Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/972780
2018 HUSQVARNA VITPILEN 701 FIRST TEST P102 Throttle response was smooth for a big single, making for a confidence- inspiring ride. But it's out of town that the Vitpilen— which means "white arrow" in Swed- ish—began to show its teeth. Each time I pushed, the machine performed better and better. The suspension is set from the factory for a rider between 165-185 pounds, but the chassis still re- sponded beautifully even though I'm about 50 pounds lighter than what Husqvarna set the springs for. The Vitpilen flicked through the The muffler is a bit long, but who cares when it looks this good? Chatting with Justin Maxwell W hen picking Vitpilen Project Manager Justin Maxwell's brain on the technical details of the bike, he made a point about the KTM-derived twin-spark 690 engine being the most modern and powerful production single-cylinder available. The motor only weighs 94 pounds and comes with a 6200-mile service interval. I wanted to know what he thought the coolest thing about the engine was that people might not know. "For me, the coolest thing about the engine is it's a single but it is also very modern. We have the ride-by-wire throttle and dual counter balancer shafts, so it's very smooth and the vibration is closer to a V-twin, making it very comfortable to ride." Justin went on to say the one-of-a-kind LED lights were incorporated into the design from the beginning. "This is one of the main identifying features of the bike as this design runs through the complete Vitpilen and Svartpilen range," Justin said. "The goal is when someone sees this light they immediately identify the bike as a Husqvarna." I found it amazing how close the production Vitpilen is to the concept bike. Husqvarna made every effort to ensure they stayed as true as possible to the first draw- ings shown to the public nearly four years ago. It's amazing they could take something created from an aesthetic angle and make it into something so friendly and fun to ride. As an instructor of a females-only motorcycle school, I always look for bikes I can recommend to beginners on the street, and the Vitpilen is comfortable, smooth, and confidence inspiring. On the flip side, as a Mo- toAmerica racer person- ally fit in the "speed freak" category, I am less wor- ried about the appearance and more worried about the handling. Thankfully, this bike nails that for me, with the bonus that it looks cool, too. I wanted to know what stood out to Justin, as someone who had a major say in how this bike finally turned out. "My favorite part when conceptualizing this bike was the ability to create something new and fresh that is a true riders' bike—free of all the gimmicks and overloaded complexity we find in motorcycles today." I loved being able to hear what went on in the minds of the guys creating this beautiful masterpiece. Maxwell has helped create what many are saying is a modern masterpiece with the Vitpilen.