HUSQVARNA SVARTPILEN 701 (2019 - on) Review

Handles great, flickable and stable at speed, think it through bends

Crazy fast revving, vibey but not overly so, feels quick raw and oldschool, will suprise a lot of more powerful bigger capacity machines

Nice quality finish, hasn't let me down

Bought at the discounted price and servicing reasonable

Quick shifter and autoblip is awesome at higher revs

The svartpilen handles and rides brilliantly. Proper suspension pays for itself and the svartpilens adjustable shocks and fork are high spec espcially when compared to its rivals. I've been off road in mine on Salisbury plains and was surprised by how well it stood up the trails and woods. It natural habitat is bumpy B roads which it takes in it's stride and was loads of fun on track. The single front brake is more than up to the job, power is good and feel is nice. The rear brake is nice and responsive too.

A brilliant engine whose only downside is that it's not the most tuneful. My bike had the O2 sensor deleted, the air box lid removed and is one tooth down on the front sprocket. The changes this makes to the engines smoothness is tangible and I'd recommend any owners to do the same. I've ridden twins that are buzzier through the pegs and handlebars than mine and although chuggy under 3k revs, dropping a tooth on the sprocket means you rarely drop in to that range. This engine is all about the torque and is the defining feature of the bike in my eyes. You can be in any gear at any speed, open the throttle and the response is instant. No waiting for the bike to be in the power band. This is what makes the bike such a good commuter, getting in to gaps on the road is effortless as is heading traffic off at the lights. Revving the engine out still has its rewards though, I often hit the rev limiter as power doesn't fall away to tell you change up. After having owned the bike for a year I have test ridden more powerful bikes (100-120 bhp) and any speed advantage is only really felt when revving them out.

Build quality seems high and the bike feels premium. I think the design is first class, modern with retro hints without being a pastiche, it gets admiration from passersby and I had some creatives in Clerkenwell stop and takes pics of the bike. Electrical faults seem the main problem, my dash was replaced under warranty due to the trip reset button failing, and I get an intermittent fault where an ABS error flashes on and off rapidly, which is still trying to be diagnosed. The fuel tank recall resulted in the tank losing about 2 litres of capacity which is definitley its worst feature, range is realistically 100 miles now.

The manufacturers RRP was high, but second hand values in my mind make the bike a bit of a bargain. Cheap insurance makes it a good option whilst you build up NCB, I'd say I'm averaging 60mpg

For this class of bike it has everything you want as standard. The quickshifter/blipper is the best feature for me. Although perhaps not the very smoothest it always works up or down at any revs, where some bikes I've tested have just refused to work without the clutch at certain revs. As a new rider traction control is welcome and switchable, ABS is unobtrusive and the brakes work well. Gear indicator and fuel gauge are small things but some rivals do with out

Suspension is really well sorted and fully/easily adjustable. Firm ride, but far from harsh, thanks to that extra bit of wheel travel. Single front disc has great bite and is easy to modulate. Rear brake is a bit soft/mushy.

Love this motor! It's been 40+ years since I've owned a single. Vibes are to be expected, being a thumper, but absolutely no harshness or buzziness. This lump loves to rev and the fuel injection is really well sorted. Like most singles, though, it doesn't like being lugged below 3000 rpm.

Brand new bike, so I'm hopeful that good maintenance will mean problem-free riding. I think it's beautifully built overall, but disappointed by misalignment of the panels shrouding the gas tank.

I purchased it new after the price dropped about 20% in Canada (to CDN$10,399 - or roughly 6000 quid). Service interval, at 10k km, is reasonable.

The whole idea is simplicity. So no bells or baubles, and that's just fine by me. Quick shifter is a nice touch, though jerky if you use it on the 1-2 shift.

WP suspension is pretty good, soaks up worst of bumps and gives good control on a B road. Brembo are perfect, even though one disc more than enough stopping power

Still vibes and lumpy around town but great on a back lane loads of power and character and my other bike is a 1260 multistrada.

Seems nicely put together, more quality finish than KTM equivalent

Seems ok but check where your dealers are as they are few and far between

Standard equipment pretty good. Don’t bother with the Akrapovic costs £800 and makes no difference to noise or power. Tyres ok.

7/10 ths all-round bike. A blast to ride one tank full at a time. It does tire you out with somewhat stiff suspension, motor vibes and wind blast. A perfect machine though for caffeinated Sunday morning hi jinks.

5 out of 5 as a big high performance thumper. Power everywhere. Well matched 6 speed ratios. Perfect fueling. Never hiccup's or boggs.

Top Equipment specs for its price point. Only 900 km so far, no quality or mechanical concerns.

10,000 km service intervals, more than 250 kms per tank, very reasonable insurance class.

5 out of 5 as equipped and intended. Fine braking and suspension performance. A better motorcycle choice for me than the Husky 701 Enduro and SM both, as well as the new KTM 690's. So much better on roadways, and still capable - with relatively high limits, on gravel and poorly maintained roads. The light weight makes it very useable off the hard.