In a move that’s, ooohhhhh, about four years later than expected, we now see Husqvarna teasing a Svartpilen 801.
For years, the Svartpilen and similarly neo-retro-styled Vitpilen models as the basis of Husqvarna’s street lineup – but only the 401-series models. These bikes are based around KTM’s made-in-India 390 single-cylinder engine, with such niceties as ride-by-wire throttle and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that enables leaning-sensitive traction control and ABS.
Previously, there were also 701 versions of these bikes, powered by the same big-bore thumper engine that’s in KTM’s 690 Enduro R. If you’ve ever ridden that bike (or the Husqvarna Enduro 701 or GasGas ES700), you know that is an absolute rocketship of a single-cylinder powerplant, with mittfulls of torque for back-road corner exits. Alas, the 701 models were canceled around five years ago, and we haven’t seen any big-bore Svartpilen or Vitpilen models since.
Until now, that is. Earlier this week, Husqvarna showed off the Svartpilen 801 prototype via YouTube. As you can see in the video above, it appears to be powered by the same liquid-cooled parallel twin that’s in the KTM 790 Adventure and KTM 790 Duke.
Just guessing, that means we can expect between 90 and 95 horsepower from the engine—maybe a bit more if they’ve tuned the engine up for street-only use—and about 70 pound-feet of torque. A quickshifter will likely be optional, with adjustable traction control and ABS also available at extra cost.
And, this is also just a guess, but—maybe this bike will be made in China.
That’s where the 790-edition KTMs are made right now, and that would 100 percent explain the timing in releasing this bike. We’ll know more on March 19, when the machine is officially revealed…
