Anyone seen any 2021 news yet?

Haven't seen anything, but when I was looking at my local Husky dealer I asked about 2021s since we're so close to the year change and she told me that she wasn't expecting to see them coming in until well into January. Not sure whether that's based on experience, some kind of insider knowledge, or pure speculation. All of their 2021 offroad models are on the site, but nothing that would be road legal so no dual sports and no SP/VPs.

It's kind of quiet across the board. The only confirmed 2021 announcement I've seen is Kawi and they did it WAY in advance. I want to say they've had late November penned in for their 2021 announcement since the beginning of October. Suzuki's 2021s listed are also mostly offroad models. Relatively few 2021 Hondas are up. KTM looks just like Husky, offroad models only. It makes sense to hold off on announcements so as not to cannibalize Q4 sales figures. Always better to put numbers on the board today rather than have your prospective customers waiting and second-guessing and cross-shopping for months for a bike they can't even buy yet.
 
That's true, and actually I read the other day that Q3 sales were up compared to the first half of the year.

Fingers crossed. My "other brand" hasn't presented anything significant yet either.
 
Max Kool said:
I read the other day that Q3 sales were up compared to the first half of the year.

Fingers crossed.
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Well I can tell you that when I bought mine a couple weeks ago the salesperson said these bikes move. I was skeptical and figured she just wanted to get me to pull the trigger that day, but when I went back in there recently they had sold the 701 Vitpilen and only had the 401 Vitpilen that I was going back and forth on buying instead of my Svart. Wouldn't be surprised if that was gone too by the time I'm back for my first service. Not too shabby for selling a pretty futuristic looking bike in rural Virginia.

When I think about it though I shouldn't be surprised. After the price adjustment the 401s especially are an unbeatable value in the segment. I can only assume that poor sales would be the result of people not knowing the bikes exist at all. Just today while I was out running errands I had several people compliment the bike, ask what it was, and then express surprise that Husqvarna makes motorcycles.
 
Yeah, but who buys a 401, really.
According to most people, it's small, slow, and ugly.
It's only got 40 ho's for crying out loud.

When I was in high school my 70s Rice Grinder had 2x as much.

That being said, they may break through with alot of power hungry teenagers with a 901 though.
 
I don't really know anyone calling the 401 slow, but the looks are polarizing. My experiences with people have mainly been positive. The 401 is basically the fastest A2 bike on the market (close competition with the Ninja 400) in one of the fastest growing segments in motorcycling. There is a reason there are so many nice small CC bikes to choose from right now. It has had trouble selling due to price and it seems the lower priced 2020s did not have the same availability as past years in the USA
 
stroem said:
I don't really know anyone calling the 401 slow, but the looks are polarizing. My experiences with people have mainly been positive. The 401 is basically the fastest A2 bike on the market (close competition with the Ninja 400) in one of the fastest growing segments in motorcycling. There is a reason there are so many nice small CC bikes to choose from right now. It has had trouble selling due to price and it seems the lower priced 2020s did not have the same availability as past years in the USA
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@stroem I believe @BISavage is being sarcastic here, as he seems to be a happy 401 rider himself ;) The looks of the whole vit/svart platform is indeed polarizing, but most of the people who can't stand their aesthetics tend to like highly modified turbobusas and other two wheeled abominations (such as Z1000 kawa etc). Most negative experiences shared about these bikes are related to mechanical issues suffered by their owners, other than that everyone seems to really like them a lot.
 
SvePil said:
Found this today. What do you think?

Husqvarna 901 Svartpilen spotted out in the wild

The Husqvarna 901 Svartpilen gets some miles under its belt as a prototype of the new flasgship naked is spotted out on test
www.visordown.com www.visordown.com
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Isn't that just a naked Norden though? The article provides no evidence that the bike shown is a Svartpilen and I believe that the May 10th publishing date was prior to the Norden's actual concept being revealed. Ride height and other subtle details make me think there's no way this is a Svartpilen. I want to believe, I just don't.
 
I <3 Svart said:
Isn't that just a naked Norden though? The article provides no evidence that the bike shown is a Svartpilen and I believe that the May 10th publishing date was prior to the Norden's actual concept being revealed. Ride height and other subtle details make me think there's no way this is a Svartpilen. I want to believe, I just don't.
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You may be right. I dont think that prototype look so much Svart either.

Wonder if there is plans for a 901 svart/vit? Anyway, i like my 701 one cylinder. The engine got soul. Not shure the 901 would have.
 
stroem said:
I don't really know anyone calling the 401 slow, but the looks are polarizing. My experiences with people have mainly been positive. The 401 is basically the fastest A2 bike on the market (close competition with the Ninja 400) in one of the fastest growing segments in motorcycling. There is a reason there are so many nice small CC bikes to choose from right now. It has had trouble selling due to price and it seems the lower priced 2020s did not have the same availability as past years in the USA
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I usually ride with friends that own a KTM SMC R and a Honda CB500f. The bike that receives most compliments its my 401. I still find the 701 prettier as it is longer than the 401 (the 2020 401 tried to fixed that with the longer seat).
SvePil said:
Found this today. What do you think?

Husqvarna 901 Svartpilen spotted out in the wild

The Husqvarna 901 Svartpilen gets some miles under its belt as a prototype of the new flasgship naked is spotted out on test
www.visordown.com www.visordown.com
Click to expand...

I love it! Even if the 401 is enough for what I'm doing "ridewise", I am very interested in a Svart or Vit with the engine of the Duke 790 or 890. I like the current Duke 790, but I would need to "blacken" the bike... not a fan of the orange. But I really prefer the design of the Svart/Vit.
 
Having just sold my 2yo Kawasaki Ninja 400, good market for such here, and got a good price, I purchased a 2020 701 Vitpilen, asking my dealer about 2021 models and changes, she tells me Husky are keeping very quiet on it all at present, and isn't expecting to see new models till late next year, she is thinking the big single will morph into the 890 twin, and while nice, it will be hyper powerful, heavier, and more hungry, think fuel, tyres, chain ect, and for me not what I want, time will tell, keen on a supermotard as well as the Vitpilen :D
 
The website appears to be undergoing some changes. The Svartpilen and Vitpilen sections now have 2021 401 versions of each. I didn't see any changes to the 2021 401 Svartpilen section, but the Vitpilen side appears to be a WIP as it's missing the profile shot near the top and the technical details area appears to be incomplete. Both 701s are still listed as 2020. I'll let you decide if that's indicative of something or not. It would be a strange move to change the technical details and profile shot if the plan was just to add a 1 to the end like they did with the 2021 Svartpilen 401, but maybe they just broke their site. Similar story with the 701s. Why delay on turning the 2020 into 2021 unless there's something they were waiting on.
 

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They stopped making the 701s early last year, according to friend in the trade. There won’t be any more. The 2020s were parts bin specials to clear the accessory bins afaic.
 
MoeZambeek said:
The 2020s were parts bin specials to clear the accessory bins afaic.
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Not convinced on the "parts bin special" for the 2020 models, they used new colors on both Vit and Svart, which does require a new parts run.

And if they really stop making them for 2021, that would make them all the more special. :P
 
My dealer, whom is NZ's most prolific Vitpilen/Svartpilen sales dealer I understand, also races a Vitpilen 701, talks of NO more 701's, and a move to MAYBE 890's in a similar format, but that is assumptions an guess work.
My blue/white 2020 701 Vitpilen is dated 1/20 on the frame, and with a keen and fussy eye looking over her, I have wondered if they were using up left over parts, as stuff one would not normally see marks on, have, forks being one part that comes to mind.
 
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