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The partnership between KTM and Husqvarna has produced bikes that share platforms, but offer radically different experiences. Until now, only the 250 Duke had its Husqvarna counterpart in India with the 390 Duke left alone. With the launch of the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401, buyers have yet more variety in the fast-expanding 400-cc market.
The 2024 Svartpilen 401 employs Husqvarna’s trademark retro-futuristic in a scaled up format. Making an appearance is the sculpted fuel tank, but in a darker gunmetal-like finish with bold ‘401’ badging on the side. The Svartpilen’s off-road bent means that it gets black spoked wheels and knobbly tires. Apart from the lower half of the engine, the black finishing extends to the mechanicals of the bike lending it an under-the-radar modern aesthetic. Also present is a black belly-pan to protect the header that ends in a stubby underbelly exhaust. As opposed to its Austrian cousin, the Svartpilen 401 features a black trellis frame that doesn’t stand out from the bike and keeps attention on the fuel tank.
The 2024 Svartpilen 401 shares the 390 Duke’s engine. The 399cc liquid-cooled DOHC single-cylinder engine makes 44bhp peak power at 9000rpm and 39Nm peak torque at 7000rpm, which is 500rpm higher than the 390 Duke. Sending power to the rear wheel is a 6-speed gearbox featuring a slip-and-assist clutch and quickshifter as standard. Though the Svartpilen 401 never came to India before 2024, it too suffered from a small fuel tank like Husqvarna 250s. The 2024 Svartpilen 401 addresses that with a new 13-litre fuel tank, which is still 2-litres less than the Duke 390’s 15-litre capacity.
The 2024 Svartpilen gets a wheelbase of 1368mm and a ground clearance of 177mm. Seat height is set at 820mm and the bike has a wet weight of 171.2kg with a 13-litre fuel tank. The Svartpilen 401 has 17-inch front and rear alloys wearing Pirelli Scorpion 110/70 front and 150/60 rear tyres. The front wheels are suspended by adjustable 43mm WP Apex USD forks and the rear wheels get a preload adjustable WP Apex monoshock.
The 2024 Svartpilen 401 gets a quickshifter as standard, alongside traction control, a ride-by-wire throttle, and a SuperMoto ABS mode that turns off ABS on the rear wheel. The bike gets a 4-way switch that controls electronic functions through a 5-inch TFT display featuring Bluetooth connectivity. The Svartpilen 401 also gets full LED lighting with the round headlamp featuring a positioning lamp flanked by LED turn signals. The Svartpilen 401 also gets USB charging.
The 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 has been launched at an ex-showroom price of Rs 2.92 lakh, undercutting the KTM 390 Duke which is priced at Rs 3.10 lakh ex-showroom. The Svartpilen 401 will go up against the likes of the Triumph Speed 400 (Rs 2.33 lakh ex-showroom) and Scrambler 400X (Rs 2.63 lakh ex-showroom), the Bajaj Dominar 400 (Rs 2.29 lakh ex-showroom).
