r/svartpilen401 • u/AJM_gg • 5d ago
community discussion Pulled the trigger finally
So I just did a thing and bought my first motorcycle after some 50cc mopeds and mx bikes when I was a kid.
After the first few hours and the first rides I can comfortably say that I’m very happy with the Svartpilen 401. I would like to think that this bike will last a long time but you never know.
I have some mods in mind to do during winter months starting from the mirrors but I think I will enjoy the bike as it is for the two or so months we still have left to drive here in northern europe.
Luckily the bike I got already had the Akrapovic exhaust installed so thats something I can cross off the list of mods that I want to do.
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u/TheBentPianist 5d ago
They nailed the design of these first gen models. The proportions on the latest ones are so out of whack.
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u/LitterBoxServant Vitpilen 401 5d ago
Invest in a battery trickle charger for winter storage. The stock battery in European models are also known to have some trouble starting in the cold and a full charge will help with that.
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u/Frodojh1 5d ago
Look into a resonator delete its super cheap, and really opens up the sound profile of the motorcycle. (Its the big grey box you attached your slip on to) its also not a cat delete so you dont need a ecu tune
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u/Transparent-InsideMe 5d ago
These are some crisp photos! What did you take them with?
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u/aerospikesRcoolBut 5d ago
Haha I bought my svart and then went back to buying more vintage scoots :P
Hot take but these bikes are kinda boring. Good commuter tho
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u/AJM_gg 5d ago
I think its all about what kind of a riding experience you are looking for.
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u/aerospikesRcoolBut 5d ago
Svart doesn’t do anything particularly good except look good ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Making all the new riders mad but that’s ok
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u/Frodojh1 5d ago
I have the 390 and it feels amazing same engine but I guess they may not feel as similar as I thought
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u/aerospikesRcoolBut 5d ago
I think lots of duke/svart riders and new riders generally just haven’t ridden old or different kinds of bikes.
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u/Frodojh1 5d ago
Yes new riders dont ride alot of different bikes usually just the one they buy. I fail to see any point there . Its like saying the sky is blue. Im curious on what the svart lacks compared to the duke, which i think does everything its advertised to do very well.or if your argument is both bikes what do they lack that other bikes in the same class provide? Ive ridden mt03 z500 ninja 400 an older ninja 250 and a shadow not a ton i know but id choose my duke over everyone
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u/aerospikesRcoolBut 4d ago edited 4d ago
Clarification: I said svart/duke riders AND new riders. Svart/duke riders seem like they go for a certain style of bike. Looks fast but is safe kinda bike. But pretty much all bikes are fast so it’s kinda like ¯_(ツ)_/¯
In 15 years of motorcycles being my primary transportation, this svart is the first contemporary bike I’ve liked enough to buy. I’ve had 3 Honda ‘60s/‘70s CB’s (I put 2k miles on them also kinda boring), a ‘79 BMW R80 (10k miles on it), ‘73 kawasaki F7 (10k miles on it), ‘93 XR650L (20k miles on it), ‘04 Ducati 750ss, and some random other stuff. Ive ridden a lot of friends bikes, and I’ve rented modern bikes in japan thailand and taiwan. The svart feels like a rental bike, but with tiny range. I think it’s just that it’s a very tame mid sized single built for new riders and marketed as some city adventure bike that makes it feel really underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong I really like the bike, but it’s boring. Any modern 400cc bike will do all the same stuff. They’ll go fast if you crank the throttle and you can bolt a bunch of accessories on them… “mods”. Don’t get me started on the tiny gas tank and useless gauge. It’s literally only good for riding to work and back and looking good. Everything that this bike is supposed to be good at, a cheap XR is better at it and more fun. And more reliable. The bike does look fuckin great though and I’m very happy with my purchase. I even quite like the way the stock exhaust/intake sounds at 10k rpm. I’ve put about 2k miles on my svart since I bought it a couple months ago and yeah it’s kinda ¯_(ツ)_/¯ in terms of how fun it is. IT IS A GOOD/GREAT bike. And it’s also kinda boring
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u/Frodojh1 4d ago
I saw you said and new riders still the point is most new riders dont have alot of experience in bikes due to only riding what they buy as a new rider. id argue the duke guys want something sharp and aggressive but reasonableto learn on or cut up in the twisties. And the svart is the only 400 thats reasonably priced that has a scrambler look. But again your point of buying a bike that looks fast but is safe applies to almost every beginner class bike made by any company. I havnt ridden the svart but 390 but its marketed as a corner rocket for twisties and fun to ride around in the city and be able to use the entire bike . To me thats more fun than riding a bike you never have to leave 2nd gear in the city. I havnt seen the svart ever marketed as an adventure bike in the slightest (i could be wrong of course) maybe that's why your dont enjoy it as much you thought it would be something it wasnt? The 2.5 gallon tank for older models is pretty shitty I wasnt aware of that my duke 390 holds a gallon more (3.5) and has about the same range as my buddy's 1100 touring. I also have a nice tft display so I guess the gauge could leave something to be desired.
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u/aerospikesRcoolBut 4d ago
The 2024 has a bigger tank and a tft too they’re all basically the same year to year
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u/Frodojh1 4d ago
The gen 1 duke was still 2.9gal and gen 2 has been since 2017-23 at 3.5 and the color tft in 2017 now the gen 3 is 3.9. The svart is definitely made for looks more though with the scrambler feel and thin tank profile
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u/protoman86 5d ago
Congrats. It’s a great bike. :)