The 2018 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 Concept Might Be The Scrambler Of Our Dreams

It’s finally happened: A motorcycle manufacturer has built a motorcycle that combines sporty performance and scrambler style. In layman’s terms, Husqvarna basically combined two of my favorite bikes, the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto and Triumph Street Scrambler.

No, this news shouldn't surprise anyone. With the Vitpilen 401 and Svartpilen 401 concepts launching at EICMA in 2014 and the Vitpilen 701 concept launching a year later (all three of which are being released this year as production models), it was bound to happen. But that doesn't mean my heart didn't skip a beat when I first read the news.

Details are scarce—and this is a concept—so much of the finishings and appearance can change. We do know that, like the Vitpilen 701, the new bike will be based on the same 693cc. liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine from the KTM 690 Duke and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto, which was updated in 2016 for the KTM and in 2017 for the Husqvarna.

It will have a ride-by-wire throttle, a slipper clutch, and two-channel ABS which can be disabled. Since it's a concept, Husqvarna has not released weight figures, but it will likely tip the scales at a tad more than the Vitpilen 701, which at 346 pounds before fuel weighs 27 pounds more than the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto at 319 pounds.

Unlike the Vitpilen 701, the Svartpilen 701 concept gets an 18-inch front wheel rather than the 17-inch front of the other bikes from this line. This adds to the scrambler look, though I'd put the Svartpilen 701 in the category with the bikes that are meant to look like scramblers (almost all of them) rather than it actually being meant to scramble (basically only the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled). If you read my review of the Triumph Street Scrambler, you know that I'm totally okay with bikes built to be great on the street and look to meet a certain aesthetic, as there are much better options for those of you who actually want to get dirty.

The big questions now are how long will we have to wait (hopefully not three years like with the 401s) and how much is it going to cost? Because we need one.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our coverage of all the new motorcycles released at EICMA this year!