Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 Factory Street Tracker Hits North American Shores

Today the long-awaited, flat-track inspired version of Husky’s sexy new street range rolls into authorized US and Canadian dealerships.

Ever since Husqvarna first pulled the cover off the 401 Vitpilen concept back at EICMA in 2014, the motorcycle world knew it had something special on its hands, and so did its Swedish maker. The immense popularity of the neo-modern café-racer prompted the suits at Husky to introduce a Scrambler-variant of the Duke 390-based protobike — both of which were quickly green-lit for production, along with a full-size, 701-sized version.

A year after the release of the Vitpilen 701, Husqvarna debuted a dark, flat-track-inspired addition to the “Arrow” lineup at EICMA 2018. Unlike the Vitpilen machines where both the 401 and 701 models are café racers, the new Svartpilen 701 — unlike the off-road-styled Svartpilen 401 — puts a modern spin on the flat tracker aesthetic.

Hardware

The Svartpilen 701 is powered by what its manufacturer touts as “the most advanced single-cylinder engine on the market” — a 629.7cc liquid-cooled thumper, paired with a slipper clutch, six-speed transmission and an up/down quick-shifter. Other modern amenities on the big-bore single include ride-by-wire throttle, traction control, and Bosch’s latest ABS married to top-shelf hydraulic Brembo brakes. Other highlights include fully adjustable WP suspension fore and aft, and LED lighting throughout.

Style, Appearance, and Aesthetics

Husqvarna describes the new Svartpilen 701 as “designed to appeal to style-conscious motorcycle enthusiasts…” which is a more professional way of saying “the Svartpilen 701 is sexy as all hell”. Like the rest of Husky’s “Real Street Lineup”, the newest 701 is a wildly attractive bike. Simple, yet stunningly beautiful, a modern take on minimalistic motorcycling, combined with a futuristic flat-track visual theme. And, what looks like an upswept, rear tail cowl, is actually a high-density foam piece and not a lightweight plastic unit like the rest of the bodywork, allowing for proper, albeit seemingly uncomfortable two-up riding right out of the box. 

The Svartpilen 701 shares the same unique style of tank covers that adorn the fuel-cell on the other Pilen machines, though the tail-section has an unmistakably flat-track-inspired vibe, matched with a shallow, almost sunken LED headlight unit — a look that combines a traditional round headlight with a flat track front number plate (plus a dash of futuristic sleekness). The five-arm rims also add to the tracker aesthetic, while a small angular belly-pan ties together the contemporary elements of the machine’s look. There’s also a cool set of MX-style fork guards, albeit with Husky’s (or rather KISKA Design’s) modern twist.

Mean, And It Looks It

While the big Svartpilen’s 75 horses under the hood don’t exactly scream “intimidating”, the new Swedish tracker does sport an aggressive, bad-ass, blacked-out livery — including a blacked out exhaust and muffler, trellis frame, suspension (shock and fork tubes), radiator covers, and wheels — contrasted by bronze-colored engine cases. The whole “murdered out” paint scheme looks spot on on the tracker Pilen.

Factory Extras & Add-Ons

Though the new Svartpilen 701 is undoubtedly a gorgeous motorcycle, its purveyors are nonetheless giving customers the options to take things one-step further via the addition of an array of factory add-ons and accessories. This includes several aesthetic parts, as well as performance components including up-specced waved rotors and slip-on titanium Akrapovic mufflers with carbon fiber end-caps. On top of the extras for the bike, Husqvarna is also offering customers, what it’s calling, “An extensive lineup of riding gear and accessories, designed to suit the style and needs of modern-day motorcyclists”.

Performance & Rideability

We haven’t had a chance to ride the new Svartpilen 701, though a good friend of ours was at the press launch last week in Lisbon and thus far we’ve heard almost exclusively positive reviews — aside from the rather uninspired instrumentation that everyone seems to kinda despise. We did get a chance however to test out the tracker’s café’d sibling, the 2018 Vitpilen 701, and we were thoroughly impressed with it, plus we’re big fans of the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto which shares the same chassis and powertrain as the full-size Arrow bikes.

Our Two Cents

One downside to the Svartpilen that we feel obliged to point out is its relatively steep price. With the 2019 Svartpilen 701’s MSRP of $11,999, the model isn’t wildly expensive compared to other high-end Euro models, though it’s a hefty amount of a sub-three-quarter-liter single, no matter how stylish. Our favorite thing about the new 701 Pilen — aside from that counter-balanced, Austrian-made single and the overall drop-dead sexy appearance — is that it gets people excited about motorcycles and motorcycling. Whether or not you’re into bikes, anyone can admire the beauty of the Svartpilen 701, or any of Husky’s new street range for that matter. The industry needs more companies to take chances with bold, outside-the-box models like this.

As our pal, and world-renowned custom builder, Max Hazan, once told us, “You have to take risks and do something different. You might make something hideous and fail, but you learn so much along the way."

For more information on the 2019 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701, you can checkout the manufacturer’s website.