NEW HUSKY SVARTPILEN 401
Husqvarna’s stylish roadster, but for A2 licensees.
TALK ABOUT GLOBALISATION. A bike from a brand that used to be Swedish, now based in Austria, but which was previously in Italy, when it was owned by Germans, selling a bike that’s largely built in India and which we’re riding in Bristol. That’s business in the 21st century. Last month Husqvarna launched the long awaited 701 Vitpilen, a styling and marketing job based on the KTM 690 Duke; Husqvarna are owned by KTM. Now it’s time to ride the A2 licence compatible 401 Vitpilen and the 401 Svartpilen. The 401 Vitpilen (‘White Arrow’ in Swedish) looks similar to the bigger version; slim waisted white tank/seat unit, low bars, spoked wheels, road tyres. The 401 Svartpilen (‘Black Arrow’) gets black finish bodywork, wider, braced handlebars, chunky Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres, a bash plate and tank mounted luggage rack. Just as the 701 Husky is based on the KTM 690 Duke, so the 401 is based on the 390 Duke. That’s no bad thing. You get a perky 375cc single-cylinder engine with a positive gearchange and light clutch. Peak power is around 44bhp and the delivery is genuinely entertaining, albeit with a slightly industrial sound effect. Maximum torque is at 7000rpm, and the power peaks at 9000, so you have to buzz the engine to maintain decent progress, but it can push the 150 kilo bike up past 90mph easily enough, and will lift the front wheel in lower gears when encouraged. There are enough vibes from the engine to remind you its a motorcycle without them being intrusive. The Svartpilen is compact, light and firmly sprung. The frame is a tubular trellis with a cast alloy swingarm, usd WP forks and 17 inch wheels. It turns easily, the faux off-road bars providing extra leverage compared with the Vitpilen’s clip-ons. Ideal for carving through urban traffic, and in town the Svart’s ergonomics are superior to the low bars on the Vit’, and it’s also entertaining on damp twists where an excess of power can embarrass. Brakes are strong but progressive. Dynamically it’s a good bike, as you’d expect of something based on the excellent 390 Duke. But what about the rest of it? The ’pilens are designed to appeal to younger, style conscious buyers (I’m here, wearing black textiles, to raise the average age) who are 12
prepared to pay extra for distinctive styling and some brand snobbery. It’s the iphone versus Android debate. Both bikes look great, and Husqvarna should be applauded for doing something distinctly different, especially for the usually uninspiring A2 licence market. The round headlight, flat-top bodywork and instrument pod, chunky spoked wheels and abbreviated seat with neatly integrated rear light really work, the tank top rack is a neat idea and, especially, the Svart’ has a distinctly Tonka appeal. The brown engine finish and the use of the ‘H’ logo are done well. ‘Simple. Progressive’ is the sales line, and it works. They’re a modernist interpretation of the retro ideal. But… the Svart’s minimalist seat soon gets uncomfortable out of town, the mirrors provide a view of your shoulders, at 9.5 litres the tank is tiny (maybe 130 miles from brimful to bone dry at 65mpg) and the horizontal dash panel is probably illegible in hard sunlight – I can’t confirm that because it chucked it down on our ride from downtown Bristol to rural Cheddar Gorge. So in reality the Husqvarna is no better than the £900 cheaper KTM 390 Duke. And arguably it’s worse; smaller tank, less comfortable, worse mirrors, no TFT dash and no riding modes. There’s another problem too. You need to find a dealer. There are just 22 Husqvarna street dealers (hopefully 25 by the end of 2018)and most of those aren’t in the urban locations where you’d expect these bikes to sell well. Which is a pity, we’d like to see the ’pilens be a success. Me? I’d save the money and buy the KTM. But I’m old and wear textile riding suits, so what do I know?
‘We’d like to see the ’pilens be a success. Me? I’d save the money and buy the KTM. But I’m old and wear textile riding suits’