By: Sir Bill Hunter.
Six years ago we saw the advent of two road based models from Husqvarna, the Svartpilen and Vitpilen to be more precise. They were two funky-styled street bikes that enjoyed quite a cult following in the years to come. Basically they were something, in the motorcycle world, a little different, to attract riders who were looking for something dissimilar to the usual offerings.
Well we’re now in 2024 and Husqvarna has elected to give its ‘unusual’ Svartpilen one radical overhaul on all counts. Husqy SA has chosen to not import the more road oriented Vitpilen for ‘24 though, as our specific market tends to swing more towards the off-road variation.
Anyway, the new 401 is here and let’s get the elephant in the bush out of the way before we begin. Yes, the 401 is in essence the same rolling chassis as the KTM 390 Duke, seeing as they both come from the same Bajaj factory. Nothing wrong with that because our previous review on the ‘24 KTM was commendable to say the least. If you go back to our 'New Rides' section you’ll be able to recap on that road test. However they look a vastly different motorcycle to the naked eye because, once again, the aim is to attract a diverse type and style of rider. I for one actually prefer the look of the 410 to 390, but that’s just my optical opinion.
So the 2024 Svartpilen 401 enjoys the new steel trellis frame with the hefty new aluminium swing-arm and the exposed WP Apex side-mounted rear shock which has pre-load and rebound adjustment facilitation to fiddle with. At the front end there’re 43mm WP Apex forks that have open cartridge internals with compression components in one leg and rebound in the other. There are five settings each side to make adjustments more simple and responsive, so they say. These suspension components are without doubt superior to anything in the 400cc class and feel like it when you ride, compared to some of the ‘other’ poor offerings – no names mentioned due to predictable verbal abuse!
What I do have to be verbal about is the new 399cc, DOHC, 4-valve, single cylinder, liquid-cooled engine; a 26cc increase over the previous engine. It also has a new cylinder head with a new cam-lever design to improve top-end performance. Husqvarna now claim 45hp@8,500 rpm and 39Nm@7,000 rpm, which is quite healthy for a ‘mere 400’, right? What was ‘healthy’ is that I saw an indicated 176km/h on the new 5-inch TFT display, again not too bad at all for a 400cc single.
The new TFT display is again the best out there and has a unique feature when it also acts as a shift change light. Once you get to 8,500 rpm it flashes bright yellow, distracting you out the corner of your eye, telling you it’s time to change up, and then again at 10,500rpm telling you you’re a bit dim and you’ve gone too far and I quite like that feature. It also shows you the wealth of electronic options like traction control, where you can turn off for wheelies and the like, cornering traction control MTC, ABS (with Supermoto option where you can turn it off on the back wheel), and mobile phone connectivity for messages, GPS and the like, and more, quite comprehensive once again.
Now onto the styling, do you like it? I do and so do onlookers! Dominated at the front end by that very expensive looking large LED headlight with a perimeter daytime running light. The bodywork is angular with the big 401-emblem set into the side of the 13-litre tank panels. But the most distinctive feature are those chunky Pirelli Scorpion Rally STC tyres, generating the ‘Urban Explorer’ image as Husqvarna call its new creation. They work well too as I was surprised by how well they grip throwing the bike around on tarmac, obviously they’re good for dirt lane excursions too.
With a dry weight of only 159kg the 401 is extremely agile and immense fun to throw around while you tear up and down the revised, and better, six-speed gearbox. The quickshifter works both ways but improves when the revs are higher. Low down the engine can be a bit ‘snatchy’ if you’re in too high a gear because it prefers to be revved rather than lugging from low rpm, sounds quite good too. It does feel like it has some sort of shift-cam technology, which it doesn’t, because once past 6,000rpm there’s a real noticeable increase in power delivery, a bit like a hidden power band for the want of better wording.
Did I mention the tank is now 13-litres when it used to be only 9.5-litres which some previous owners complained about? Even though this new 399cc single-cylinder has a vast 46mm Dell’ Orto throttle body (for a 400 that is), I did observe that it’s very economical and I’d predict a range of well over 400km, depending on how heavy your wrist is, ideal figures with today’s high fuel prices.
So, finally onto the price. This new Svartpilen (Black Arrow in English) will relieve you of R124,699, and you’re probably going to ask how much the KTM 390 Duke is, which is R115,999, or R8,700 less, which isn’t a lot, but the 401 is a much more unique option on all counts. In the past I always preferred the KTM to the Husqvarna but, this time around, my choice is reversed. It’s just a much more cool motorcycle to be associated with and ride and, in this competitive market, that’s a very important attribute indeed!
Images: The Olympic Judge.
Go to www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com for more technical information and dealer locations in SA.
Also go to www.radpaarl.co.za to book a test ride if you live in the Western Cape.
