2024 HUSQVARNA SVARTPILEN 801

It’s been a bit difficult to know where to place Husqvarna’s various recent roadster machinery. As you should all know, the classy Swedish brand is part of the same firm (Pierer) which owns KTM, GASGAS and WP Suspension. And its machinery shares the same fundamental powertrain and chassis foundations, so the Svartpilen and Vitpilen (‘black arrow’ and ‘white arrow’ in Swedish) bikes have used the engines and frames from the 125, 390 and 690 Duke models. The Svartpilen is a subtle retro-scrambler, and the Vitpilen is an unfaired café-racer, with both using the same unique design language that screams ‘IKEA’ to all right-thinking folk.

The current single-cylinder machines are all perfectly decent; there’s usually a chassis upgrade, they get the peak power output from the KTM engines, and if you like the niche styling, the price premium is probably well worth it. But for many folk, just buying the KTM Duke will be the more obvious choice.

This might change things, though. It’s the new Svartpilen 801, and as the Husqvarna naming rules dictate, that means the LC8c 790 Duke engine is a proper 799cc DOHC 8v parallel twin motor that makes 105bhp/87Nm and is a total hoot. And having this bonkers powerplant in a sharper, quirky roadster design seems much more tempting than the 401 and 701 variants. There are limits on the power and usability of even the best singles (and the KTM 690 single is a cracker), which largely disappear when you move up to twin cylinders. Peak output of 105bhp is plenty for most uses, and with the sharper chassis kit and aggressive-looking geometry, it could be a proper weapon in town, on B roads, and round twisty tracks. A supermotard with extra benefits, if you will.

The specs are decent. It weighs 181kg without fuel, which is a few kg heavier than the Duke 790, but still pretty sweet. The WP APEX front fork is fully adjustable, while the rear shock from the same brand is rebound/ preload adjustable-only. Brakes are standard J. Juan four-piston radial calipers with 300mm discs, wheels are cast aluminium, and the bike comes with the excellent Pirelli MT60 RS supermoto rubber.

On the electronics front, there are four selectable rider modes (street, rain, sport, plus an optional dynamic mode), and an optional dynamic pack which adds introduces 10 levels of slip adjustment and five levels of anti-wheelie, motor slip regulation, and cruise control. There’s plenty of standard trickery, though: cornering ABS (with Supermoto mode) and traction, quickshifter, and phone connectivity are all present and correct on the basic model.

In terms of the styling, the natty slash-cut exhaust silencer is distinctive, while the short tail unit and hunched-forward tank cover gives a proper aggressive stance. It’s a premium-looking, mature piece of kit, and you can see why it could appeal to those less keen on acid-orange paint schemes. A gorgeous colour TFT dash and top-notch chassis fitments and trims all rounds off the upscale package.

For some reason, Husqvarna’s original teaser action shots showed a camouflaged bike racing round an ice lake, which is probably a little out of the typical use range in the UK but looks very cool. There are also some dirt-track shots, so you get the idea .... this will be a bike for the on-trend rider who wants a bit of oomph with their culturally significant, slightly esoteric, beard oil-friendly steed. It’ll cost £10,499, which is a grand more than a 790 Duke, and it should be in the shops by June.

www.husqvarnamotorcycles.com