What’s the same? The piston. That’s the way a Husqvarna representative described the differences between the prior Svartpilen/Vitpilen 401 and the new 2024 platform. A day spent blasting up and down twisty roads above Malibu in Southern California at the 2024 introduction of the machines revealed a bigger, better, and easier-to-ride brace of street Singles, aimed at making it even easier for newer riders to enter the sport (and for re-entry riders to get back on two wheels).
What’s different? New frame, new engine, new electronics.
The displacement is larger, the chassis is bigger, and the electronics suite comes from KTM’s well-loved RC 390. But Husqvarna engineers were determined to keep the riding position accessible to new riders. So the shock is offset and mounted to a new swingarm. The airbox is redesigned and aimed forward. The subframe is revised. Those changes allow the company to keep the seat height relatively low, and combined with the claimed dry weight of 340.6 lbs., the bikes are easy for an inexperienced rider to manage at a stoplight.
The new LC4c engine, a single-cylinder four-stroke with a bore and stroke of 89mm x 64mm, features new cases, a new cylinder head, and new fuel injectors. The claimed engine output is 44.25 horsepower (about what the previous model made) to meet tiered licensing requirements outside of the United States. But the longer stroke, which brings the displacement from 373cc to 398.1cc, results in increased torque, Husqvarna says. The new engine also features longer service intervals.
New WP Apex suspension is adjustable front and rear.
Two ride modes, Street and Rain, are available, and the rear-wheel ABS can be switched off–the company calls that Supermoto Mode. A quickshifter allows clutchless up-and down-shifting. The cornering-sensitive traction control can be switched off. The bikes feature a new ride-by-wire system, and an assisted/slipper clutch keeps the rear wheel from hopping during deceleration.
The 401 platform comes in two variations. The Svartpilen (which means Black Arrow in Swedish) comes with scrambler styling cues, including wire spoke wheels, Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires, and higher handlebars. The Vitpilen (White Arrow) comes with Michelin Road 6 tires, lower handlebars, and cast-aluminum-alloy wheels.
Riding the bikes is an exercise in simplicity. The clutch pull is light, the feel at the brake lever direct. The front has a single 320mm disc brake, but the relatively light weight means the machine doesn’t need more front brake. The relatively short hydraulic hose means less is lost in translation when the rider pulls the front brake lever.
The increased torque means leaving a stoplight or stop sign is easier, and the engine pulls harder than prior iterations. This is very useful on the tight, uphill hairpins.
In some circumstances, the suspension feels almost rigid. The damping is less than ideal over the worst pavement heaves, but it is better than many bikes in this market segment and works well on bumpy-but-not-awful pavement. The Svartpilen felt a little more vague when cornering, something I attribute to the tires. The Pirellis would be more suited to light off-road duty while the Michelins are definitely pavement-only tires.
The Svartpilen and Vitpilen are among the new breed of bikes that are suitable for beginners–or people who stopped riding when real life interfered but want to start riding again–but won’t be tossed aside once someone gets the hang of (or re-acquires) the fundamentals of riding. They are stylish in a unique, eye-catching way, powerful enough to use comfortably on an interstate highway and handle well enough to keep things entertaining. At $5,899, the Husqvarnas offer a lot of features for the money, and there are worse ways for someone to start–or re-start–their motorcycling journey.
