Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 (2024 - ) review

Shared roots with KTM’s 790 Duke are obvious enough in the Svartpilen 801’s WP Apex suspension, the distinctive swingarm and the bronze-coloured crank casings. But where the Duke leans on cheaper Chinese production to nail its competitive price the Husqvarna is built in Austria, and has a little more power from the 799cc LC8c parallel-twin. This means you can’t run it in A2 trim like you can the Duke, the Husqvarna’s steeper price likely a stretch for younger riders anyway. The distinctive modernist design is very cool, though, the cast rear subframe and seat assembly and the way it aligns with the slash-cut end of the exhaust silencer among the neat detailing. While scrambler-ish in its style the paired 17-inch road wheels and relatively short suspension travel are, meanwhile, more street optimised, the related flat-bar Vitpilen taking that theme further.

While relatively tall and upright with its scrambler-style cross-braced handlebars the Svartpilen feels usefully skinny and manageable, thanks in part to the slim, lightweight chromoly steel frame. It proved comfy for your six-foot tester, with a nice balance of reach and foot position ideal for razzing around town and back lane scratching. The minimal rear perch and high-mounted exhaust might not make it the most comfortable choice for pillions, though.

Whether actually a scrambler or more a traditional sporty naked the Svartpilen 801 is, evidently, a pretty minimal bike, with few concessions to long-distance comfort or practicality. Perhaps surprisingly it wasn’t as excruciating on a boring motorway cruise as we feared, but it’s clear touring isn’t its real forte. Branded soft luggage comprising side, rear and tank bags is available as accessories all the same, heated grips and ‘ergo’ seats for rider and pillion likewise. Don’t expect to keep clean if you do ride all year round, though, spray kicking up and coating our clothes and kit on one wet ride. Which could be a pain if you’re using it to commute on.

While a parallel twin there’s a rorty rudeness about the Svartpilen’s 799cc engine that – at times – makes it feel more like a big single. The torque delivery plays its part here, the 87Nm punching hard with the 105 horsepower output and short gearing egging you on. A standard quickshifter is a nice feature, though the action on our test bike was very light – a more decisive clunk would be nice and avoid accidental mis-shifts. The performance certainly feels nicely tuned to twisty roads, though, the slick fuelling making it easy to modulate the throttle with real precision when pulling away and blipping up and down the gears. It sounds good, too, though if you want more optional Remus or Akrapovič cans are available. Twin 300mm discs up front are grabbed by radially mounted Husqvarna-branded J.Juan calipers, feel to the nicely shaped lever giving excellent modulation. We’d have preferred a slightly more decisive bite to the rear brake, though, the lever a little flaccid in its feel and feedback. If you want to get all lairy on or off the road you can switch the rear ABS off as required.

Husqvarna quotes a weight before fuel of just 181kg, so even with the 14-litre tank brimmed it feels relatively light on its feet. It’s a very confidence-inspiring bike as well, the playful sense of agility working well with the torquey, up-for-it power delivery. Which is little surprise given the shared KTM roots, even if the Husqvarna has a little more style and maturity in the way it goes about things. Chunky adjustors on the WP forks make it easy to tweak compression and rebound to your tastes, even on the move. Which is something you don’t get the option for on most rivals, the suspension clearly of higher than typical quality. What we liked most was the neat blend of Husqvarna’s off-road style and riding manners but street-friendly handling and chuckability on the matched 17-inch wheels. In a word? Fun. And lots of it.

Austrian manufacture does add to the Husqvarna’s pricetag over equivalent KTMs with which it shares an engine and other bits, though at the time of writing there were some very attractive deals. It’s at least competitive with premium modern scramblers like the Ducati Scrambler 800, though. Beyond that running costs should be middling, though if you ride it as the bike encourages you could be getting through tyres and the like more often than might on others.

The LC8c engine at the heart of the Svartpilen 801 is related to that which suffered issues in earlier applications on KTMs, though this has since been addressed with stronger internals so we’d feel confident ignoring the keyboard warriors and doom-mongers.

Service intervals of over 9,000 miles look generous, and will more than cover the typical annual use most owners will put it to. Like KTM, Husqvarna also offers a confidence-inspiring four-year warranty, though you’ll need to commit to main dealer servicing for it to remain valid.

The Svartpilen 801’s modern looks are backed up by impressive tech, controlled by pleasingly chunky backlit switchgear, clean graphics on the screen and logical menus. In the modern way there’s plenty of configurability in the throttle and way the IMU-controlled rider aids operate, with a logical progression through Street, Sport and Rain, plus a customisable Dynamic mode. The quickshifter is standard, though if you want 10-stage fine-tuning for the side-slip control, variable anti-wheelie or Motor Slip Regulation (basically an electronic, throttle-controlled slipper clutch to prevent rear-wheel lock-up) you need to pay a little more for the optional Dynamic Pack. If we were browsing the options we’d probably want the trendier bar-end mirrors as a finishing touch to the Svartpilen’s fashionable looks.

Smart, distinctive, well-finished and a riot to ride, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 is an individual choice against the obvious appeal of rivals like the Ducati Scrambler. But we loved the modernist style, the feisty power delivery and the supporting tech. Not cheap, but it does a convincing impression of a premium bike in its build quality and engineering. An intriguing modern street scrambler, and one from a brand with a real sense of cool.