Husqvarna Svartpilen 401: Ownership experience of my first motorcycle

There were a few moments when I thought that I should've gotten a Himalayan 450 or waited for the new KTM Adventure 390. But if I had done that, I would still be thinking, why did I not get this Husky?

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Hello guys,

I got myself a 2024 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. This post has extensive details of my experience in arriving at that decision and my ownership experience of the bike after 1000+ KMS.

Few sections may feel boring (or irrelevant) to read since they may have more details on thoughts/personal anecdotes, do skip them if you feel so.

The Need:

We are a family of 3 and my father runs a small business 3 KMS away. He has his Star City, which caters to our family demands well enough. It is 15 years old now, I started pitching Chetak/i-Qube to replace it.

Since the good folks at TVS have put together a machine which refuses to die, my father is not convinced to get another machine for him. His reasons are: I am 65, I don't need a new 2W since my commuting days are less and I don't need a new one, especially an unfamiliar electric when my bike is still running.

I am a 27 Y.O. Working from home. Essentially no commute.

No, this bike is not a need. It's a toy I wanted.

Why I did not get one until now:

Skip this part if not needed.

In 2018, I got my first job, I moved to Trivandrum, where I dreamt of owning a bike - An Apache RTR 200 4V was on the top of the list. But, back then, my parents were totally against it - With my first job and salary, they wanted me to make sound financial decisions of buying some assets and not a depreciating one. They were ok if, I got a used bike - Which I did not like.

Cut to 2020 - Covid lockdown happened.

In 2021, I got severe Covid - was on the brink of death. I was affected physically and psychologically. Even my parents were broken in spirit when they experienced helplessness when their only child was on a ventilator. Once I opened my eyes and came back, I was nursed back to health. I took time to recover. We were just existing for a few months after that. Thanks to work, cycling and routine, I recovered psychologically since I had other things to worry about instead of worrying about why it happened to me/us.

2022 flew by due to some family problems and owning a bike was not on the top of the priority list.

Come 2023, everything was back to normal and life had changed from routine to monotony - above that social interactions got reduced.

First half of 2023, I was self-critical about owning a bike - Why do I need one? I don't travel anywhere. That money could be used for some other purpose, so don't buy a bike. I was looking for a reason to convince myself to get a bike. This was internal turmoil.

Second half of 2023, I was also sure that, I wanted a bike now more than ever - but, I can't point my finger to a reason and say why. Thanks to a few podcasts and wise words from veteran journalists, I understood that purchasing a bike is an emotional decision and from a financial perspective, it will always be a depreciating asset. So, rather than searching for a reason, I was like: Do I need a bike? No. Do I want a bike? Yes. Can I afford it? Yes. So problem solved - Get one.

This time around, my mother was happy that I was buying a vehicle and unhappy that it was not a car. She approved on the condition that I get a car soon. And my father thought, I would stick with Apache and was surprised to hear this choice.

Requirements and Options Considered:

Apache 200 4V - Picked up where I left my interest. Me and my friend took a rental bike - an Apache 160 4V on a trip: Mysore - Ooty - Wayanad - Mysore. The bike was a gem. But, I was not strongly inclined to either 160 or 200 after this trip.

On highways, the engine felt strained with two people and luggage. The lack of 6th gear was a sore point. TVS could have given at least the 200 4V a 6th gear.

My requirements got clear now:

1. Greater than 200cc - should be able to pull 2 adults without breaking a sweat.
2. 6th gear (For cruising) - Triple-digit speeds well below the max RPM.
3. Off-road capabilities not needed.
4.  Not faired and not so committed riding position.

I don't know why, I was not interested in RE's machines at all. Not even the 650s. It just did not get me excited. Same goes with Pulsars (Except 220), Dominars, Jawas and Yezdis. But, oddly enough, I was happy to see an old bullet. It's like you feel happy when you see your grandfather.

Triumphs, Yamahas, Hondas and KTMs above 200CC fit the bill.

Svarpilen 250, Vitpilen 250, Duke 250 & Adventure 250: All good except the fact that we can shell out some extra thousands to get 390s.

Honda CB350 - Kept as the last choice since it lacked 6th gear.

Yamaha MT-03 - Oh My word!! Out of a million other things, Yamaha nailed this part though: How to move your bike from top of one's buying list to out of the list by just launching it.

Honda CB300R - A strong contender. Kept it as the 3rd choice.

Suzuki Gixxer, V-Storm SX 250 - Amazing bikes. I had ridden the Gixxer 250. If I was constrained by budget, I would have definitely gone for V-Storm 250.

Triumph Speed and Scrambler 400 - No showroom in Vellore. Still I considered going to Chennai for test ride and purchase. But, thought of service center and decided to move on to other choices.

Himalayan 450 - I know. After saying I was not interested in RE's machines a couple of lines back, this seems odd. But, one look at the specs, made my heart beat - a liquid-cooled 450 CC engine sure will. So, this was a close contender. If my parents had strongly objected to KTM/Husky I would have got this.

KTM Adv 390 - Was inclined to get one. Until they launched Gen 3 Duke 390. Truth be told, I was saving up money to get one and was following up with all these new bike launches.

Gen 3 Duke 390/Husqvarna Svarpilen 401 - For me, initially when I was planning to buy Apache RTR 200 in 2018, I thought of Duke 390 as a bike I would own, after I had matured enough. The 2017 Duke's looks were polarizing. The headlight looked like a bug. But, as time passed, I understood that this bug had bitten me and I could not stop thinking of it when the topic of bikes came to mind. The headlight design had grown on me by 2019.

Multiple articles would come up online about the test mules spotted. So, instead of booking an Adventure 390, I waited for this launch. I also read articles about Husqvarna testing Svarpilen/Vitpilen with 390's engine and planning to launch. I thought they wouldn't launch and they were just testing it in Indian road conditions.

Surprisingly they launched the Svartpilen 401 in India. So, it was decided.

Buying Experience:

We went to SK Raman KTM, Vellore for booking on March 30.

No display bike. There was one previous gen Svarpilen 250 to be delivered for a customer. I took my mom and the showroom guys showed us that. She was OK with it. She was just asking why everything is exposed and RCs had it covered.

We just looked at the bike on the website on a tablet - which we could have done at home.

Biggest red flag of all - No Test ride offered, I even requested at least give me a test ride on old gen 390 Duke/ADV to get a feel of what to expect. They did not have any test bikes at all.

Booking amount - they asked for an amount more than Rs.20,000. They also said, if we cancel the booking they would deduct Rs.2000 in the refund. We got a rough quote of the bike - Rs. 3.59 Lakhs and left the showroom.

I came back home and called Khivraj in Chennai. They said they had the bike on display and were willing to offer a test ride. I enquired the price and they said it was Rs.3.61 Lakhs and would give me some accessories. They accepted bookings with amounts as low as 10,000. Both these guys quoted with Handling charges. And both of them told me it would take at least a month to deliver the bike.

I got tired of these weird conditions and red flags and considered to not book with the Vellore showroom at one point. Then, I just understood that I am just nitpicking things and ruining my buying experience. I tried to bargain with the SA to remove the Handling charges to my best - unsuccessfully. I requested my mother to bargain on my behalf and the SA assured my mother that he would reduce it. So, I decided to book with the Vellore showroom itself and booked the bike on April 4, 2024 with Rs.25,000.

A month flew by and the SA called on the 3rd May evening that the bike has arrived at the showroom and requested us to come take a look in person and to pay the full amount to start registration formalities.

The bike was looking splendid. The thing is - I booked this bike thinking, it is plain, boring, quiet design with no sharp edges. Once I saw the bike, I understood boring design with simple lines also look beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised. Above all this, my mother was more than happy with the bike. We just looked for any scratches and dents all around the bike. None were found. I checked the tires specifically since, there was some issue with imported tires: it was Apollo Tramplr. Not that, I had any issue with the tires - they could have reduced the price by a few thousand rupees.

During initial inspection:

At the last moment before sending the amount, we tried to haggle the SA to reduce the price even a little further or at least fill the tank during delivery. The guy did not budge. We just transferred the full amount and enquired about other details such as insurance, date of delivery etc., and left.

No choice given for insurance - only Oriental Insurance.

• Ex-showroom - 2,92,196
• RTO & insurance - 60,402
• Handling charges - 4,000
• Total - 3,56,598

They told it will take almost a week to do the registration formalities with the RTO. On 10th of May, we went to take delivery of the bike. Other bikes were also being delivered - All of them were Duke 200s. Before unveiling, the SA heartfully thanked us, telling that I was the first customer for Svartpilen 401 in Vellore. The day was uneventful, we just went to the RTO office for formalities and did a small pooja in a temple near our home.

They made a spelling mistake in my Last name on the bill. All other docs were good. RC arrived after a week. For HSRP, they told to come after 5 days and sure it was there after 5 days.

Overall, except for the initial test ride unavailability issue all other things went well. Everyone in the showroom was polite and even explained things very kindly to a few questions my mother asked related to bike and the dealership.

Ownership Experience:

Overall, the bike has run 1500+ Kms now. Out of this, 850+ Kms is on highway and the rest is in the city. I did a 500+ KM trip the very next weekend after taking delivery of the bike (18,19 May) to Mayiladuthurai and back. I also did other smaller trips. I will elaborate on these trips in a different post.

Needless to say, this bike is a Gem on the highway. I was maintaining 65 to 75 Kmph throughout the highways considering the Running-in duration, unfamiliar roads and distance. For a speed of 65 Kmph, the bike sits very calmly at 3500 RPM in 6th Gear. For 75 Kmph with a Pillion and some luggage, the bike was running around 5000 RPM. I did not feel the heat from the engine near the brakes or gear. Same cannot be said for knees. It is not a deal breaker complaint hot, but we feel the radiator doing its work once in a while on our knees.

The boring design and simple lines, that I was talking about viewed from different sides:

The Speed limiter feature is a great boon. Just set the speed limit and no matter how much you whack the throttle, the speeds won't exceed 1 or 2 Kmph more. Seating position is upright and stress-free to ride longer. I enjoyed cruising at 75 on empty state highways of TN confidently and without using much energy. It felt nice - riding not so fast, not too slow and the bike is not strained as well.

The quick shifter is clunkier if upshifted at below 3000 RPM. For upshifts, it is very smooth around 4000 RPM. For downshifts, it was smooth above 2300 RPM. 1/5 times I hit false neutral.

Tires are amazing. Streets of Vellore are riddled with potholes and unlaid roads with gravel. The bike does not stumble in these places. I was also able to ride in full-blown rain (When droplets hit like needles - but bearable) with a pillion on the highway confidently at 65+ Kmph without losing grip during my return journey from Mayiladuthurai for almost 50 KMs.

Brakes are also good. I have not done any hard breaking though. The ground clearance is also good. So far, I have mildly scraped one tall speed breaker only. The bike feels heavy if you are not on it and heavier with Full tank of fuel.

I have not meddled with the suspension so far. The stock settings are good enough. That said, one day I saw the compression and rebound settings were turned to different settings than default - I did not know when it happened (Courtesy of nosy guys perhaps). But, I did not feel a difference riding the bike. I tried to turn clockwise/counter clockwise, but both settings felt hard to turn. So, I requested to reset to default during the first service.

The Star City was smooth in traffic even in 3rd or 4th gear considering the speed of the traffic. Thinking a bike is a bike, initially in the city, I was lugging the engine and probably using the clutch a little extra as well - I found that this is a very bad habit to pickup and it did hurt to see the mileage to 13 KMPL. Once, I changed my driving style a little bit and maintained the RPMs above 3500, the mileage started to climb - Now, I get stares from people around - they think I ride a little too fast for their pace. Still, in city traffic, I struggle to get mileage of above 23 KMPL.

The more I give way to people and drive sedately, more auto drivers and my younger peers take advantage of me with their unpredictable driving skills.

Once you hit the highway, the mileage climbs to 30s. 33 was my maximum.

Interestingly, in 1st and 2nd gears the bike rides without throttle input - It does not stall. 1st Gear - 8KMPH and 2nd Gear - 12 KMPH. The indicators are also self-cancelling.

This bike is a head turner. I did not expect this to happen - since it is a subtle (at least in my eyes) not a sharp/flashy/outlandish bike. The name of the brand and the bike is a difficult Key, Value pair for people (including my father in the beginning) to pronounce and remember. Most people ask about the dealership, where it is sold and the CC. Some people ask whether it is electric. One guy even assumed it was CNG and was telling it to his daughter. I did not want to spoil his day.

Service

As soon as I got the bike, I actually, requested the showroom to fit a GPS tracker. They quoted Rs.5000 and some brands I had never come across. They were also OK, if I got one from outside and requested to fit. I got a tracker from Fleettrack on Amazon and the relay (for remote engine kill) from Fleet track's website separately.

Fitting the GPS:

I tried using the Husqvarna's app to book a service. It did not even show any showroom in my vicinity. I just called the showroom for available slots and they said you can come tomorrow anytime. The service experience was smooth and good. The service head and the associates are very approachable, enthusiastic and friendly.

First service was also smooth. They just changed the engine oil and reset the suspension setting. Of course, they checked everything else from brakes, coolant levels and many other things on their checklist. After first service, the shift light (blinking effect on the TFT display) was enabled.

First Service cost and details:

Likes:

Mother - 100 Marks for looks, size and bragging rights.

Me -

1. The build quality is really good. Everything feels sturdy. Plastics all over is of good quality.
2. Highway performance and mileage.
3. Subtle but great looks.
4. Upright seating position.
5. Ground Clearance
6. Grippy rubber

Dislikes/Complaints:

Father - Not able to sit for long distances as a pillion. Seat no problem, folded knee for too long.

Mother -

1. 0 Marks for grocery handling capacity.
2. Footrest unavailability.
3. Difficulty in getting on and off - May be unique to my mother. Not much complaint from others.

Me -

1. Dust magnet, difficult to keep clean and tidy since most parts are exposed.
2. Muck build up in front of rear tire after riding in rain.
3. Vibrations are visible in mirrors, TFT display and able to feel in handlebars slightly. Not bothersome though.
4. Panel gaps and small fit issues in a few places.
5. A slight fear of puncture always.
6. GPS/Turn by Turn navigation Not available.
7. Small pedal for Rear brake.
8. Not many accessories available.
9. City usage mileage miserable.

Fuel consumption till date:

Accessories

GPS tracker, Tank Bag

Planned to buy: Rear footrest, Bar-End Throttle lock (Cruise Control), Wheel roller, Tyre hugger

There were test ride bikes available at the time of service. After, my first service, the dealer actually invited me and few other KTM riders to officially unveil the Husqvarna bikes - Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 250 in the showroom. On 21st July They even organized a short ride breakfast ride as well to nearby place. It was good.

Conclusion:

There were a few moments when I thought, I should've gotten a Himalayan / waited for new Adventure 390 instead. But, then I immediately thought, if I did that, I would still be thinking, why I did not get this Husky. So, I no longer ponder around these unhealthy questions and I am happy with the toy I got for myself. Oddly enough, I have started to enjoy the Star City now even more than before. There is something that gets you revving a bike and still keeping it under control - It is no more the boring Uncle bike it was!

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