Found at the press presentation of the Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 401, it’s the bike we’ve seen in the teasers that the Swedish manufacturer has released in recent weeks and which anticipated Husqvarna’s official announcement of the naked’s big sister, the Svartpilen 801 2024.
A naked/roadster to fill the gap left in the range by the single-cylinder Svartpilen 701 (discontinued at the end of 2020) was more than predictable, not only because of the prototypes seen over the last year and the teasers released by the company, but also because of an analogy with what happened with KTM – part of the same industrial group – which in its 790 and 890 Duke found a way to express the “ready to race” approach of its naked bikes with different variants (and prices). As for the other models, therefore, Husqvarna and KTM exploit the same platform, declining it in different attitudes and perspectives.
The new Svartpilen 801 is equipped with the 799 cc LC8c twin-cylinder engine already found in the KTM 790 Duke in a 105 hp configuration which, combined with a declared weight of 181 kg (we imagine in running order), should guarantee a more than pleasant and satisfying ride, just like its “orange” sister. In terms of differences from the Duke – apart from a totally different and more minimalist design – we can’t comment, since we don’t know what from the prototype will later be transferred to the production version, but the shortened rear and the exhaust even closer to the rear of the prototype make for a pleasant look, as well as being a distinctive element – along with the tank/side panel combo – of this prototype.
For the Svartpiplen 801, the adjustable WP suspension, steering damper and Easy Shift gearbox have already been announced: to find out all the other details (including, we hope, the price) you don’t have to wait long until the official presentation on March 19, 2024.