2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 Review: More Than A Stylish KTM Duke?

For the first time ever, you can buy a Husqvarna Svartpilen with a multi-cylinder engine. The Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 - and the subsequently released Vitpilen 801 - share much in common with the KTM 790 Duke, but reimagine the sharply-styled Austrian in a classy, neo-retro form.

The engine marks a bit of change for the Svartpilen (‘black arrow’) and Vitpilen (‘black arrow’) names, which since first emerging in 2014 exclusively featured single-cylinder engines. Those names, by the way, have their roots in the Husqvarna Silverpilen of 1955.

That’s the history lesson dealt with, but in the here and now, we need to work out if this bike is more than just a KTM in a fancy suit. For that, we rode the bike both at the international launch in the south of France, and also covered several hundred miles on a Svartpilen 801 in the UK. 

Svartpilen 801 price and availability

The Svartpilen 801 is due to arrive in UK dealers in June and will be priced at £10,499 on the road. It’s available in just the one colour; clue’s in the name really.

It’s by no means a cheap bike – that’s £2500 more expensive than a KTM 790 Duke. There were some initial ultra-low interest PCP deals (just 1.9 per cent APR), although these have since ended. Currently, the best PCP deal involves 9.4 per cent APR, 37 monthly payments of £139, a deposit of £1,745.50 and an optional final payment of £5,782.50.

There have been some chunky price cuts across the Pierer Mobility Group in recent months due to overstocking issues, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the 801 gets its own reduction at some point. 

Engine, chassis and tech

Many of the 801’s fundamentals are either taken straight from or related to KTM’s 790 Duke – so if the spec you read in this section sounds familiar, don’t be too surprised.

The engine is the same 799cc parallel twin, the biggest change here being to make it Euro 5+ compliant. In the Svartpilen it packs a claimed 103bhp, which at first glance seems a decent improvement on UK-market 790 Dukes making 94bhp. However, that’s not down to any special tuning for the Husky – this is how much power the motor normally makes, it’s just KTM choose to bring only the A2-restrictable version of the Duke into the UK. The Svartpilen is instead being launched with the full-power motor, so it can’t (yet) be ridden on an A2 licence.

The engine itself is built by CFMoto in China (which makes complete 790 Dukes for KTM), but assembly of the Svartpilen is done in Austria. 

The main frame uses a tubular steel design, which looks identical to the Duke, but has a slightly more relaxed headstock angle. The swingarm is cast aluminium, as is the Svartpilen’s unique exposed rear subframe which serves as both the airbox housing, as well the bike’s tail unit.

Suspension at both ends is made by WP, unsurprisingly (it’s KTM’s in-house brand). The 43mm forks have separate rebound and compression adjustments, while the shock offers preload and rebound. Travel is 140mm front and 150mm back, so there’s a smidge more length than a pure street bike, but it’s a long way short (ahem) of adventure bike territory. It’s certainly not a tall bike, with a seat height of 820mm. Cast wheels (no wire-spoked option yet, but they’re in development) are 17-inchers at both ends, and wear Pirelli MT 60 RS tyres with a flat-track style tread pattern.

J.Juan brake calipers look identical the Duke’s, other than wearing Husqvarna logos, and are overseen by a lean-sensitive cornering ABS system. This can also be set to a ‘Supermoto’ mode, which lets you lock the rear wheel if you like that kinda thing.

The presence of an IMU means that the traction control system is also lean-sensitive, and there’s an anti-wheelie function that’s disabled when you’re in Sport mode. As standard, this is the lairiest of the three riding modes (the other two being Rain and Street), though if you shell out an extra £361.51 for the Dynamic Pack, a fourth riding mode is unlocked which then offers even more precise control over exactly how much slide angle and wheelie height you want, so the bike can be precisely as safe or as loose as you like.

Speaking of paid-for extras, two features which are optional accessories on the 790 Duke come as standard on the Svartpilen. One is a two-way quickshifter; the other is Bluetooth connectivity, so you can pair the bike to Husqvarna’s smartphone app, which then lets you control calls and music from the new backlit switchgear, and also project turn-by-turn navigation instructions onto the bike’s five-inch colour TFT dash. Cruise control is a £252.79 option, which requires a new left-hand switchgear unit.

What's it like to ride?

For a bike with a pretty out-there look, based on a model with a deserved reputation for nutty naughtiness, it’s a genuine surprise that the Svartpilen 801 feels so warm, welcoming and well-mannered. That starts with the riding position, which is pleasingly spacious, with its braced handlebar putting hands high and wide, and giving an upright, relaxed upper body stance. Right from the off everything is manageable and obedient – the ride-by-wire throttle response is mapped faultlessly even in its snarliest Dynamic mode, steering is measured rather than instant, and there are no unwelcome surprises anywhere to be found.

A pair of balance shafts keep engine vibration in check all the way through the rev range. Power is delivered smoothly and linearly through the bottom-end and midrange before it finds a higher level of fruitiness above 7000rpm. Technically and mechanically it doesn’t seem like KTM (or, cough, CFMoto) has changed anything about the 790’s engine on paper, but in use, it seems far less frantic in the Svartpilen. That’s not to say it can’t still boogie when you ask – the front wheel clutches skywards with little provocation in second gear. And with over 100bhp on offer, it’s still plenty fast enough to make you grin big. The only fly in the entire powertrain ointment is a gearbox that can seem a bit stiff and clunky on upshifts.

The chassis is unexpectedly calm and courteous too. Brakes are strong, but bite gently at first. Suspension is set for a plush, compliant ride, which occasionally borders on a touch too bouncy from the shock. The wide bars offer loads of leverage to throw the bike into corners – not that it needs much effort, with its fully fuelled weight of just 191kg – and the pegs are set high enough that there’s never a problem with ground clearance. No lack of grip from the chunky-treaded Pirellis either.

In fact, despite the Svartpilen’s scramblery looks, there isn’t really a hint of any off-road influence in how it rides. Instead, it feels every bit the friendly, easygoing roadster, a bike that’s equally rewarding whether you’re riding it fast or slow.

The only element that isn’t quite so hospitable is the seat comfort – it’s fine for a few hours but starts to feel a bit thin after a hundred miles or so. But you’ll probably need to stop for fuel by then anyway. The tank holds 13.7 litres, and with a real-world fuel consumption of around 50mpg, that gives a maximum range of 150 miles until you’re waiting for a recovery truck.

UK ride update

Matt Robinson

Riding a Svartpilen 801 merely reinforces the fact that it’s a more gentle, considered proposition than its lairy Duke relative. Yes, it’s reasonably firm, but not excessively so, and a fiddle of the suspension adjusters soon gets you an appropriate level of suppleness. On the crappiest of UK roads, you aren’t left wanting for more comfort.

The engine, too, is noticeably less frenetic, while still being more than punchy enough, and yes, happy to get the front wheel aloft if demanded. 

After spending the best part of two weeks with the bike, you really appreciate all the nifty little details, which take time for you to notice. Things like the Husqvarna logo stamped onto the engine case, and the Husqvarna script embossed in the bike’s tail.

When living with the bike, though, you are left wondering if there’s much point in the scrambler touches other than aesthetics. The flat-track style Pirelli MT 60 tyres, for example, perform well considering the tread pattern, but I’d probably rather have a bit of extra feedback and grip from proper road tyres.

Happily, though, you can have that with the subsequently revealed Vitpilen 801, but without the uncomfortable clip-on handlebars of Vitpilen models of old. Instead, the Vitpilen simply uses a single bar with a lower rise to give a slightly more sporty but still comfortable riding position. And arguably, it looks even better. 

Should you buy a Husqvarna Svartpilen 801?

To ride, there’s very little to dislike about the Svartpilen. It’s incredibly easy to get on with straight away, proves accommodating across a broad range of riding speeds and scenarios, and feels pleasingly substantial and well-built. It has a more chilled, more considered charisma than the 790 Duke, which in turn makes it feel more versatile, more usable, and less focused on permanently chasing the next adrenaline rush. It’s somehow classier too, less like riding a fluoro orange shellsuit. Or perhaps that’s just the self-conscious ramblings of a bald bloke in his 40s.

But the elephant in the room has to be the Svartpilen’s price: £10,499 is a seriously sizeable sum, and that’s before you think about adding the Dynamic Pack, or any other extras. And for that kind of money, there’s a wealth of extremely tempting super-middleweight roadsters to choose from. Yamaha’s MT-09 is an absolute riot, comes with all the Svartpilen’s tech (and more, actually), yet costs less. Triumph’s Street Triple 765 has a stiffer, sportier, speedier setup and prices start at less than £10k. Ducati offers both a water-cooled Monster and an air-cooled Scrambler Full Throttle for around the £11k mark.

Now, clearly, none of these are direct rivals for the Svartpilen. None offer an identical match for the 801’s blend of distinctive modern-retro design, relaxed roadster charm and gadget-laden sporty side. And in that regard, being different to everything else will perhaps do it no harm at all. So, should you buy a Svartpilen 801? If you like its unique attitude and approach, then you won’t find another bike on the market that does the same thing.

2024 HUSQVARNA SVARTPILEN 801 specs