P114
RIDE REVIEW I 2024 HUSQVARNA SVARTPILEN 401 & VITPILEN 401
arm itself, while the under-engine
muffler cleans up the rear of the
bike substantially. You'll be able
to get countless aftermarket
pipes soon enough, so if you
really, really want the traditional
muffler that exits up the right rear
of the bike, you'll be able to.
The suspension has been al
-
tered in that the 43mm WP Apex
open-cartridge fork now only has
five stages of rebound and com
-
pression damping, thus ensuring
noticeable differences between
each click of the, er, clickers
at the top of the fork, but there's
no preload adjustment available
on the front.
This adjustment allows for
the integration of a larger airbox
but also accommodates a
revised, lighter subframe, which
is claimed to improve passenger
comfort.
The shock bolts directly to a
new, curved/semi-banana style
swingarm, redesigned to be a
touch more rigid than before
and to allow for the placement
of the redesigned exhaust muf
-
fler that exits under the right
rear of the motor.
The new shock gives the Vit/
Svartpilen an edgy look and
forms a perfect line between the
side frame spars and the swing
-
Fast forward to 2024, and al-
most everything about the $5899
Vitpilen and Svartpilen 401 has
been overhauled. While some
changes are substantial, others
are more subtle, but overall, the
updates are extensive enough to
breathe new life into the models.
The chassis has undergone
significant revisions, resulting in
a unit that is both wider and light
-
er than its pre-2024 counterpart.
The Svartpilen/Vitpilen models
retain the steel trellis frame de
-
sign, and one of the more notice-
able changes is repositioning the
rear shock absorber to the right
side of the chassis.
