The new Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 is here, rolling on cast alloy wheels and dropping all pretence of being even remotely an off-roader (Svartpilen 701 came with spoke wheels). The only passing nod to off-road ability are the Pirelli MT60 RS tyres it comes shod with. The Ducati Scrambler Icon also gets the same tyres and it is quite evident the Husky has the Duc in its crosshairs.
Essentially a 790 Duke in retro clothing, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 inherits the chassis and suspension from the ‘Scalpel’ which can only be a good thing. The LC8c 799-cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine pumps out 105 hp and 87 Nm— more than enough for the 181 kg machine (the 790 Duke is lighter at 174 kg). Husqvarna have also ditched the spoke rims of the Svartpilen 701 in favour of lightweight cast alloy wheels shod with Pirelli MT60 RS tyres that could provide a modicum of off-road ability.
The Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 borrows other cycle parts from its sibling, the 790 Duke, such as the J.Juan brakes, comprising two radially-mounted four-piston calipers biting on twin 300-mm discs at the front and a lone 240-mm disc at the rear with a simple two-piston floating caliper. Suspension is identical as well, with an adjustable WP Apex 43 fork with 140-mm travel and WP Apex monoshock with 150-mm travel—exactly the same as the 790 Duke. The anti-hopping slip-and-assist clutch is present and accounted for as well. Interestingly, the head angle is a slacker 65.5 degree as compared to the 66 degree on the 790 Duke, which should offer a slightly more relaxed handling. It does have a lower seat height of 820 mm and a lower ground clearance of 174 mm, parameters which measure 825 mm and 186 mm on the 790 Duke respectively.
As is the norm with modern European motorcycles, the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 is packed to the T with tech, which includes selectable ride modes (Street, Rain, Sport, and an optional Dynamic Mode), optional Dynamic Pack introduces the aforementioned Dynamic Ride Mode along with ten levels of slip adjustment and five levels of anti-wheelie control, cornering traction control, cornering ABS, ride-by-wire throttle with adjustable response, up-and-down quick-shifter and finally the new five-inch TFT display with turn-by-turn navigation, phone calls and music selection from connected smartphones.
We don’t expect the Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 to reach our shores anytime soon, but its sibling, the KTM 790 Duke was sold here once and we can’t rule out the possibility entirely. If it does arrive, it will be a worthy rival to the Ducati Scrambler Icon, Kawasaki Z900RS and Triumph Scrambler 900.
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