I'm an older rider but always found the Svart 401 appealing. The thing that really put me off was the instruments, thankfully they have been replaced so maybe time to look again...
Hey @MotoJournoKris I've been following your vids on the Svart 401.. Great effort.. But, here in India, Husqvarna only sold the Svart and Vit 250s until now.. I personally loved the tyre hugger on the older Svarts..and the underbelly exhaust is seamlessly integrated.. Thank heavens, Husky didn't remove the Spoke wheels.. Great Vid as always.. Love and support from India❤❤.. BTW, It's a Bidirectional quick shifter, so there you go...
There's actually some updates to the 250 as well, although I didn't cover it in this video as I thought it might get lost under all the 401 info. Thanks for watching!
Hey! Great videos man! I’m about to purchase a new Svartpilen and I’m wondering if the previous gen aftermarket exhaust will fit the new ones?! Revzilla says they match but not too sure any help?!
can confirm that the handlebar position is basically the same, the pegs also, where before they were a bit more aggressive on the vit, and found the wheelbase dimensions on Bennets feature, which seem to be accurate. overall a great update and great video!
The location of the license plate is the same as everyone else's, totally boring. It used to be beautiful. Only because of the location of the license plate, the old model stood out among the competitors.
I'm not sure on that one, possibly not with a new swingarm in use and likely lacking the mounting points. I don't think they'll run the extended wiring either which was needed for that mounting.
The Vitpilen and Svartpilen use to be distinctly different, now they're kinda the same. The Vitpilen really was an enthusiast bike, with it's committed riding position. The new one is more beginner friendly. I like the old Vitpilen, I just bought one. I wouldn't consider the new one -- not committed enough for me, to generic.
I'd say the Vitpilen is the big loser in the upgrades to be honest. We've lost the old cafe racer, which as you say was very unique, and now we kind of get a Svartpilen with the choice of alloys or spoked wheels. I'd guess that will suit a lot more riders overall, but those who would have bought the original Vitpilen get left behind.
They're both made in India by Bajaj Auto as far as I know, so I'd say so. There is also production in the Philippines at the KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing Inc which includes the 390s and 401s. These are specifically Asia bound however.
Well except for the capacity bump and electronics package which would be very welcomed, I’ll keep the looks of my 2020 Vitpilen with its centered shock and spoked rims. That said, I do like the new Svartpilen.
It always was, although originally the 401s were a significantly more expensive off-shoot of the 390 models, obviously with drastically different styling and hand assembled in Europe. The price was dropped as they never moved with such a huge premium attached. There was some advantages on the 401s though, like the adjustable forks over the Duke. But the dash probably offset that somewhat.
@@MotoJournoKris don't Duke also have adjustable forks. In India 401 carries less premium than the Duke 390 even though both are manufactured in the same plant.
I think the Duke only got the adjustable forks in 2023 or 2024, at least here in Australia. Although there's some variance in the loadout between markets. I think the pricing is similar here, the Duke is a little more funnily enough. @@kongukaran
I have been agonizing between the Svart 401 and the Scrambler 400x. From my limited researching i came up with limited offroad capability of the Svart versus the slight more capable Scrambler, and a valve check interval of 12,400 miles versus 20,000, respectively. Though I have a deep infatuation with the Svart and its modern tech, I think the triumph might be a bit more fun in the long haul 🤷♂️
The Scrambler 400X will have the taller seat height, so should be a little roomier I'd say. I haven't had a chance to sit on the new Triumph's yet, so I'm not sure exactly how they'll compare, but I'd assume you're right there.
The weight of the previous bike was quoted on Husqvarna website as 144/145kg. Ok, this new model has a slightly increased engine capacity and a 3.5litre larger fuel tank. But I can't see an obvious excuse for the bike being 15kg heavier (dry).
As stated in the video, 10-ish kg is the fuel (at 13 L) of 170 kg. A couple of kg in fuelled weight being tank size difference from old model to new, but Husqvarna don't quote fuelled figures, making it a bit of a moot point. Actual figures from Husqvarna are below. 2022 Svartpilen 401: 152 kg (excl. fuel) 2024 Svartpilen 401: 159 kg (excl. fuel) 2022 Vitpilen 401: 151 kg (excl. fuel) 2024 Vitpilen 401: 154.5 kg (excl. fuel) There's some conjecture that Husqvarna's figures are dry, not just excluding fuel, and actual bike weight was about 4 kg heavier according to some of the motorcycle weight loss junkies in the US, which would coincidentally be all other liquids except fuel at a guess.
@MotoJournoKris I think I was getting muddled up with the weight of the Herald Brute 500, which is also given as the dry weight. Although the 7kg increase still seems kind of a lot, especially when thinking about the new, smaller, underslung exhaust. It's still probably my preferred bike in the 400cc category. The increased tank capacity will mean more people are more confident going for slightly longer rides into the middle of nowhere. The single cylinder will still deliver very good mpg too. Fully fuelled weight will increase roughly 11kg but that's partly because of the 3.5litre increase of the fuel tank.
Yea I do wonder where that weight is. Maybe the new exhaust is much heavier being designed for Euro5+? I would have assumed a decent saving there normally to be honest, as you say. I feel like they would have saved weight with the plate holder and the dash too, and not having the beefy sump guard. Maybe a bit more weight in the new engine? It would be interesting to weigh one when they arrive! @@wolfpackpete6408
@MotoJournoKris with the added capacity of the new engine being to the stroke, maybe the whole block is longer, which could add some weight for sure. Do we know what material is used for the engine? The frame redesigned for the larger tank could be adding a bit too. I don't think it can be extra internal stuff in the exhaust. I live in the UK and Euro5 has been in since 2020/2021. The outgoing model I assume was Euro5 compliant. Plus, the new engine is a longer stroke version of the old engine. The basic geometry of an engine cylinder is a long stroke delivering more torque, short stroke for top end power, halfway between the two being efficient. With this being a longer stroke version of the old engine, it should mean it's burning the fuel/air mixture more efficiently, and therefore shouldn't need extra stuff in the exhaust for the new engine to be emissions compliant. Can't remember if it was a review of this bike or the KTM Duke 390 that it shares the engine with. But someone sounded like they were complaining there's only an increase of 1bhp... that extra peak power coming in 500rpm lower revs certainly supports the new engine being more efficient, not just slightly larger. Torque increased too, but I can't remember if that peak is also at lower revs than before. Since you own the old model, it will be interesting if you can do a review about if the fit and finish has improved in the areas where the old bike wasn't quite perfect.
@MotoJournoKris I've looked at the Husqvarna website again and it states that the new engine is lighter in weight despite the increased capacity. Now I think the extra weight has to be in the new fuel tank, new frame, and the subframe looks bigger to me too. I haven't actually seen either model in person, so somewhat guessing. Added steel for the bulkier frame, along with added electrics needing a more powerful (so heavier) ECU..?
**Correction they do appear to be tubless** The rims aren't tubeless on the Svartpilen with the spoked wheels, so tubes will be needed. The STRs can be run without tubes only if the rims allow it.
the issues with poor quality was caused by moving production to India. Unless they have moved it back to Europe (or maybe China ?) that problem will remain unfortunately
Honestly, I don't really think there would be any difference in quality moving to China or Europe, retaining current pricing. There'd need to be a big reduction in production/manufacturing/assembly costs that could then allow the component quality to be improved without the retail price changing. And it goes without saying that a decision would need to be made to do that, rather than just having a higher margin on the machines. With a better idea of the popularity of these machines and what people are willing to pay, it gives Husqvarna the opportunity to now lift production quality with the new model, with production in India. When the bikes were assembled in Europe, still obviously using core mechanical components out of India (as that's where the 390s are manufactured), the bike cost 75% more. It's the same point argued about production in China. Quality comes totally down to QC and component pricing. You can get really good stuff from China, but you can also get mediocre products, and absolute rubbish that's made as cheap as possible - often as a knockoff.
I think you're right, taking a closer look at more of the images I've got. I thought I saw a lock nut on a tube stem last time I checked. Still no mention in any of the documentation I've got though, which I find super strange, as for most people buying these bikes this will be a huge advantage. I'd have thought they'd make a big deal out of it. @@hgamdic9993
The truth is that it seems horrible to me, it became a generic motorcycle, I own a 2022 svartpilen and it is beautiful, but this new design is terrible, that mix of duke with husqvarna😢that tail is terrible, the new screen is very good, but being square it loses that retro touch, the monoshock on one side is strange, the moldings on the front bars are ugly, and on the vitpilen even worse with that cover, the poorly finished exhaust pipe; Very sad, because I wanted a svartpilen that was a little bigger and with more ground clearance.😢
Just seems more elegant to me overall, except the exhaust. But they probably do want it a little more generic so more new riders are interested to be fair.
Now the bike looks Unsymmetrical compared to the Previous models. The removal of Clip-ons are a deal breaker for me. Not upgrading from my Current Vitpilen 250 anytime soon. Oh yeah the underbelly is very eye soaring.
