Six years into the model’s life, the Husqvarna Vitpilen gets a significant makeover, including the engine, chassis, electronics, and ergonomics. The already well-targeted, well-designed bike with head-turning style, the 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 has a more streamlined look, a smidge larger displacement, and a new ride mode. Has the eye-catching urban romper lost any of its unique appeal and fun?
- The 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen’s LC4c engine is an all-new design with a higher displacement, lighter weight, and more efficiency. The 26cc gain to 399cc comes from a longer stroke. Combined with the larger volume airbox pulling air in from the front of the bike and a revamped exhaust system, the 401 has a tad more power. Crucially, the single cylinder reaches its horsepower and torque peaks earlier in the rev range, just where we want it. While the Vitpilen isn’t ready to tear through the city like its bad-boy cousin, the KTM 390 Duke, the Black Arrow (“Vitpilen” in Swedish) is absolutely ready for lively rides around the metropolis.
- Rain ride mode is new, as well as corresponding traction control levels. For everyday riding in good conditions, the Street riding mode will be your first choice. In slippery conditions, whether water or dirt, the Rain mode will tamp down the throttle response to prevent the rear tire from spinning up. A brand-new rider might also consider Rain mode to get started.
- While you can’t independently adjust the traction control settings, they are matched to the riding modes. There is an option to turn the traction control off for those who want to have their way with the 401 without a nanny involved. Also, you can engage a new and unusual feature—adjustable top speed. Dial in whatever upper limit you want, and that’s as fast as it will go.
- While the Vitpilen is always ready for a spirited ride, it is also a spunky, dependable partner for your weekday commute. The 401’s small physical size and weight allow easy negotiation at slow speeds through narrow lanes of traffic. With its 3.4-gallon tank filled, the Vitpilen’s 341-pound curb weight is not a handful, and the chassis’ turning radius allows tight maneuvers. The clutch has an assist function to keep things light for my left hand, especially in traffic. Should I find an opening to slip through, the Vit’s torquey motor is just waiting for a twist, making my urban trek to work and back an enjoyable challenge.
- Michelin Power 6 tires provide a trusty contact patch for scampering through the hills. I had plenty of confidence when braking and in corners with the stock Michelins on the six-spoke cast aluminum wheels. The sport-focused tires team up nicely with the WP suspension, providing a comfortable and predictable feel on the varying urban road surfaces around Los Angeles.
- The well-dialed-in WP Apex suspension encourages a sporty ride. The fork and shock are impressively tuned right out of the box. With almost six inches of travel front and rear, it soaks up the worst urban road conditions confidently—while you know what you’re riding over, the Vitpilen will not get unsettled. By keeping the suspension on the sporty side, the front-end feedback inspires athletic canyon sprints, with due credit to the Michelin Power 6 rubber.
- The inverted fork is fully adjustable for damping, though Husqvarna wisely opted for just five levels. This allows experimentation without getting lost in the weeds, and no tools are required. The stylishly off-center-mounted cantilevered shock can be adjusted for rebound damping and spring preload. There’s a handy chart printed on the underside of the seat with recommended settings.
- The seat height has dropped marginally without sacrificing wheel travel. Though not a huge change, dropping three-quarters of an inch to 32.2 inches has made the Vitpilen more accessible to shorter riders. This is especially welcome to the less experienced who need the confidence gained from being able to plant both boots on the ground. At the same time, there’s still plenty of cornering clearance for those who mix it up in the canyons.
- You have to pick your battles with the quickshifter. At the lower end of the gearbox, clutchless shifting can be clunky—any newer rider relying on this feature will be disappointed. When on the gas hard, I learned to manually shift up to 3rd gear, then enjoy the quickshifter through to 6th. It’s great to have this feature on a small displacement bike, as it’s the best way to extract the most out of the 401’s sporty engine when the right opportunity presents itself. The quickshifter works in both directions. Aggressiveness is rewarded when downshifting, with the slipper-enhanced clutch helping to prevent rear-wheel lockups.
- The ByBre brakes and Bosch cornering-aware ABS package add more tech to the 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 package. You can only ride as fast as you trust your brakes, and the radially mounted ByBre caliper up front had me covered. Initial engagement at the lever is soft, which I like around town. A firm squeeze delivers enough progressive braking to let me twist the throttle aggressively. The cornering-aware ABS and TC add a combined confidence when winding canyon roads, making the nimble little bike a total blast.
- Freeway-capable, whether lane-splitting, running with the fast crowd, or sneaking through the unofficial locals-only lane, the Vitpilen 401 holds its own. While it might not be intuitive to choose a small-displacement single when bikes with more cc are in the garage, when I know conditions are going to range from slow-moving freeways to snarled city streets to a bit of tight canyon carving—I experience all these on the way to work via my dentist—the 401 is an obvious choice. Its light weight, agile handling, and predictable power delivery mean I can easily maneuver through the changing conditions without having to micromanage power or wrestle with a physically large bike. It’s also easier to get in and out of the parking garages, where you can park for free by riding around gates.
- Wide-open freeway runs can get a bit fatiguing on the naked single-cylinder Vitpilen. The 401 is happy to rev high and run fast. The limiting factor is simply one’s tolerance to windblast, and some counterbalancer-defying mid-size thumper buzz at the grips and in the mirrors. With a slightly longer wheelbase for 2024, the Vitpilen is nicely planted at highway speeds, and the Michelin Power 6 rubber on the cast aluminum wheels has no issue with treacherous rain-grooved pavement. The 401 revs high to keep up with fast-moving traffic, but it’s not straining with my 115-pound load, and even at 8K rpm at 80 mph, the Vit responds to a further twist of the throttle should I need to make an overtake or lane-split. Given room, the 401 can crack 100.
- The clip-on handlebars are gone, and we don’t miss them. While the low-bar café racer look is super cool, it wears out its welcome quickly. Yes, we understand you frequently must suffer for style, but the Vitpilen still has plenty of character without wrist-wrecking ergonomics. The higher grip position makes it easier to control the bike in all situations, whetherslow-speedd maneuvering through busy street traffic, paddle walking in a crowded parking garage, or canyon carving on the weekend.
- The 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401’s seating position and tank design allow easy movement on the bike. Its unusual, sculpted tank provides a perfect niche to tuck your legs under and leverage a good grip—especially welcome when riding at speed. With the smooth, integrated side panels, it’s easy to shift from side to side when spinning through the canyons, with no bumpy contours or badges to avoid with your knees. Around town, I slide forward slightly, sitting more upright for boulevard cruising.
- A larger fuel tank increases the Vitpilen’s range significantly for 2024. Husqvarna made room for almost an extra gallon of gas in the redesigned fuel tank. Checking the TFT dash after topping the 3.4-gallon tank revealed an incredible range of 368 miles.
- The Vitpilen’s aesthetic remains steampunk, regardless of the numerous styling changes that place a heavy finger on the modern side of the balance scale for 2024. The design of the distinctive tank cover has been shifted forward, and the side-mounted license plate has been replaced with a traditional rear fender hanging plate. That new, off-center mounted cantilevered shock is closer to horizontal than vertical, contributing to a streamlining of the Vitpilen 401’s lines. Finally, there’s less visual emphasis on the trellis frame and top end, and the exhaust has been tucked under the engine.
- The original round dash has been replaced by a modern rectangular 5.1-inch TFT screen. It’s easy to navigate the crisp TFT display via the newly backlit switchgear on the left handgrip. Here, you can select your ride mode, set a maximum speed, disable traction control, and choose between three distinctive display layouts. If you find the default screen too busy, but don’t want to go with the minimalist display, you can edit the middle option and select several data fields to make themselves visible. Annoyingly, resetting the tripmeter is buried four clicks down in the menu. Also, is a dedicated ride mode button too much to ask for?
- Connectivity is available on the Vitpilen, allowing the use of a music player, turn-by-turn nav, and phone connection. If you like, mount your smartphone on the handlebar (mount not included) and plug into the USB-C port on the left-side of the TFT screen to keep your phone charged. With the Ride Husqvarna app downloaded, you can take advantage of a music player, answer phone calls, and turn-by-turn navigation.
- The 2024The 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 is hands down one of the most fun urban bikes to run around town on.It has all the good small-bike attributes we love—lightweight, nimble handling, compact enough to slip through congested streets—while still being able to keep up on the freeway. It’s super satisfying to twist the throttle hard and enjoy all 399cc, rather than the light throttle touch required of a multi-cylinder motorcycle. Instead, the Vitpilen feels like a play bike, yet is immensely capable. Attractively priced at $5899, the new-gen 2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 kicks things up a notch, while remaining eminently stylish—a must when pulling into Tommy’s at Rampart and Beverly.
Photography by Kevin Wing
RIDING STYLE
2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Specs
ENGINE
- Type: Single cylinder LC4c
- Displacement: 399cc
- Bore x stroke: 89 x 64mm
- Compression ratio: 12.6:1
- Valvetrain: DOHC; 4 valves
- Fueling: Dell’Orto EFI w/ 46mm throttle body
- Exhaust: Stainless steel
- Lubrication: Wet sump w/ 2 oil pumps
- Cooling: Liquid
- Transmission: 6-peed
- Clutch: Wet multiplate w/ slip and assist functions
- Final drive: X-ring 520 chain
CHASSIS
- Frame: Steel trellis
- Handlebar: Aluminum
- Front suspension; travel: Damping-adjustable WP Apex inverted 43mm fork; 5.9 inches
- Rear suspension; travel: Cantilevered rebound-damping and spring-preload adjustable WP Apex progressive-damping shock; 5.9 inches
- Wheels: Cast aluminum
- Front wheel: 17 x 3.0
- Rear wheel: 17 x 4.0
- Tires: Michelin Power 6
- Front tire: 110/70 x 17
- Rear tire: 150/60 x 17
- Front brake: 320mm disc w/ ByBre radially mounted 4-piston caliper
- Rear brake: 240mm disc w/ ByBre 2-piston floating caliper
- ABS: Cornering-aware Bosch 9.13MP 2-channel
DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES
- Wheelbase: 53.4 inches
- Steering head angle: 24 degrees
- Triple clamp offset: 1.3 inches
- Trail: 3.7 inches
- Seat height: 32.2 inches
- Tank capacity: 3.4 gallons
- Curb weight: 341 pounds
2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Price: $5899 MSRP
2024 Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 Review Photo Gallery
