Husqvarna Svartpilen and Vitpilen 401 Updated
Today Husqvarna announced a major update to their Svartpilen and Vitpilen and lineups with a whole bunch of changes for their 105, 250 and 401 models that should make them bang up to scratch for the 2024 model year.
So we’ll go through all of the details of this extensive redesign, specifically focusing on the four oh ones with the 10 key things that you need to know about them.
ENGINE
So let’s start with the engine, which they say is an entirely new generation and it benefits from a whole bunch of changes including new cylinder heads, new camshafts revised fuel injection, and a completely redesigned airbox to name, but a few.
The result is a couple of more horsepower peaks, so it now makes 45 and yet 500 RPM lower in the rev range and also there’s a couple of extra new to meters of peak torque, so it’s now 39 NM made at the same 7,000 RPM.
Now granted that’s not a momentous increase because of course there’s only so far that you can go with an A two licensed compliant motorcycle.
But some of the other tweaks like the updates to the gearbox, the quick shifter, the slipper clutch, and also those fuel injection settings that I just mentioned should make for a slightly more pleasant and refined riding experience.
FRAME
But one of the changes that I do think will more significantly affect the ride is the new steel trellis frame and curved aluminum swing arm, which feature a revised geometry with a significantly longer wheelbase.
They say the idea here is to preserve the signature agility of this line of bikes, but also at the same time add in a little bit more stability through higher-speed corners.
So you’ll see that the wheel base has gone up from 1,357 millimeters to 1,368. On top of that, they’ve also relocated the rear mono-shock off to one side.
And not only does this contribute to the looks a little bit, but it’s also allowed them to play with the packaging of the bike.
One of the ways, for example, that they’ve been able to comply with the latest Euro five emissions regulations is to fit that redesigned airbox, which is quite a bit larger.
So naturally positioning the shock off to one side allows a bit more space for this at the same time as dropping the seat height.
Also, the curve in the swing arm allows a bit more space under the bike for the exhaust system, and that’s also being redesigned for emissions reasons.
And look, with modern day bikes being so restricted by those laws, the catalyzers can be quite weighty.
Surmounting them low can help to keep the center of gravity low on the bike and that should have a positive effect on the way the bike handles.
SUSPENSION
Now naturally suspension comes from WP, which is the in-house brand at KTM and husqvarna, and usually this means that you get great quality stuff even on bikes that are relatively affordable price point like these ones.
So the fork is from their WP Apex line with an upside-down design and a 43-millimeter diameter and you get 150 millimeters of travel across all the models. Now these are
Adjustable in both compression and rebound damp pin and you get five clicks for each, which I think is less than some of the previous generations, but they say it makes it easier to adjust and easier to understand.
Now at the rear we’ve got a WP Apex mono shock to match and not only is this preload adjustable of course, so you can get the SAG of the bike right if you’re carrying a passenger and or luggage, but also there’s the five steps of rebound adjustments so you can get the response dialed.
BRAKES
Upfront you’ve got a four-piston radially mounted caliper on a 320MM disc with a two-pot caliper on a two 40MM disc at the rear.
Now they say that the calipers are a new design, but also that disc on the rear is slightly larger and that leads to a reduced operating temperature, which gives you a little bit less fading and also a longer lifespan on the pads.
They also say they’ve changed the brake lever and master cylinder with a slight improvement to the ergonomics.
And a tweak that I really appreciate is the fact that they’ve moved that single front disc over to the right hand side.
This is solely to improve the looks of the bike when it’s parked on the side stand and as someone who takes a lot of pictures and videos of bikes and especially having owned a bike with a single disc up front on the left, I know it seems totally superficial, but I really do wish more manufacturers would do this.
And of course you get the latest and greatest Bosch ABS system, which features their signature SUPERMOTO mode, which disengages ABS on the rear so that you can slide the bike around.
And specifically for these new models, they say the Supermoto mode now stays on after you switch the ignition off and back on again. And so that’s a nice time saver if you like to have this feature switched on permanently.
WHEELS
From a styling perspective, the smart pillar is more so inspired by retro scramblers, whereas the bit pillar has always been a bit more of a cafe racer vibe.
And so with these two bikes, you get appropriate wheels to match the intended overall look.
The smart pillow comes on 17-inch spoke wheels and these ones are showed with Pirelli’s Scorpion Rally, STR tires, which have a bit more of a rugged look to them.
Despite that though, I would say they’re pretty decent on the road. They are I think a majority road tire and so yeah, surprisingly good on tarmac, especially given the blocky appearance.
But they should also do the job on relatively easy off-road stuff like light dry gravel. As for the Bit pillow one, this one gets cast aluminum, six-spoke wheels and they should be a little bit lighter and make the bike feel more nimble.
And these get mic lint power six tires which are completely road specific and should also contribute to that sporty feel.
One thing that’s not entirely clear from the press release though is whether those spoke wheels on the smart pillar in a tubeless or not.
I believe in previous gens they did require an inner tube and so outta the two that might start to push me a little towards the bit pillow for those easier repairs at the roadside.
ERGONOMICS
Now onto the ergonomics and there are two big changes here. Firstly, the seat height has been reduced quite a lot, so it used to be 835 MM and it’s now down at 820.
And so given that a bike at this sort of price point and power level is always partly gonna be targeted at newer riders, I’d expect that this is a wise move given that 835 MM is a little bit on the tall side.
On top of that, they’ve also made the seats a touch narrower and again, that’s gonna make that reach down to the floor feel a little bit easier and more reassuring.
Now the second big change is with the handlebar and while the smart pillar has always had those flat bars for that semi scrambler sort of style, the bit pillar used to come with some clip-on Style Cafe reset inspired bars.
They gave it a much more tucked in and aggressive riding position. This generation though, they’ve switched it over to a flatter street style bar and whilst it does still look a little bit lower than the Svartpilen, it should make it significantly more comfortable, especially combined with that lower seat height that’s gonna get you sat up a bit.
So yeah, I’m expecting a much more upright riding position with less weight over the hands and I think realistically for the majority of riders that’s going to be a good thing and it’ll help to broaden the appeal of this other model.
Although personally I think I really did like the sportiness of the previous gen and so I have to test this new one out to truly make my mind up.
On top of all that, you’ve got some minor tweaks like the split saddle on the Svartpilen and yet there’s a one piece saddle on the Vitpilen and they do say they’re interchangeable, so you can mix it up depending on which you prefer the look of.
And then also you’ve got a new footrest design with lightweight forged aluminum brackets, which they say give it a slightly more premium look and feel.
TECH
Tech-wise, one of the big trends that I’ve sort of noticed this year is that more and more advanced techie features seem to be trickling down to the more entry-level bikes in each of the major manufacturer’s lineups.
And so with this bike you get a whole bunch of stuff like LED lighting or round with self canceling indicators, a five-inch color TFT display Street and Rain Riding modes, three levels of traction control, a speed limiter and cruise control feature, as well as connectivity through the dash, which can open up music calls and turn by turn nav, which can all be controlled through the redesign switchgear.
On top of that, there’s also a USB-C charging port to keep your devices juiced up and so to me that looks like a pretty impressive set of features, especially for a bike of this nature.
STYLING
Visually this is a case of evolution rather than revolution. It’s a similar overall look to the previous Gem bikes and a lot of the key features like the round headlight with the daytime running light and the almost futuristic-looking body work have been retained, but there are changes and they’ve sort of smoothed it out a little bit.
The tank covers are elongated and a little more flowing and so overall it looks a little more curvy and a touch less blocky.
For me, it works really well on the Vitpilen with that more sporty character, although I think still the chunkier look of the Svartpilen with the extra bits of body work like the belly pan and the fly screen, you know they still make it my pick of the two from A Looks perspective.
Now, one of the practical side benefits of that redesigning the sort of tank area seems to be a significant bump in tank capacity.
So it’s gone from 9.5 liters up to 13, which makes it much more practical and you’ve got much longer intervals between Fill ups.
PRICE
As for the price, well, we’re looking at 5,599 pounds for both the Svartpilen and Vitpilen 401 Model, which I think is about a hundred quid up on the RRP of the previous generations.
And given how much they’ve changed and improved, I think that’s probably a fair deal. Now you will quite often see the previous gen bikes discounted by about a thousand pounds.
A quick Google will show some pretty tempting prices, but I assume that’s just a clear-out old stock knowing that these new models were on the way. And so I wouldn’t say it’s really a fair comparison with that price.