2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 First Look

[Hugh Janus]

The 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401. (Husqvarna/)

Husqvarna announces the 2024 Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401: redesigned for the first time since their introduction in 2018, featuring revised styling and the same updates to the engine, chassis, and electronics that debuted on the 2024 KTM 390 Duke.

At the end of 2023, KTM, which like Husqvarna is owned by the Pierer Mobility Group, confirmed an updated 390 Duke was coming Stateside, so from a production and marketing standpoint, updated Svart/Vitpilen 401s are no real surprise—but they’re no less welcome for it. As two-wheeled paradigms of Scandinavian modernism, the diminutive “arrows” are technologically modern, affordable, and stylistically unembellished.

The 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401. The design is distinctly Vitpilen, but its tank shroud, stretched toward the front fork and cut off before covering the airbox, is a departure from the more simplistic form of its predecessor. (Husqvarna/)

The 401′s revised LC4c single-cylinder engine uses a longer 64mm stroke, which increases displacement to 399cc (up from 373cc). According to the press release, the engine is lighter and has “improved weight distribution and a revised gearbox.” In Duke guise, KTM claims the LC4c produces 44 hp and 28.8 lb.-ft. of torque. There’s no reason to believe those figures are any different when Husqvarna’s iconic rifle barrel emblem is stamped on the clutch cover. The engine uses a PASC slipper clutch, ride-by-wire throttle, and a quickshifter as standard.

On the chassis side, the 401s use a redesigned trellis frame and a new swingarm. The latter accommodates an off-center linkageless rear shock that gives space for a lighter low-slung muffler and an underseat airbox. Compared to the outgoing models, the seat height is 20mm (0.8 inch) lower, at 32.3 inches. Updated suspension includes a WP Apex 43mm open-cartridge fork, adjustable for compression and rebound, and a WP Apex Separate Piston rear shock, adjustable for preload and rebound. ByBre provides braking components: a single 320mm disc and four-piston caliper up front, and a 240mm disc in the rear that uses a new twin-piston caliper. Husqvarna claims the Vitpilen weighs 341 pounds and the Svartpilen weighs 351 pounds (the difference is mostly down to different wheels and tires).

The 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401, if nothing else, looks the modern scrambler part. Note the tank-mounted rack: perfect for carrying a couple of <i>smörgås</i> and heading to the woods? (Husqvarna/)

Since the 401s first came to market in 2018, many consumers have acquired a greater taste for electronic rider aids and smartphone connectivity. Here, the 2024 models don’t disappoint. Gone is the maligned petri dish–like analog dash of old; in its place is a sharp 5-inch TFT module. Adding significant value to the beginner-friendly platform, the 401s include safety features, such as lean angle-sensitive traction control (MTC) and ABS, compliments of Bosch. Two ride modes, Street and Rain, provide a nice intro into ride-by-wire life. Each mode has its own preset throttle map and MTC setting (which can also be turned off to allow for some rear-wheel drifting fun). Rain mode’s softer power delivery is designed for dodgy conditions or for anxious newbies clinging onto the handlebars with a death grip. There’s even a speed limiter function that allows riders (or their parents?) to set a top speed that can’t be exceeded regardless of throttle position. An LED taillight and headlight round out (literally…) the modern styling.

The new 5-inch TFT dash brings the instruments up to date and offers smartphone connectivity. (Husqvarna/)

The Vitpilen (translation: “White Arrow”) and Svartpilen (“Black Arrow”), though identical in most significant ways, are differentiated just enough so that each has its own identity. The Vitpilen is cast as the sportier of the two, and uses 17-inch cast aluminum wheels and Michelin Power 6 tires. The Svartpilen has a scrambler aesthetic punctuated by 17-inch spoked wheels wearing Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires (the same rubber—albeit in a less off-road-worthy size—that comes standard on a slew of adventure bikes, including Husqvarna’s own Norden 901). A higher, off-road-style handlebar, a fly screen, and a tank-mounted rack complete the scrambler effect. An adventure bike it is not, but gravel road scrambling is far more approachable than it would be aboard the Vitpilen.

The 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 use LED lighting. We’ll see if those slick LED turn signals get homologated to the US though (they often don’t). (Husqvarna/)

The first 401s were in a lot of respects the first signals of KTM’s intentions with the iconic Swedish brand. The updated 2024 models, in addition to the Norden 901 and 901 Expedition, further embed the message, taking KTM’s “Ready to Race” DNA and adapting it for a slightly different audience. Now that the entry-level models are in place, is anyone else hoping for a Vitpilen 1401, powered by—what else?—KTM’s ludicrous LC8?

2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 / Vitpilen 401 Specs

MSRP:	N/A
Engine:	DOHC, liquid-cooled, four-stroke single-cylinder
Displacement:	399cc
Bore x Stroke:	89.0 x 64.0mm
Compression Ratio:	N/A
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	44.3 hp
Claimed Torque:	28.8 lb.-ft.
Fuel System:	Bosch EMS w/ ride-by-wire
Clutch:	PASC slipper clutch; mechanically operated
Frame:	Steel trellis w/ bolt-on cast-aluminum subframe
Front Suspension:	43mm WP Apex, compression and rebound damping adjustable; 5.9 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	WP Apex monoshock, spring preload and rebound damping adjustable; 5.9 in. travel
Front Brake:	Radial-mount 4-piston caliper, 320mm disc w/ cornering ABS
Rear Brake:	2-piston floating caliper, 240mm disc w/ cornering ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Spoked (Svartpilen) / cast aluminum (Vitpilen); 17 in.
Ground Clearance:	7.1 in.
Seat Height:	32.3 in.
Fuel Capacity:	3.4 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	351 lb. (Svartpilen) / 341 (Vitpilen)
Contact:	husqvarna-motorcycles.com

Source