Husqvarna Svartpilen 801 thoughts

[adri]

I've never been a Husqvarna fan, but when Studio Cycle offers to let you borrow a new Svartpilen 801 for four days, you don't stop to ask questions.

Within the first few car lengths I was filtering between lanes. At 400-420 lbs wet, it feel like it weighs nothing. I was determined to take the long way home, and that didn't change when it started pouring rain a few blocks later. When I got in, soaking wet, I just stood in the garage looking at the Svartpilen for a good five minutes before going inside to get changed. That can only mean one thing.

"****... I must like the bike."

Of course, like any motorcycle, it's not perfect, specifically to the "old souls" (myself included) who just want our damn analogue gages, fewer rider aides interfering with our riding experience (more on that in the video), and not having to pay extra for features to be software unlocked for **** sake! (more on that too)

But damn it, this oddly shaped thing is, oddly growing on me. The suspension is actually pretty nice right out of the box. Husky's done a lot of little touches and details that they didn't have to do to make this feel like a quality motorcycle. I was impressed.

I think most people would want to compare it to the KTM Duke 790, or the Husqvarna Vitpilen 801, the truth is that those motorcycles are more sport oriented, probably aimed at a younger demographic, while the Svartpilen 801 is probably positioned as the offering for the more grown up rider looking for something a bit more refined.

I thought about it more in comparison to the Yamaha XSR 900 and the Kawasaki Z900RS, two motorcycles I really like, but are only about 80% of what I really want... Up until now I always wanted the Z900RS SE's style and ergonomics, with the XSR 900's three cylinder motor... now with the Husqvarna 801, I think I found their weird lovechild... The sum of the pieces come together really nicely.

Video for those who want details on everything mentioned above, and much much more:

 

[guzzirider]

Bottom line is it is a dead brand that is owned by a company that is going to get a lot smaller.
History is littered with good ideas that just didn't sell.
I was working a motorcycle show in Edmonton and spent 3 days looking at the Moto Guzzi V7 cafe in putrid green.
After 3 days I decide i could live with the colour.
Now I see one and I go back to my original feelings of wanting to throw up.
Love is fleeting.

 

[adri]

Bottom line is it is a dead brand that is owned by a company that is going to get a lot smaller.

Dead? Getting smaller?

I thought KTM being bought out by an absolute giant (Bajaj) over a week ago was old news everyone is aware of at this point...

I don't understand where your post is coming from... Which one of the two of us is missing something? haha

 

[guzzirider]

Bajaj Motors is part of a 40 company conglomerate.
It didn't get where it is by competing against itself.
They bought the KTM name but all the other unprofitable baggage will be disposed of.
If you really think you want to own the Husqvarna then buy it.
You should be able to get a super deal on the bike because the "floor plan" is expiring
and now the dealer has to start paying interest on a depreciating asset.

 

[adri]

It didn't get where it is by competing against itself.

No, but in order to get where it wants to go it needs to "compete with itself", or better said, it needs to buy these companies to compete where it otherwise can't. Case in point:

How many of us would buy a $12,000 Bajaj?

How many of us would buy a $12,000 Husqvarna even if it's owned by Bajaj?

Competing against itself is exactly why companies like Bajaj bought KTM, TVS bought Norton, and Tata Motors bought Jaguar. They buy more premium brands in order to invest more into those brands, in order to compete in the markets that they currently can't.

This isn't a new thing, it's not even just motorcycle industry thing. It's a common thing. Have you seen how much better Jaguar is doing since Tata bought them? They just reported their highest profit in a decade, and ten consecutive growth quarters.

They bought the KTM name but all the other unprofitable baggage will be disposed of.

Of course, but Husqvarna hasn't been unprofitable. They did have a sales slip reported last year, but it was something like 1% decline. From what I heard from dealers, they had a lot of supply issues causing them to lose out on sales they were expecting to get. Other than that 1% drop last year, overall they've been up consecutively for a decade now.

Dead brand? Getting smaller? Unprofitable baggage? What you're saying isn't in line with what the numbers show us.

 

[Mad Mike]

Dead? Getting smaller?

I thought KTM being bought out by an absolute giant (Bajaj) over a week ago was old news everyone is aware of at this point...

I don't understand where your post is coming from... Which one of the two of us is missing something? haha

I doubt Bajaj will keep the smaller brands for longer than it takes to liquidate their inventory.

It would be a better decision to euthanize Huskqy, GasGas and any of their unprofitable niche bikes than subsidize them into the future.

I wonder how they plan to deal with stiff tariffs into the USA? I’d be shitying myself if I was Bajaj right now!

 

[Lightcycle]

If I was Bajaj, I'd take a look at all the duplication of bikes that compete with each other:

KTM EXC 500, Gas Gas ES500, Husky FE501
KTM 890 Adventure R, Husqvarna 901 Norden
KTM 690 Enduro R, Gas Gas ES700, Husqvarna 701 Enduro
KTM 690 SMC, Gas Gas SM700, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto
KTM 390 Duke, Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Pick one of each category to continue to develop and sell. Drop the rest and stop cannibalizing sales from yourself. Designate one of the subsidiaries to be the dirt division (obviously should be KTM), designate another to be the street segment. Develop and promote distinct branding between these divisions.

Seriously dumb of Pierer Mobility to create such competition within its own brands, not to mention the cost, duplication and redundancy of marketing as well.

 

[Sunday Rider]

Great video and logic behind you pros and cons! I love analog gauges too!

 

[guzzirider]

I doubt Bajaj will keep the smaller brands for longer than it takes to liquidate their inventory.

It would be a better decision to euthanize Huskqy, GasGas and any of their unprofitable niche bikes than subsidize them into the future.

I wonder how they plan to deal with stiff tariffs into the USA? I’d be shitying myself if I was Bajaj right now!

Does North American sales even register in their plans

 

[Lightcycle]

Does North American sales even register in their plans

10% of sales went to the US. Not peanuts.

Largest market for KTM bikes was in India at 20%.

2024 numbers, which were significantly below 2023 figures.

 

[adri]

10% of sales went to the US. Not peanuts.

Largest market for KTM bikes was in India at 20%.

2024 numbers, which were significantly below 2023 figures.

To be clear, Husky was only down 1.2% in 2024 vs 2023. Totally different picture from KTM (down 21%), which is why I'm struggling to follow @guzzirider 's "unprofitable baggage" comment.

Sure the volume is less, but if demand is consistent (in fact growing substantially over the past decade), and it allows you to keep TWO dealers open selling bikes down the street from one another rather than just one in the same geographic area, I'd bet my money Husky isn't going anywhere.

If I had to guess, I'd wonder about Gas Gas' future... but they also operate in a side of the industry I've never worked in so I really can't speak to that.

 

[adri]

Great video and logic behind you pros and cons! I love analog gauges too!

Thank you!

I think that speedo came off of a Virago 535. When I was putting it on my shelf the day I replaced it the missus saw me putting it on the shelf and gave me the "Aren't you going to throw that out?" questioning, with the unspoken "It's garbage!" undertone.

"Nope, I'm going to need it as a prop in a video one day."

Took a year of waiting, but I love when I have an excuse to show people my junk!

 

[Priller]

If I was Bajaj, I'd take a look at all the duplication of bikes that compete with each other:

KTM EXC 500, Gas Gas ES500, Husky FE501
KTM 890 Adventure R, Husqvarna 901 Norden
KTM 690 Enduro R, Gas Gas ES700, Husqvarna 701 Enduro
KTM 690 SMC, Gas Gas SM700, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto
KTM 390 Duke, Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Pick one of each category to continue to develop and sell. Drop the rest and stop cannibalizing sales from yourself. Designate one of the subsidiaries to be the dirt division (obviously should be KTM), designate another to be the street segment. Develop and promote distinct branding between these divisions.

Seriously dumb of Pierer Mobility to create such competition within its own brands, not to mention the cost, duplication and redundancy of marketing as well.

Reminds me a bit of a fast-forward version of the GM bloat that came to a head in the late '00s. Pontiac, Chevrolet, Buick, Saturn, GMC, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Hummer, all at various points selling largely identical cars with different cabins and bodies. Each tried desperately to have a niche, but in the end it was the same cars with a slightly different attitude.

It works when you're shifting a stack of units, but when things slow down, the overhead is hard to bear...

 

[adri]

Good reference ^

 

[Aens]

If I was Bajaj, I'd take a look at all the duplication of bikes that compete with each other:

KTM EXC 500, Gas Gas ES500, Husky FE501
KTM 890 Adventure R, Husqvarna 901 Norden
KTM 690 Enduro R, Gas Gas ES700, Husqvarna 701 Enduro
KTM 690 SMC, Gas Gas SM700, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto
KTM 390 Duke, Husqvarna Svartpilen 401

Pick one of each category to continue to develop and sell. Drop the rest and stop cannibalizing sales from yourself. Designate one of the subsidiaries to be the dirt division (obviously should be KTM), designate another to be the street segment. Develop and promote distinct branding between these divisions.

Seriously dumb of Pierer Mobility to create such competition within its own brands, not to mention the cost, duplication and redundancy of marketing as well.

I disagree with this a lot. As a 790 Duke owner, the number of times I hear about the styling being the deal breaker is just ad nauseam. KTM styling is styling only an owner can love. Meanwhile, any of the city huskys are something I turn my nose up to as hipster wannabes. The brand engineering definitely has an effect. Amongst non-riders, when I tell them a Svart or Vitpilen is a 390/790 duke at the end of the day, the don't believe it.

GasGas is kind of stuck at a partially realized rebranding effort. Half-cooked, no idea if it would have been good or not. If something has to go, yeah, that'd be it.

There's lots to learn about multiple bikes on the same platform. Part commonality is a huge boost to economy of scale. When I heard the 790 was going back into production to support the CFMotos, the replenished parts bins helped me to find more value in my 790. I'm not in a rush to get rid of it anymore knowing I have 2023 production date parts for my mfgr in 2018 790.

If the Brabus 1400r wasn't so expensive, exclusive and not available here, I'd probably already have replaced by 790 already.

The true crime would be to force a design committee on KTM.

 

[Mad Mike]

No, but in order to get where it wants to go it needs to "compete with itself", or better said, it needs to buy these companies to compete where it otherwise can't. Case in point:

How many of us would buy a $12,000 Bajaj

None so far.

How many of us would buy a $12,000 Husqvarna even if it's owned by Bajaj?

Non so far.

Competing against itself is exactly why companies like Bajaj bought KTM, TVS bought Norton, and Tata Motors bought Jaguar. They buy more premium brands in order to invest more into those brands, in order to compete in the markets that they currently can't.

Competing against yourself and filling product categories to compete against others are totally different business strategies. KTM used the same strategy as GM did before it restructured - sell the same basic product with a different skin through multiple channels - this is competing against oneself. It works for a while as the manufacturer can build and stuff competing channels - but it rarely works in a low margin product like cars and motorcycles.

TATA strategy was to acquire Jag/Rover to augmented their product line to compete in categories they did not have products to compete - not to compete with themselves. Similar to Fiat buying Chrysler and Jeep.

This isn't a new thing, it's not even just motorcycle industry thing. It's a common thing. Have you seen how much better Jaguar is doing since Tata bought them? They just reported their highest profit in a decade, and ten consecutive growth quarters.

By the way, Jaguar is in the shitter! In 23 they sold 66000 cars, 33000 in 24, and less than 8000 in 25 (which anre mostly unsold 24’s). Things were so bad, the cancelled their complete Jag line, hit reset and decided on a bold new strategy based on exclusivity, exotic style and electric platforms - let’s see how that goes.

TATA reports Jag and RangeRover together, Range Rover will be 85% of the groups sales this year.

The group is still down 25% in shipments from pre pandemic levels,but the good news is they cut fat, stopped the bleeding, annd now operate profitably with a good footing for growth.

Of course, but Husqvarna hasn't been unprofitable. They did have a sales slip reported last year, but it was something like 1% decline. From what I heard from dealers, they had a lot of supply issues causing them to lose out on sales they were expecting to get. Other than that 1% drop last year, overall they've been up consecutively for a decade now.

Dead brand? Getting smaller? Unprofitable baggage? What you're saying isn't in line with what the numbers show us.

We will see. The Indian and Chinese makers are quick to deal with operational efficiencies - I’ll bet Husky gets sold or cancelled.

 

[adri]

I read this but didn't see the breakdown between Jaguar vs Range Rover as you mentioned:

"Profit before tax and exceptional items (“PBT”) was £875 million for Q4, JLR’s tenth consecutive profitable quarter, and £2.5 billion for FY25, the highest profit in a decade"

Either way, tata bought the both of them so

 

[LBV]

I'd have no issue buying one ... was looking at a Svartpilen 401 for a bit but for a couple of grand more the Scrambler 800 was worth the upgrade.

 

[raginduck]

I read this but didn't see the breakdown between Jaguar vs Range Rover as you mentioned:

"Profit before tax and exceptional items (“PBT”) was £875 million for Q4, JLR’s tenth consecutive profitable quarter, and £2.5 billion for FY25, the highest profit in a decade"

Either way, tata bought the both of them so

part of the reason for buying Jag and LR.. was a **** you to Ford after he said Tata couldn't compete and should stick to what they know.