and you easily can do 100kmph on 6th gear with the tachometer bar hovering at around 6000rpm. Having said that, the low-end grunt in the first three gears are also good enough. This coupled with the light clutch makes it easy to live with while commuting within the city. 

It also comes with a bi-directional quick shifter as standard, and it works fantastically well at higher revs, while being a little janky under 3000rpm. The claimed mileage of Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 stands at 30.4kmpl, which is pretty decent for such a performance-focussed bike. All in all, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 will really make you giggle every time you go over even a short, traffic-free patch of road.

The Svartpilen 401 gets the same compression and rebound adjustable WP Apex inverted fork up front and preload and rebound adjustable WP Apex monoshock at the rear as the new KTM Duke 390. This ensures the rider can set up their suspension based on their weight and the terrain. It is tuned well for everyday use as well as highway rides. The suspension cushions those annoying smaller speed breakers, and also ensures it maintains the bike’s stability while switching lanes on a very uneven stretch of road at high speeds. The chassis offers enough feedback and is predictable at high speeds even though the bike is pretty light, at 171kg kerb. 

As far as braking is concerned, they do a great job of shaving down speeds in an instant, and the lever progression and feedback are excellent. The Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR offers good grip on the road as well as on light trails. However, it is not a true blue scrambler as the bike does not get long travel suspension or extra ground clearance. In fact, at 177mm, the Svartpilen 401 sits 6mm closer to the ground compared to the 390 Duke.

The 820mm seat height is 20mm taller than the Duke. The flat split seat setup felt comfortable enough in the limited time we spent with the bike. As compared to the Duke, shorter riders will have to slightly tip-toe because of the width of the seat but it isn’t that much of a hassle. More importantly, the seat is very roomy, and the pillion also has enough space to ensure pillion comfort. 

The handlebar is easy to reach and this coupled with the mid-set footpegs offer a comfortable riding stance with a slight hint of forward lean. We wish the handlebars were higher as that would’ve made it not only comfier but would’ve made stand-up riding all the more easier.

The Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 comes with an all-LED lighting system along with a 5-inch TFT screen with optional smartphone connectivity. It shows all the relevant information including real-time and average mileage, gear position, time, along with the regular set of data. There’s also the option to choose between three display modes ranging from the most basic to the most feature-laden layout. The India-spec bike has just the Street riding mode, along with a switchable traction control and dual-channel ABS with SuperMoto mode (which switches off the unit at the rear). 

While the spoke wheels absorb bumps better than alloy ones, it is not compatible with tubeless tyres. So even though the Pirellis are technically tubeless, they are running with tubes because of the spoke wheels. There will be an option to swap out the alloys from the new Husqvarna Vitpilen 250, but the pricing, warranty details are still being worked out.

The Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 gets the peppy performance of the Duke but is wrapped in a slightly milder design, making it ideal for those who prefer an elegant looking performance bike over a shouty one. It is also comfortable for both rider and pillion, making it a great all-round bike for both city commutes and highway tours. It may not have the fancy electronics as the Duke but still covers the basics with the hugely useful quickshifter, and traction control. All in all, it is an excellent value-for-money bike for Rs 2,92,000 (ex-showroom Delhi), which in fact makes it a whole Rs 18,531 (prices are at the time of writing) less than the new KTM 390 Duke.