When I first rode the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 at its launch in the mountains of Marseille, I was smitten. By the end of the ride, I was all but asking for a PCP application form… The power of the 801 motor and precision of the chassis wrapped in the unique Pilen aesthetic I have long admired, combined to give my current steed sweaty tyres… But holiday-weather and to-die-for roads can easily cloud the mind, what I needed was a run on the 801 in my London life.
Fast forward 3 months and here we are. In EC1 with not just the 801, but its 401 sibling for company. Despite my desire to grab the 801 keys and rekindle our relationship, as a machine I had not previously ridden, the 401 won first ride privileges.
Recently, I have ridden numerous lower-capacity, lower-powered machines, and to my surprise, found them more and more compelling. Using all of less, as opposed to less of more, is definitely growing on me. And the 401 Svartpilen is the perfect platform on which to test the mantra.
Of course, the focus of this slew of 400 odd cc / 40 odd horse-powered machines is not to convert seasoned riders to a “less is more” ideology, but to target the A2 licence category. On paper, the 401 maximises all of the categories key digit limitations, but further sweetens the deal with a host of features less commonly found in the class. A TFT dash (with phone connectivity and navigation), lean-sensitive ABS and traction control, riding modes, adjustable suspension, easy-shift quickshifter… The spec is dizzying, and at £5600, it is hard to think of a better value package.
Add what packaging. The Kiska designed Pilen family have had my attention since the striking 2015 concept. Of course, styling will forever be subjective, but my eyes very much like what they see, from afar or from the saddle. Side by side, the four and eight are clearly related, but differ substantially in their execution. Dictated by the trellis frame architecture, the 401 tank section sweeps down beneath the long, MX style seat, while the 801 has a linear division between tank and subframe. The 401 wears spoked wheels versus the eight’s cast items, wrapped in dual-sport Pirelli Scorpion Rally and flat-track themed MT60RS rubber respectively.Â
In my dedicated 801 review, I addressed the Scrambler moniker at length. In summary, I didn’t quite get it. The 801 is a road warrior pure and simple.
Sure, the 401’s aforementioned rubber and rims lean a little more toward the dirt spectrum, but again, the same applies. With both machines opting for 17 inch wheels fore and aft, road will always be their focus. Think of the call-out of Scrambler style more as a dose of robustness and inspiration for details, rather than a true inclination for dirt. If you prefer a more sleek/street style to match the use-case, Husqvarna have you covered, see the Vitpilen. But if you crave an 800cc variant, you will have to be a little patient.
Time to ride. As a lofty creature, one of the first digits I seek on a spec-sheet is seat-height, and I was both surprised and happy to see the 401 boast the same 820mm as the 801. But as I swung a 36-inch leg over the lower capacity model, I would never have believed it. Whilst it unquestionably sports “big bike” feel and quality, the fold of my legs remained convinced the spec-sheet was wrong. Having both to hand, I swapped back and forth a few times in ergonomic-exploration to discover the truth. Of course, the sheet is correct, but the narrowness of the 401 seat versus the broader unit and lower footpeg position of the 801 contrive to offer what felt like significantly different positions. Just goes to show, a spec-sheet should never replace a test-ride.
Comfortable enough, I set out through town. With its low-weight, wide bars, tight turning circle and shop-window pleasing profile, the Svartpilen makes a near perfect urban companion. Surprisingly for a single, the 401 immediately feels at home higher in the rev-range, as opposed to pulling lower rpm. This only encourages the entertaining process of lighting-up the TFT dash in luminous yellow as it prompts you to snag another ratio via the sharp quickshifter. Working both the engine and gearbox hard rewards with decent progress up to around 70 mph, and further affirms the less is more theory. More gear-changes, more cracks of the throttle, more revs, more fun…
Of course, sedate, polite progress is perfectly plausible, but the character of the bike is definitely inclined to more engaged usage. Switching to rain mode softens the throttle response a touch for damp days or nervous newbies, but with the sun high in the sky, Street remained the choice for my ride.
Carving through some of my preferred bends confirmed once more that despite the block tread tyres, the 401 is definitely in its preferred element on asphalt. Similarly to the 801, the forks sport 5 point compression and rebound adjustment clickers, plus preload and rebound in the shock. To me this simplification of adjustment is most welcome, dialling through click after click of indeterminable difference be damned.
Speaking of the eight, it is time for a swapsy. But before I step away from the four, one last point. A2 category compliance and the mere presence of a larger capacity brethren, can often relegate machines such as this to the suggestion of a stepping-stone. But with the suite of tech and suspension adjustability to play with, combined with the design flare and feeling of quality, the Svartpilen 401 has the making of a much longer-term companion.
So, the eight. Time to determine once and for all whether it should indeed be my next companion. Like an old friend, we settle straight back into rhythm, but it is a friend with a mischievous streak a mile wide. Trying to escape the confines of the city the bike feels like a caged beast, desperate to use more of what it has. The engine, almost goading you at a constant throttle, come on, come on, more, more, let’s go! Escaping the M25 we finally cut loose. Newly aware of the low peg position I try in vain to tickle tarmac with metal. I guess if I didn’t do it in the mountains, Kent wasn’t going to cut it. But damn fun trying, and once again, the sharp 801 delivered a visceral riot of a ride.
If you are still with me, my thanks, but if you want more verbiage on the 801, I would steer you instead to my original review. Deployed as my daily, everything I felt for it on that heady launch ride still stands. But is it my next bike? Regrettably, no. It is no fault of the machine, with which I am thoroughly enamoured, the issue instead lies with my bike usage. If I could sway my riding balance a degree or two from the practical toward the pleasure, I would have it in a beartbeat. But currently at least, the utilitarian functionality and load-lugging ability of my non-adventuring-adventure-bike, still holds sway. If you enjoy a more dynamic two-wheeled relationship, the 801 may well be the one.
Photography by Thomas Kettlety.
