2019 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 Review | First Ride

Cycle World heads to Portugal to ride the 2019 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701. Is this the best Husqvarna ’Pilen yet?

It’s hard to deny the visual draw of Husqvarna’s Vitpilens and Svartpilens, but the first three beautiful machines penned by Maxime Thouvenin of Kiska sacrificed comfort for style. After riding the latest of the ’Pilens, the Svartpilen 701, comfort, style, and performance have dovetailed into what is undoubtedly the best of the Swedish Arrows.

Svartpilen translates to Black Arrow, and has, in the current naming philosophy of Husqvarna, been used to label the more scrambler-styled machines. This time it's more a tracker scrambler with hardware paying homage to flat track. It's not a full-on repli-racer but rather a simple and modern take. Upright seating, pulled-back handlebars, and a side number plate talk the talk, but also walk the walk.

Sharing much of the underpinnings as the café-style Vitpilen, the tracker-inspired Svartpilen is powered by a dual-counterbalanced 692.7cc single tucked tightly within a steel tubular trellis frame. This 75-hp (claimed), KTM-developed LC4 engine is used in a bevy of machines including the Husky Vitpilen 701, 701 Supermoto, and 701 Enduro. It also finds a home in the KTM 690 Enduro R and 690 SMC R. And it's with good reason; no other single-cylinder thumper delivers tire-twisting torque (a claimed 53 pound-feet) like the LC4. It's truly a legendary powerplant that is smoother than it should be considering its raucous delivery. Many a twin could only hope to have as much character.

The chrome-moly trellis frame that uses the engine as stressed member is also lifted from the Vitpilen and nearly identical to all of the LC4-powered machines in the Husqvarna family. And once again, that is a great thing. The chassis is stiff, muscular, and willing but not ever harsh. It flexes when needed, imparting a connection to the suspension and road that is confidence inspiring while still being lively and quick.

Whereas the racier nature of the Vitpilen asks the rider to forego comfort for the look, the Svartpilen has the looks and the comfort. The seat is firm, but very comfortable despite the hard edges and thin padding. From the seat to the pegs is a comfortable bend in the knees for my 5-foot-10 frame; some 6-foot-6 riders complained the stylized bulges in the fuel tank cover invaded their knee space. So taller riders take note. A pulled-back, track-styled handlebar is not quite a tiller bend you’d find on a true-to-life flat-tracker; it’s also not just a motocross bar. It is happily in the middle with a nice rise that puts the hands at a comfortable height and squares up the shoulders allowing the rider to impart loads of torque into the grips, pushing the 18-inch wheel where you want it with ease.

And that’s another key difference that makes the Svartpilen more fun than its white stablemate. While the Vit is fit with 17-inch wheels with Bridgestone Battlax tires, the Svart rocks an 18-inch front wheel and 17-inch rear wrapped with Pirelli MT 60 RS tires. On the road, the MT 60 RSs provide more grip than would be expected from its chunky block pattern; when as the limit is approached the tires give you plenty of warning with a squirm and loose feeling that is completely predictable—and entertaining.

On the rough, cobbled streets of metropolitan Lisbon, the 150mm (5.9-inch) travel of the 43mm WP split function fork was plush and followed the road imperfections with composure. That extra 15mm of travel is essential front-end comfort not found in the Vit’s 135mm (5.3 inches) of travel. At the rear, it’s the same situation. Even with that longer travel, the suspension is balanced and doesn't pitch excessively on hard braking or acceleration.

Corners on the Svart are a blast—every bit of them. Corner tip-in is quick and precise with just the slightest transfer of your weight and pressure on the bars. Midcorner is rock-solid stable, even if you ask a little too much of the MT 60 RS tires. Finishing the corner gets even better as you can get on the gas early and hard while still on the side of the tire. The front will just slightly push when you charge out too early, but roll back a slight bit on the throttle and you will be right back on line.

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