A slab of butter. For those who eat to live, it might just be one of the most mundane things. However, for a foodie like me who lives to eat, it’s one of the most exciting food items in the pantry. It is because I’m aware of just how versatile an ingredient it can be – from making fluffy pancakes to basting a roast chicken or making an ordinary bowl of Maggi noodles special, it’s an ingredient without which my life would be incomplete! This was pretty much my experience with the new Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. To any non-serious biker, it might come across as just another scrambler, but it got me hooked from the moment I laid eyes on it. And once I rode the bike for an entire day, I realised there was much more to it than meets the eye. So, here’s my first ride experience of the new Svartpilen 401.
But before I begin with the ride experience, it’s best to take the readers through all the changes the new model has received over its predecessor – there are many of them! First of all, the previous Svartpilen sold in India was the 250. The new 401 is based on the underpinnings of the KTM 390 Duke, which means it shares the front & rear suspension (adjustable), brakes, chassis, swingarm, engine, and exhaust with its KTM sibling. All the other bits, such as the wheels, tyres, lighting, and the body, are bespoke. To keep the price in check, the Svartpilen 401 offers fairly basic electronic rider aids and misses out on the 390’s comprehensive suite. However, customers can opt for the additional features as an optional extra via an external control unit that plugs into the main ECU.
In terms of improvements, the Svartpilen 401 offers more ground clearance (177mm vs 152mm), lower rider and pillion seat heights (820mm vs 842mm & 877mm vs 907mm, respectively), a longer single-piece seat (100mm longer), and more fuel capacity (13.5 litres vs 9.5 litres). So, straight off the bat, the 401 offers much better ergonomics and more practicality than the outgoing Svartpilen 250. The bike also features an all-new five-inch TFT display, a new LED headlamp with a ring-style DRL, spoked 17-inch wheels shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR knobby tyres, a standard easy-shift system, and new bodywork that makes it a much better proposition than before in terms of visual appeal.
Once I started riding it, the mild vibrations – from the foot pegs to the seat and the handlebar – at pretty much any rpm became apparent. But it’s not a deal breaker by any means. A couple of minutes into the ride also revealed the sheer comfort offered by the new saddle and just how easy it is to carve corners on this motorcycle – there’s nothing that obstructs your thighs from gripping the body, and the seat is a perfect blend of soft and grippy, and it’s also wide enough to support, well, wider gentlemen like me. Long-distance rides on this motorcycle will be a piece of cake! Initially, I was apprehensive about the on-road performance of the Pirelli Scorpions. But, thankfully, the tyres offered good levels of grip on the tarmac, which made it easier for me to carry good speed while entering and exiting winding stretches.
Coming to the engine and performance. As stated earlier, the motor does produce a bit of buzz. However, this can be because the motorcycles we tested were brand-new, off the factory floor. So, one can expect the motor to become smoother post the run-in period. Having tested the new KTM 390 Duke a couple of months ago, I was very much aware of the potency of the 399cc unit. Its peaky nature and blast of performance in the higher rev band almost make it scary for novice riders. Thankfully, on the Svartpilen, the Bajaj folks have done a good job by dialling it down just a notch, making the 401 100% enjoyable and not scary at all, unlike its KTM stablemate. Interestingly, this is all down to tuning the bike’s throttle response, as both bikes have identical power and torque figures on paper – 46PS @ 8,500rpm and 39Nm @ 6,500rpm. The acceleration remains linear until about 6,000rpm, post which there is a beautiful surge of power that just eggs you on to overtake any and every vehicle ahead, and reaching triple-digit speeds is quite effortless. The gear changes are super slick, thanks to the easy-shift system, and because the engine feels so tractable, it’s very easy to ride the bike at lower speeds in higher gears. I tried this by staying in the sixth gear at speeds that would demand fourth or lower, and the bike soldiered on smoothly.
The braking power offered by the single-disc set-up on either end is also more than adequate and the single-channel ABS feels refined. The factory-spec suspension felt a bit stiff for everyday riding but unfortunately, due to a paucity of time, I did not get to tinker around with the compression, preload, and rebound settings. The new fine-inch screen offers crisp graphics and the fuss-free switchgear makes navigating through it simple.
On the whole, the Svartpilen 401 felt like a force to be reckoned with. It stands out in a crowd owing to its modern styling, it’s built well (no noticeable quality issues encountered), works brilliantly in Indian conditions, and, most importantly, leaves you grinning like an idiot with every twist of the throttle. It’s actually quite difficult to put into words the fun I had with it in just a day! Imagine what it can do as a long-term companion. All I can say is that the way seeing a packet of butter makes me happy, the Svartpilen 401 invoked the same emotion in me!