Husqvarna Vitpilen 801 | Ride Report
By GARETH CHARLTON - 06 Nov 24
As I circle the newly unveiled Vitpilen 801 on the shores of the Cote D’azur, sipping a blue Margarita, I remind myself that it is often the little things that make the biggest difference. Under usual circumstances, I count myself a fan of the Margarita, but despite the familiar tang of lime and Tequila, this one is failing to float my yacht. Most likely because an over-enthusiastic bartender decided to colour-match it with the rolling ocean. A small change, a significant shift in appreciation.
Parking the drink, I return to the bike, resplendent in Hi-Viz Yellow. On the face of it, the differences between the new Vitpilen, and the 801 Svartpilen that so captured my heart earlier in the year, are not substantial. The question is, would these changes combine to make a notable difference between the two, or amount to little more than that dash of blue curacao? Changing the perception, but not the flavour. A day riding the mountain and coastal roads of this beautiful slice of the world, would certainly determine which.
The Svartpilen has always been pitched as the dirt or scrambler side of the Pilen pair, while the Vitpilen with its more sporting stance, sits firmly in the roadster class. But in the 801 line-up, the Svartpilen ditched the 19’ front wheel of its 701 forebear in favour of twin 17’s, while the Vitpilen sacrificed the previous iterations clip-ons for low, one-piece bars. In doing so, both have taken incremental steps toward each other’s territory.
In a brief game of spot the difference, I take in seven, maybe eight points of difference between the sister machines. The most visually striking of which, that futuristic halo-ring / projector headlight, giving the Vitpilen a visage befitting some Hollywood sci-fi future-scape. It’s even better in the flesh than the shots, lending the bike a real presence on the road. Next up, the aforementioned bars. Low and flat, a significant step up in comfort from the wrist heavy clip-ons of old, but a significant drop from the braced bars of the Svartpilen. Michelin Road 6 tyres in place of the Svartilen’s block-pattern MT60RS Pirellis, promise to be the most significant of changes, whilst also contributing the majority of the 1kg weight drop (181kg to 180kg) between the models. The stylish wrap-around belly pan looks the part, while the radiator shrouds, mudguard, and heel-guards are all subtly reworked. The beautiful cast alloy subframe and exhaust, both finished in black rather than silver.
Beyond the visual we are informed both the suspension internals and seat are firmer on the Vit than the items on the Svart, but the simplified, 5-point adjustment rebound and preload clickers on the fork-legs carry over. Finally, where the Svartpilen, or Black-Arrow comes in any colour you want as long as it’s black, the Vitpilen, or White-Arrow is available in both that eye-popping yellow and a striking silver. But not white. Understood.
Now to what is shared. The cro-mo frame utilises the KTM group 799cc parallel twin (more on which later) as a stressed member, while the striking cast swingarm and five spoke wheels are also like for like. The advanced electronic suite of rider aids is accessed via the slick, shared 5’ TFT dash and left thumb navigation cluster. Three discernibly different ride modes come as standard, (Street, Rain, Sport) but the optional Dynamic mode, equipped on the test bikes, allows for full customisation of the array of acronyms on call. PASC (Power Assist Slipper Clutch), MSR (Motor Slip Regulation), Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) and finally one I recognise, ABS. Anti-Wheelie Control, Supermoto ABS, and Easy Shift are the final pieces of the tech package.
To the mountains. As our pack of silver and yellow winds its way along the coast, I notice damp, gravelly patches crossing corners as the weekend's uncharacteristic rain washes off the hills. Rumours of an off in the first group do little to settle my nerves, although my body settles comfortably into the roomy riding position. I have a few launches under my belt now, but remain a relative newcomer in the rapid press-pack, where despite 25 years on two-wheels, my riding experiences pale in comparison. But as we navigate further from the main-drag, the pace rising as the traffic thins, I find myself for perhaps the first time on a launch, relaxed and relishing the ride.
After a photo stop on the mountain, the roads squeeze ever tighter, and as is my bad-habit, my internal critic resumes commentary on my lines, technique and mistakes. But as we close in on lunch, the dialogue reduces as the errors recede, and I find myself riding confidently, as well as I ever have. This could well read as a brag, but the reason I detail it, is for the credit the Vitpilen takes from it.
That slightly canted forward riding position provides feedback, accuracy and huge confidence in the front-end, at all angles. Familiarity with that barnstorming twin sees me laying down power earlier and earlier between bends, snicking between ratios in an instant via the optional but essential Easy-Shift, the exhaust popping and burbling deliciously on the overrun. A smile takes hold in my helmet. Sure, as we wind on a few gaps spread through the group, but for my part, I find my happy pace.
There is a clarity of purpose with the Vitpilen that the Svartpilen would lack in these hills. This machine is a roadster through and through, the mountain roads its ultimate playground. The road-focussed rubber is no doubt a key difference maker, but the whole package feels incredibly composed. My only issue seems to be squeaking my feet far enough back on the pegs to prevent catching my size 11 toes through mile after mile of twisties, but the low set pegs never kiss terra-firma.
I haven’t ridden the 790 Duke with which the Vitpilen shares much componentry, but at lunch, those who have suggested the Pilen is a less frenetic, more composed ride. The sport-touring Michelin Road 6 rubber is held up as an example in the different approach between the two machines, with “The Scalpel” KTM wearing more sports focussed tyres. For me, the Husky is on the upper end of the aggressive scale, so it is clearly the better fit of those two machines for me. That it greatly appeals to, rather than baffles my eyes is also a bonus, along with the additional 10 horsepower it claims over the KTM in post-ride Top Trumps.
The afternoon is a more relaxed ride as we dispatch mundane miles back to base. I click down from Dynamic, via Sport, to Street mode, thankful for the more docile throttle response as we slip between the traffic. Pedestrian eyes often alight to, and linger on the striking Vitpilen and I can see why, against my expectations, I love the Yellow. Where previously Husky have deployed small, accent flashes of the hue, on the Vitpilen they have let loose with the big brush. Just as I consider the superiority of a hi-viz bike over a hi-viz vest, a hybrid-driving Gran threatens to cut me in half regardless. Wits firmly about me, we hit the coast road for one last blast back to the Hotel.
With a piece to camera in the can for BSMC Youtube, I head to the bar and order a Margarita with which to contemplate the day. It arrives on a serviette, resplendent in pale translucent white. Perfect. So how different are they? The motorcycles, not the Margaritas. Perhaps more so than I expected. The sports-naked category is a stacked class, but the exhilarating, confidence-inspiring Vitpilen more than holds its own, while delivering the standout visuals synonymous with the Pilen family name. The sister bikes may have come closer in spec, but they maintain their own distinct characters, the Svartpilen perhaps the more leftfield option. Which would I get? It’s a coin toss, as much decided by the difference in mindset their minor differentiators dictate than anything else. But as I knock back the last of the drink, I make the choice. I’ll take my Pilen like I take my Margaritas, white please.
Parking the drink, I return to the bike, resplendent in Hi-Viz Yellow. On the face of it, the differences between the new Vitpilen, and the 801 Svartpilen that so captured my heart earlier in the year, are not substantial. The question is, would these changes combine to make a notable difference between the two, or amount to little more than that dash of blue curacao? Changing the perception, but not the flavour. A day riding the mountain and coastal roads of this beautiful slice of the world, would certainly determine which.The Svartpilen has always been pitched as the dirt or scrambler side of the Pilen pair, while the Vitpilen with its more sporting stance, sits firmly in the roadster class. But in the 801 line-up, the Svartpilen ditched the 19’ front wheel of its 701 forebear in favour of twin 17’s, while the Vitpilen sacrificed the previous iterations clip-ons for low, one-piece bars. In doing so, both have taken incremental steps toward each other’s territory.In a brief game of spot the difference, I take in seven, maybe eight points of difference between the sister machines. The most visually striking of which, that futuristic halo-ring / projector headlight, giving the Vitpilen a visage befitting some Hollywood sci-fi future-scape. It’s even better in the flesh than the shots, lending the bike a real presence on the road. Next up, the aforementioned bars. Low and flat, a significant step up in comfort from the wrist heavy clip-ons of old, but a significant drop from the braced bars of the Svartpilen. Michelin Road 6 tyres in place of the Svartilen’s block-pattern MT60RS Pirellis, promise to be the most significant of changes, whilst also contributing the majority of the 1kg weight drop (181kg to 180kg) between the models. The stylish wrap-around belly pan looks the part, while the radiator shrouds, mudguard, and heel-guards are all subtly reworked. The beautiful cast alloy subframe and exhaust, both finished in black rather than silver.Beyond the visual we are informed both the suspension internals and seat are firmer on the Vit than the items on the Svart, but the simplified, 5-point adjustment rebound and preload clickers on the fork-legs carry over. Finally, where the Svartpilen, or Black-Arrow comes in any colour you want as long as it’s black, the Vitpilen, or White-Arrow is available in both that eye-popping yellow and a striking silver. But not white. Understood.Now to what is shared. The cro-mo frame utilises the KTM group 799cc parallel twin (more on which later) as a stressed member, while the striking cast swingarm and five spoke wheels are also like for like. The advanced electronic suite of rider aids is accessed via the slick, shared 5’ TFT dash and left thumb navigation cluster. Three discernibly different ride modes come as standard, (Street, Rain, Sport) but the optional Dynamic mode, equipped on the test bikes, allows for full customisation of the array of acronyms on call. PASC (Power Assist Slipper Clutch), MSR (Motor Slip Regulation), Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) and finally one I recognise, ABS. Anti-Wheelie Control, Supermoto ABS, and Easy Shift are the final pieces of the tech package.To the mountains. As our pack of silver and yellow winds its way along the coast, I notice damp, gravelly patches crossing corners as the weekend's uncharacteristic rain washes off the hills. Rumours of an off in the first group do little to settle my nerves, although my body settles comfortably into the roomy riding position. I have a few launches under my belt now, but remain a relative newcomer in the rapid press-pack, where despite 25 years on two-wheels, my riding experiences pale in comparison. But as we navigate further from the main-drag, the pace rising as the traffic thins, I find myself for perhaps the first time on a launch, relaxed and relishing the ride.After a photo stop on the mountain, the roads squeeze ever tighter, and as is my bad-habit, my internal critic resumes commentary on my lines, technique and mistakes. But as we close in on lunch, the dialogue reduces as the errors recede, and I find myself riding confidently, as well as I ever have. This could well read as a brag, but the reason I detail it, is for the credit the Vitpilen takes from it.That slightly canted forward riding position provides feedback, accuracy and huge confidence in the front-end, at all angles. Familiarity with that barnstorming twin sees me laying down power earlier and earlier between bends, snicking between ratios in an instant via the optional but essential Easy-Shift, the exhaust popping and burbling deliciously on the overrun. A smile takes hold in my helmet. Sure, as we wind on a few gaps spread through the group, but for my part, I find my happy pace.There is a clarity of purpose with the Vitpilen that the Svartpilen would lack in these hills. This machine is a roadster through and through, the mountain roads its ultimate playground. The road-focussed rubber is no doubt a key difference maker, but the whole package feels incredibly composed. My only issue seems to be squeaking my feet far enough back on the pegs to prevent catching my size 11 toes through mile after mile of twisties, but the low set pegs never kiss terra-firma.I haven’t ridden the 790 Duke with which the Vitpilen shares much componentry, but at lunch, those who have suggested the Pilen is a less frenetic, more composed ride. The sport-touring Michelin Road 6 rubber is held up as an example in the different approach between the two machines, with “The Scalpel” KTM wearing more sports focussed tyres. For me, the Husky is on the upper end of the aggressive scale, so it is clearly the better fit of those two machines for me. That it greatly appeals to, rather than baffles my eyes is also a bonus, along with the additional 10 horsepower it claims over the KTM in post-ride Top Trumps.The afternoon is a more relaxed ride as we dispatch mundane miles back to base. I click down from Dynamic, via Sport, to Street mode, thankful for the more docile throttle response as we slip between the traffic. Pedestrian eyes often alight to, and linger on the striking Vitpilen and I can see why, against my expectations, I love the Yellow. Where previously Husky have deployed small, accent flashes of the hue, on the Vitpilen they have let loose with the big brush. Just as I consider the superiority of a hi-viz bike over a hi-viz vest, a hybrid-driving Gran threatens to cut me in half regardless. Wits firmly about me, we hit the coast road for one last blast back to the Hotel.With a piece to camera in the can for BSMC Youtube, I head to the bar and order a Margarita with which to contemplate the day. It arrives on a serviette, resplendent in pale translucent white. Perfect. So how different are they? The motorcycles, not the Margaritas. Perhaps more so than I expected. The sports-naked category is a stacked class, but the exhilarating, confidence-inspiring Vitpilen more than holds its own, while delivering the standout visuals synonymous with the Pilen family name. The sister bikes may have come closer in spec, but they maintain their own distinct characters, the Svartpilen perhaps the more leftfield option. Which would I get? It’s a coin toss, as much decided by the difference in mindset their minor differentiators dictate than anything else. But as I knock back the last of the drink, I make the choice. I’ll take my Pilen like I take my Margaritas, white please.