A few weeks ago, Husqvarna unveiled its new Svartpilen 801, and of course, that meant the new debut of the new Vitpilen 801 was on the horizon. Finally, the Swedish manufacturer has introduced the new ‘white arrow’ to the world, and we aren’t sure what to make of it.
When the Svartpilen and Vitpilen were first introduced with the single-cylinder 373.2cc engine from the KTM 390 Duke, the duo had distinct identities. Wire-spoked rims, braced handlebar and dual-purpose tyres made it pretty clear that this was a scrambler. The Vitpilen’s low-slung clip-on handlebars, five-spoke alloy wheels and road-focused shoes showed its neo-retro cafe racer intention. But as we have seen with new 401s and now, with the 801s, the line between the two is blurred.
The 2025 Husqvarna Vitpilen 801 comes with a single-piece handlebar, same alloys as the Svartpilen, although the Vitplen deploys Michelin Road 6 rubber and even similar suspension travel and even ground clearance.
Of course, the new design language is droolworthy. The ‘floating’ halo LED DRL around the single projector headlight is perhaps the most striking bit about its design, and yes, it compliments the new yellow colour. There are no changes to the tank, seat or even the exhaust, compared to the Svartpilen 801.
The new 801 is powered by the same 799cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin that belts out 103.5 bhp and 8.84 kgm from the KTM 790 Duke. There are three riding modes to choose from and a rider-configurable mode, too. While it does come with traction control as standard, an optional package gets you 10-level traction control and swicthable ABS as a part of its Dynamic mode.
The new Husqvarna Vitpilen 801 is unlikely to come to India anytime soon. But if the Swedish manufacturer plans on getting its big bikes here, we wouldn’t mind Husky starting off with the Norden 901.
