VOL. 56 ISSUE 15 APRIL 16, 2019 P99
ALMOST
PREMIUM
Though Husqvarna markets the
Svartpilen as a premium single-cylin-
der motorcycle, the included tech-
nology doesn't necessarily back the
claim up. On the positive side, the
ride-by-wire throttle works flawlessly,
and it's paired with an excellent up-
and-down quickshifter that Husky
calls Easy Shift. Interestingly, the
downshifts work flawlessly even with
the throttle cracked open slightly.
An annoyance is that the bike will
auto-blip the throttle even if you've
got the clutch pulled in and are shift-
ing from second to neutral. A slipper
clutch is also included, though we're
seeing that technology in bikes that
cost less than half of the Svartpilen,
like the Kawasaki Z400.
For the price, the dash is a
genuine disappointment. The three
buttons on the left are very difficult
to use, even when at a stop. The
circular shape, which doesn't match
the Svartpilen's styling, is too small,
and the limited space isn't used effi-
ciently. The salt in the wound is that
the $3K-cheaper Duke 690 comes
with a sizeable full-color TFT screen.
Even the Duke 390, which is less
than half the cost, comes with the
same feature. Here's hoping Husky
can incorporate a TFT dash in the
next version of the Svartpilen.
