Husqvarna confirms Svartpilen 801 production for 2024

Mar 06, 2024

If you follow Husqvarna’s social media accounts, you already know that the brand has a new model prepped for launch. Since February, a series of teaser videos presented the logo-plastered newcomer in a flurry of action shots and detailed close-ups. Those clips prompted more questions than answers, however. Is that a new Svartpilen or Vitpilen? Is that a parallel twin? Will it be an 801 or a 901?

Now, Husqvarna has revealed the details behind its camo-clad Svartpilen 801 prototype. Well, some of them, at least.

What we’re told

Husky reports that the Svartpilen 801 production model will weigh “181 kg (399 pounds)” and be “powered by a compact, parallel-twin engine producing 105 hp.” While the brand doesn’t specify whether the weight figure is a dry or wet measurement, it falls in the ballpark of the 790 Duke’s 418-pound wet weight (claimed). The 105-horsepower output also points to the Svartpilen repurposing the middleweight Duke’s 799 cc parallel twin.

The 801 will also come standard with Easy Shift (Husky-speak for quickshifter). It’s worth noting that KTM’s Quickshifter+ is available as an accessory for the 790 Duke. Husqvarna goes on to state that other “state-of-the-art electronic rider aids” comprise the Svartpilen’s “class-leading technology package,” but doesn’t provide additional details.

The Svartpilen’s styling doesn’t go unmentioned, either. Husky calls out the model’s “slimline ergonomic bodywork” and “scrambler-inspired” aesthetic. Husqvarna photo.

As a point of reference, the 790 offers three ride modes, traction control, and cornering ABS out of the box but customers must pony up for additional aids like launch control, anti-wheelie, and slip adjustment. Husky will announce whether the Svartpilen includes similar features (as standard) when it reveals the model’s full specs in mid-March. For now, what we do know is that the 801 will come with a “steering damper and adjustable WP suspension,” two items the 790 Duke doesn’t tout.

Clickers atop the fork tubes and a cross-bar spanning the handlebar help position the Svartpilen 801 as a performance-minded neo-scrambler. Husqvarna photo.

What we see

During its tenure, the Svartpilen 701 came with cast wheels at one point and wire-spoked wheels at another. If Husqvarna’s prototype teaser is any indication, the Svartpilen will return to a five-spoke cast wheelset in its 801 era. Press images also indicate that the model could carry over the Pirelli MT60 RS tires that previously wrapped the 701's 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels.

Based on the promo footage, it’s easy to see that the Svartpilen likes to get sideways. According to Husqvarna, riding on the "flat-track oval and an ice track" played a "vital role in developing" the machine. Husqvarna photo.

A dual-disc front braking system is another departure from the outgoing Svartpilen’s single-rotor setup. The Husky-branded binders also hint at the same J.Juan system found on the 790 Duke, not the Brembo-supplied calipers on R-spec KTMs.

It appears that a TFT dash will replace the round, LCD display found on the Svartpilen 701. Husqvarna photo.

While the claimed and visible equipment suggests the Svartpilen 801 slotting between the 790 and 990 Dukes, the model's pricing will ultimately determine its place in the Pierer Mobility ecosystem. For those wondering, Husqvarna didn’t indicate whether the Vitpilen would return in 801 form, but the Austrian-owned marque will unveil the Svartpilen 801’s full specs in two weeks.