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Husqvarna teased us two weeks in the past with a camouflaged prototype of the long-awaited Svartpilen 801. The manufacturing model of the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 has simply damaged cowl—and it’s just about the identical bike, sans stickers. Shocked?
The 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 replaces the single-cylinder Svartpilen 701 as the massive brother to the smaller 125 and 401 variants. Not a thumper, it now boasts a 799 cc parallel-twin engine, good for 105 hp, with a good dry weight of 181 kilos [399 pounds]. The body is a chromium-molybdenum affair that makes use of the engine as a pressured member.
Given Husqvarna’s follow of repurposing bikes from their dad or mum firm, KTM, we’re going to exit on a limb and say that the Svartpilen 801 makes use of the identical platform because the KTM 790 Duke. Their engine specs learn the identical, their chassis look similar, and so they share the identical open lattice aluminum swingarm.
It’s disappointing that Husqvarna didn’t choose the brilliantly bonkers KTM 890 Duke R as an alternative, but in addition comprehensible. The 790 platform calls for much less of a premium, and the kind of rider that wishes the KTM 890 Duke R’s outright efficiency is probably going to purchase a KTM 890 Duke R. Apart from, the 790’s numbers are nothing to be scoffed at.
The engine’s 105 hp peak output hits at 9,250 rpm, with 87 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm. Nikasil-coated cylinders and cast aluminum pistons do responsibility inside, with twin balancer shafts working to scale back vibrations. A slipper clutch and quick-shifter assist riders blip by means of the six-speed transmission.
Braking is by means of Husqvarna-branded J.Juan components; twin four-piston entrance calipers with 300 mm discs, and a single two-piston rear caliper with a 240 mm disc. Bosch ABS is normal, as is traction management; each are cornering-sensitive. Riders additionally get three selectable digital rider modes, with a fourth mode, and a ‘Dynamic Pack’ that features anti-wheelie management adjustment, cruise management, and extra, accessible as optionally available extras.
The Svartpilen 801 additionally borrows its orange-hued cousin’s WP suspension elements. WP APEX 43 mm upside-down open cartridge forks supply 140 mm of journey and are adjustable for compression and rebound. A rebound- and preload-adjustable WP APEX shock does responsibility out again, with 150 mm of rear wheel journey.
The Svartpilen 801’s alloy wheels resemble these on the outgoing Svartpilen 701, though the entrance wheel has gone down an inch in measurement, leaving the brand new Svartpilen with an identical set of 17s. (If you happen to look actually carefully, the markings on the Pirelli MT60 RS entrance tire point out that it’s an 18-inch merchandise, however we’ve checked, and it’s a 17-inch hoop; bizarre.)
Visually, the Svartpilen 801 sticks to the identical fundamental aesthetic as its predecessor, however with a couple of key deviations. The LED head- and taillight are straight out of the Svartpilen playbook, as are the sculpted panels that cowl the 14-liter [3.7-gallon] gasoline tank (though they’ve been redesigned considerably). A forged aluminum tail part sits out again, doubling up as a subframe and internet hosting the bike’s airbox.
The bounce from the 701 platform to the 801 platform is an enormous one, and a few of our favourite particulars from the 701 have been misplaced within the course of. The 801’s cut up seat design, though fantastically upholstered for a manufacturing facility bike, doesn’t have the identical slick flat observe look that the 701’s did. We additionally miss the 701’s asymmetrical tail part with its right-side quantity board—one other nod to flat observe racing.
The 701’s number-plate-style headlight nacelle was a radical contact, nevertheless it’s now been ditched in favor of a easy fly display screen, that simply appears like a lazy solution to cover the bike’s dashboard. That sprint is now a whopping 5” TFT show, loaded with a full-color show and built-in connectivity options. The scrambler-style handlebars, swap blocks, and mirrors are all normal fare.
Husqvarna has a spread of equipment available too, from Remus and Akrapovič silencers, to a pillion seat cowl, bar-end mirrors, and extra.
General, the Svartpilen’s 801 lacks the slick, cohesive vibe that the 701 had. Whereas it’s definitely not outright ugly, it does miss the mark in some methods. Nitpicks apart, it’s exhausting to not be enticed by the concept of a motorbike that mixes the daring, neo-retro aesthetic of Husqvarna’s avenue bikes with the muscle of KTM’s parallel twins.
Possibly it’ll develop on us, possibly it gained’t. Both manner, we positive are jonesing to take it for a spin.
Husqvarna | Photos by Rudi Schedl
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