Great content. I picked up a Vit 401 a couple of months back. Ive been pretty happy with it. I'm a new rider so the bikes been fun. Lucky for me, I live in a small city so the bikes more then enough (For now). Love your perspective though.
Thank you for the positive comment and congratulations on your purchase. Is yours a 2024 or 2023? Glad to hear you have been enjoying yours so much. I appreciate you understanding these videos just share my experience and are in no way meant to rain on anybody’s parade. Keep enjoying that Vit 401 and keep riding safe.
What were you considering upgrading to? I’m sure that Vitpilen is a blast in a city like Las Vegas, lucky to live in such a great city to ride in. Thank you so much for the support!
@ridewithKY ive been wanting to pick up a used cb650r. Just hard to justify over the electric unicycles ive been riding and the vit that ive already got xD
Haha funny you mention that. We looked at 650R’s as well but ended up landing on an XSR. The 650R is a pretty cool bike too. Strong aftermarket for those.
I was just a drive from buying one of these 6 months ago and my wife decided she wanted to come to the shop with me. Ended up with an BMW R Nine T Racer cus she liked it lol (not complaining, dream bike)... still want one of these though. Something I can eventually convince her to get on.
Haha I was just looking at a few R Nine T’s about 2 weeks ago and ended up throwing a leg over one just to check it out. Man they are sweet bikes. You will not lose an R Nine T in a parking lot that’s for sure. Enjoy that BMW, but I guess it’d be hard not to.
Wow I really like what you did with the front and rear signal lights. How did u find? I also had a random question, i dropped my svartpilen on the grass and now the front brake feels a bit loose, is there a way to tighten it back up? It still works fine but there's a bit of play when you touch the lever.
These are just the OEM euro spec turn signal lights. I ordered them from sparemotorcycleparts.eu. I don’t know if this is the most economical source though, it’s just where they were available at the time. What country are you located in? Wondering if the lever is bent a little. I don’t have my stock levers anymore but if I remember correct the stock levers have a chrome knob on them that you can turn to adjust the play in the lever. I believe the knob had numbers on it. Hope that is helpful to you. Don’t worry about the drop BTW, it happens!
I agree with you. Went on a 50 mile ride or so with a friend awhile back. Me on the vitpilen and him on an MT-07. Really struggled to keep up without working really hard. Still love the bike. Noticed on corners I was catching up to him easily. But on the straights it wasn’t even close and I kept wishing I had a little more power just to feel a bit safer on the highway/freeway.
Yup my thoughts exactly. It’s one of those things where there’s a difference between freeway capable and being comfortable/safe on the freeway. Thanks for sharing perspective and experience.
I agree, I wish it had a little more power. I will say though, I’ve gone on rides up from Fresno to Folsom and had no issues in and around traffic. The only thing I can really complain about is the gas tank size. 2 gallons is not enough.
For sure it’s sufficient power. It just feels a little out of breath at times on the freeway. But definitely has “enough” power for freeway riding. Totally agree on that gas tank capacity, even with the fuel economy these bikes get, you are constantly at the gas station. Cheers man.
I actually changed my front sprocket. It’s a 16T, which is one more tooth from factory so it’s a little steeper than stock. It did help with the freeway mannerisms but it’s more of an engine issue than a gearing issue. Just cruising on the freeway you are almost completely topped out. It’d be like driving a standard passenger car at 5500 RPM on the freeway. Hope that helps.
I ride a Vitpilen 401 in Australia, it's a little different here as the speed limits are around 90kmph so 55mph means that the little 400 still has quite a bit of power left to make it fun. I take it to the twisties every weekend and that's enjoyable enough. But I get where you're coming from. I couldn't imagine having to ride in traffic at 100mph and still expect the vitpilen to get out of a tricky situation, it just wouldn't happen. Probably a perfect bike and "More than enough" in the OCEANA region or twisties in Europe but anything else I wouldn't recommend.
Totally agree. Everybody’s situation is different and for some, like you, it’s more than enough. I would imagine in the twisties in Australia you are having tons of fun with the little Vitpilen. Always in the powerband and way more nimble than a “real” super sport. Appreciate your perspective and for sharing. Also appreciate you having a different viewpoint but also understanding it’s all dependent on each individuals situation. Thanks for the support! Keep enjoying that 401.
Always appreciate your videos, and totally agree with your assessment. Also that’s a very fair price you’re asking. Especially for everything you’ve done to it. If I didn’t already own one I would’ve jumped on that. Though I know that doesn’t help you now… sorry. You mentioned possibly getting the 701 Vitpilen, one of my biggest regrets is not buying the 2020 701 Svartpilen. That 690/701 is a great motor. Ended up getting a 2020 890R instead. Actually I’m putting it up for sale as well. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great bike but I have something else in mind like a XSR900, KTM 690 SMC R or that new Ducati single Supermoto! Did you hear they’re bumping up the capacity for that same 401 motor that’s in the RC390 too? Anyway I’m sure you’re quite done with that bike/power lol. Always enjoy your work, and I’ll share your videos with a couple friends. Okay take care, and can’t wait to see what bikes you’ll be adding to your stable!
Thank you very much for the support and positive feedback. I haven’t totally decided what I’m going to do as far as a sale. I think I’d prefer to sell it as is with the modifications but sometimes I think it might be better financially to turn it back to stock and then sell it. These bikes are so easy to work on it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to turn it back to stock, sell the bike, then sell the parts separately. I like the 701 surely for the power but I think the aesthetics missed the mark compared to the 401. The 701 looks a little too much like a cruiser and to me gets lost in a parking lot of motorcycles. 890R is a great one. But the options you are looking at are great too. There will be some XSR content coming up very soon so look out for that. Thank you again very much for the support and positivity. Always appreciate getting a thank you from viewers.
If you were to sell as is, how much would you want? I like what you did aesthetically and performance wise. I live in nyc so its rare people are going over 70 especially with traffic
I would let it go for $5500. That’s including all the stock parts. In a dense city environment this size bike is pretty ideal. Good fuel economy and very nimble. Thanks for your time. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Ive always said that bikes like these are great if youre riding solo. Riding a bike at its limit is a lot more fun, but trying to keep up with someone spoils it.
I’m not sure yet. I’ll probably turn it back to stock and post it on cycle trader for $4000. Absolutely clean, no drops, and of course meticulously maintained. 701 is a good one power wise I just don’t like the styling. I think the 401 aesthetic is much better. Thank you so much for the support!
The 24 for sure looks interesting! At the moment I also prefer the current gen but not sure if maybe it’s just because I’m used to it and not used to the 24. Either way I’m glad they are continuing the Vitpilen lineage.
Based on my experience riding the 401, the open airbox cover feels punchy and sounds better but actually reduces the overall performance. This is purely anecdotal. I end up putting back the stock cover. and the bike performs much better. The acceleration is better and the overall top speed is more. In Your clip actually it feels quite slow looking at it. That's my take.
Thanks for sharing. Of course my experience is purely anecdotal as well but my feelings are the opposite. The overall performance seems better with the open lid, again no real practical way to really know though.
I had svartpilen and 390 adventure and theyre fast enough for me at 150lbs but now i have an MT07 and i think itll be interesting to ride a 400cc again i might not like it as much but the drz400sm is a hoot, id buy one again (ove had 2 already)
Totally understand man and thank you for sharing. The KTM 373’s definitely have some snap to them it’s just they really fall on their face on the highway. Not really KTM’s fault, it’s just a 373 single so you can’t expect a ton. MT07’s are great man. Knowing what I know now I probably would have went with something like that instead of this Vitpilen 401. But hindsight is always 20/20. Thanks again for sharing.
I just work for the government. I promise what I do is not exciting at all, it’s a very humble profession. Thank you for watching and for your support!
Whoever you sell your Vit to is going to get a thoroughly farkled bike! If I still had to commute I'd get an electric car. Commuting by motorcycle is not a good idea in SoCal. I use my Vit purely for recreation and for that it is entirely adequate. Being a cyclist as well, shifting to get the most out of the available power is natural, and, so easy with the quick shifter. Bicycles now commonly have electric shifting! What would I get for my next bike? There are rumors of a Svartpilen/Vitpilen 801 or 901 parallel twin. If I couldn't wait, a Duke 790 or 890. Husqvarna bikes are just so much more interesting than the usual Japanese stuff which are invisible at the bike hangouts.
Thank you for sharing. I’ll probably be posting the Vit soon, I’ll make a video going over its final form hopefully to help those with Vit’s/Svart’s as they are still a popular option for many. Parallel twin Vit would be awesome. I wish the 701 had the aesthetic of the 401’s. Always liked the 701 for the extra power but thought the styling was too much like a normal cruiser. The 401 has a lot more unique aesthetic IMO. As always, thanks for sharing George. It’s always insightful and helpful.
@@caseyddrwhen you hit traffic while driving a car, sure makes you wish you were riding man. You are right, you can get to your destination much quicker without breaking a single VC.
For me, the vit401 can do local roads all day. I remember having to get on the highway to ride back (avg 80 mph) 1.5 hours after the twisties. The ride home sucked. lol.
Local roads for sure has plenty of power and nice and nimble as well. Tight roads is where these bikes shine, they are incredibly nimble. However, at speed they are also very stable. I continue to be impressed by the handling at any speed with these Vits. Haha I agree man, long highway runs on these bikes basically suck. RPM’s super high and lots of wind buffering. 😂. Cheers man.
…wait what?…lol you bought this as a commuter bike…lol. This is like the worst commuter bike, it’s a café racer with clip-ons so you’re already uncomfortable, that combined with no wind protection on the freeway, and then you’re complaining about lack of power… what? This bikes sole purpose in life is to look cool and bomb around town… I mean what you just said is like saying, I bought this bike for trail riding…lol. If you want a commuter bike, pick function over form and go buy one of the BMWs or a used Prius…. Also, in every other video you’ve done you have praise the bike even in the video about the issues you were having you praise the bike… and then you complain and say you bought into (I honestly don’t remember the word you use but) the other people on the Internet praising the bike…lol.
Never said anything about the clip ons. I guess a good commuter bike is a used Prius. Also guess you’ve never changed your mind before. Once you make up your mind you’ll never change it, great way to maneuver through life. Empty minds are always the loudest.
@@ridewithKY I never said you said anything about the clip Ons I added that cause it’s not conducive to a commuter bike… commuter bikes are supposed to be comfortable and get good gas mileage. Also, of course I’ve change my mind before however, I don’t make videos praising the bikes and basically recommending people by them in so many words, and then turning around and saying oh I bought into the hype and now I don’t like it and I’m gonna sell it… I purchased one of these bikes based on yours and a bunch of other peoples videos so you’re apparently one of those(insert, whatever word you used here because I can’t remember it)…
@teddysurf the clip ons are actually comfortable for me but that’s just my experience so again I don’t see how your comment about the clip ons was productive or helpful to anyone. Commuter bikes to YOU are supposed to be comfortable and get good gas mileage. Totally fine, but that’s not everybody so don’t make such a an all inclusive statement like that. Who said I don’t recommend these anymore? In every video I always say I’m just sharing my experience and everybody should do what they want to do. I also said in this video I don’t regret the purchase but sounds like you missed that part. Regardless, the point of these videos is to try to be helpful to others and this conversation doesn’t seem to be productive. You’ve got your viewpoint and I’ve got mine, no need to bring negativity into the comment section. That being said I’ll continue to try to be helpful to others and are welcome to continue to be negative. As I always say do what you want, I’m just sharing my experience.
@@ridewithKY sure if you want to buy a “commuter bike” that is uncomfortable and gets horrible gas mileage have at it… I really can’t argue with that logic… ““I think these are too small for modern traffic situation’s and if I had to do it again, I would get something else. so don’t fall into the trap that I did.”…
“I don’t regret my purchase at all.” But of course that’s not clear enough for someone like you. You’ve got your mind made up, so debating with you is just spinning wheels. You have a good one man.
