K
Kriden
Guest
Hello all, awesome forum! Thanks for letting me join. Purchased the Svartpilen in early June and have been enjoying it a ton! I am the guy who had (I hope the one in a million) engine that they "forgot" to install the clutch cover gasket. Dealer was great to work with- and they had a KTM equivalent gasket in stock and were able to repair in about 2 hours. Other than all the oil that got into the lower exhaust heat shield that continued to "ooze" for several days until I removed the whole thing and cleaned etc, there have been no other issues.
As I research and read about all the cool things folks were doing with their bikes, I got some ideas and recently competed(?) several little mods to make the 401 more personal. Here are some items I did and info on where I purchased the stuff. I've been very lucky as this is not the best time to acquire parts...but none the less, I got lucky. Hope this helps or sparks some ideas. Thanks again for letting me post:
1- Rear rack/luggage carrier
Having come from the scooter world (over 20 years)- I needed a place to attach stuff. This one came from Argentina, wasn't cheap (shipping...yeesh), but I feel worth it as the fit and finish are great.
www.procraft.com.ar
2- Decal Removal
Too much "silver" labels in the sea of black. Hairdryer, hard plastic scraper and some Goof-Off- took time, took my time and did one decal one day at a time. But worth it over all
3- Batman metal stick on. eBay- I am in no way a follower of Batman, but I mean look at this awesome bike- If Batman had to choose an under 400cc bike, I think Bruce Wayne would pick this one. (and I can't prove it, but I think it gives me an additional 5MPH top speed ;-)
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017TGBKLU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
4- Battery tender cable and SAE USB Charger
Goes without saying- for us who can't ride year-round, having a good tender avoids the hassle of removing the battery. I put these on all my rides over the years. And now having a charger to keep phone charged for long rides- really helps. There are accessory taps on the right side of bike above engine, that I will investigate to plug the USB charger to as you don't want to plug into trickle charge cable connected to battery to avoid drain.
5- Helmet Lock- Again, scooter riders enjoy having storage and a place to secure helmets- so why not us 401 riders.
Amazon
6- Bag- Yep...more scooter carry over...Nelson-Rigg makes some good stuff- check out the Commuter Line- 3 diff sizes. I got the Commuter Sport
7- Mirrors- A quick and cheap (free) potential fix for limited rear viewing- try to bend the mirror angle down about 5-10 degrees. I carefully protected the mirror stalk (black tape) and placed it into my bench vice. Using a 5-6 foot piece of hard, cast iron gas pipe and sliding over the threaded end, using leverage it will bend. Go slow. And I use a pice of wire as a template to get the amount of bend needed. It just takes a little bit of bending and the mirror will sit lower over bars- thus kicking them "out" a bit giving you that little extra to get around elbows. Now I did this with great success for my Honda Super Cub, but it wasn't as effective for me on the 401- it helped, but I decided to look into new mirrors. The best means are simply bar-ends...but I could never get into them- so back to Amazon for these. And the design not only has more "real estate" with wider glass, but the mount system incorporates a spring- which definitely helped with buzz/vibration. This thumper sure is buzzy
8- License plate bracket/arm removal. The stock bracket is a good design, looks good for the over-all design of the 401...BUT...there's always a better way. I tried to make my own, buy others and even merged two diff brackets into one...but the best one (for me) was this. Fit like a glove, well made and did what I needed. Like most stuff- it was a little expensive, but this is an important piece for safety and legality, so you get what you pay for. Please note- the 2022 model years are different from the 2018-2021 apparently (something with the turn signal mounts). This worked for me- great customer support and they make ones for the 2018-2020 model years as well as other mod stuff. Great company:
9- Turn signals- we here in the USA have many silly requirements. DOT Certified lights and turn-signals be damned! Sorry, but what we get over here are just killing over all esthetics. Something had to be done! There are so many diff types and styles- I wanted more form over function and I love the effect of the synchronized flash.
10- Looks Game Changer- Saw this on a YouTuber's channel. This guy is doing a ton of mods on his Svartpilen 401. Check his channel out for even more ideas and info of modding this awesome bike.
One of his last videos- he randomly decided on this small "fly screen". About $22 bucks- how could you not at least try it out? Somehow it fits and was easy to install. I also went with 1/2" length bolts that fit the included nuts that don't stick out as much from the nuts. And used a Sharpie Perm Black Marker to change the chrome to black (it's all in the details). But the screws and plastic vibration washers they provide are good enough (it is only $20 bucks after all).
11- Radiator Grill/Protector- no explanation needed. The radiator gets a lot thrown at it...any and all protection is a no-brainer.
eBay has several. Mine was about $65 and came from India. Fit great.
12- Ergo Seat. I am getting used to the stock seat, but I think there is better options. The big custom seat guys (Corbin, etc) do not have options, so I am trying the Husqvarna Ergo seat(s). I have heard equal pros/cons regarding the Husqvarna Ergo upgrade, but giving it a try, Of course, it is on back-order until August, I get a great discount from my dealer- so I went thru them. Got the pinion seat already- August for the main seat. Will report out when installed.
Adding some pics to give a general idea(s) of my bike. I think I am done now, it's a lot of little things, but they all work for me. Hope this helps folks thinking of some mods.
Be safe!
As I research and read about all the cool things folks were doing with their bikes, I got some ideas and recently competed(?) several little mods to make the 401 more personal. Here are some items I did and info on where I purchased the stuff. I've been very lucky as this is not the best time to acquire parts...but none the less, I got lucky. Hope this helps or sparks some ideas. Thanks again for letting me post:
1- Rear rack/luggage carrier
Having come from the scooter world (over 20 years)- I needed a place to attach stuff. This one came from Argentina, wasn't cheap (shipping...yeesh), but I feel worth it as the fit and finish are great.
Husky Luggage Carrier - PROCRAFT Svartpilen - Vitpilen - Husqvarna
Husky Luggage Carrier - Husqvarna - SvartPilen - Vitpilen - 401 - 200 - 250 - Procraft Accessories - Moto Adventure - Luggage Rack
www.procraft.com.ar
2- Decal Removal
Too much "silver" labels in the sea of black. Hairdryer, hard plastic scraper and some Goof-Off- took time, took my time and did one decal one day at a time. But worth it over all
3- Batman metal stick on. eBay- I am in no way a follower of Batman, but I mean look at this awesome bike- If Batman had to choose an under 400cc bike, I think Bruce Wayne would pick this one. (and I can't prove it, but I think it gives me an additional 5MPH top speed ;-)
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017TGBKLU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
4- Battery tender cable and SAE USB Charger
Goes without saying- for us who can't ride year-round, having a good tender avoids the hassle of removing the battery. I put these on all my rides over the years. And now having a charger to keep phone charged for long rides- really helps. There are accessory taps on the right side of bike above engine, that I will investigate to plug the USB charger to as you don't want to plug into trickle charge cable connected to battery to avoid drain.
5- Helmet Lock- Again, scooter riders enjoy having storage and a place to secure helmets- so why not us 401 riders.
Amazon
6- Bag- Yep...more scooter carry over...Nelson-Rigg makes some good stuff- check out the Commuter Line- 3 diff sizes. I got the Commuter Sport
7- Mirrors- A quick and cheap (free) potential fix for limited rear viewing- try to bend the mirror angle down about 5-10 degrees. I carefully protected the mirror stalk (black tape) and placed it into my bench vice. Using a 5-6 foot piece of hard, cast iron gas pipe and sliding over the threaded end, using leverage it will bend. Go slow. And I use a pice of wire as a template to get the amount of bend needed. It just takes a little bit of bending and the mirror will sit lower over bars- thus kicking them "out" a bit giving you that little extra to get around elbows. Now I did this with great success for my Honda Super Cub, but it wasn't as effective for me on the 401- it helped, but I decided to look into new mirrors. The best means are simply bar-ends...but I could never get into them- so back to Amazon for these. And the design not only has more "real estate" with wider glass, but the mount system incorporates a spring- which definitely helped with buzz/vibration. This thumper sure is buzzy
8- License plate bracket/arm removal. The stock bracket is a good design, looks good for the over-all design of the 401...BUT...there's always a better way. I tried to make my own, buy others and even merged two diff brackets into one...but the best one (for me) was this. Fit like a glove, well made and did what I needed. Like most stuff- it was a little expensive, but this is an important piece for safety and legality, so you get what you pay for. Please note- the 2022 model years are different from the 2018-2021 apparently (something with the turn signal mounts). This worked for me- great customer support and they make ones for the 2018-2020 model years as well as other mod stuff. Great company:
9- Turn signals- we here in the USA have many silly requirements. DOT Certified lights and turn-signals be damned! Sorry, but what we get over here are just killing over all esthetics. Something had to be done! There are so many diff types and styles- I wanted more form over function and I love the effect of the synchronized flash.
10- Looks Game Changer- Saw this on a YouTuber's channel. This guy is doing a ton of mods on his Svartpilen 401. Check his channel out for even more ideas and info of modding this awesome bike.
One of his last videos- he randomly decided on this small "fly screen". About $22 bucks- how could you not at least try it out? Somehow it fits and was easy to install. I also went with 1/2" length bolts that fit the included nuts that don't stick out as much from the nuts. And used a Sharpie Perm Black Marker to change the chrome to black (it's all in the details). But the screws and plastic vibration washers they provide are good enough (it is only $20 bucks after all).
11- Radiator Grill/Protector- no explanation needed. The radiator gets a lot thrown at it...any and all protection is a no-brainer.
eBay has several. Mine was about $65 and came from India. Fit great.
12- Ergo Seat. I am getting used to the stock seat, but I think there is better options. The big custom seat guys (Corbin, etc) do not have options, so I am trying the Husqvarna Ergo seat(s). I have heard equal pros/cons regarding the Husqvarna Ergo upgrade, but giving it a try, Of course, it is on back-order until August, I get a great discount from my dealer- so I went thru them. Got the pinion seat already- August for the main seat. Will report out when installed.
Adding some pics to give a general idea(s) of my bike. I think I am done now, it's a lot of little things, but they all work for me. Hope this helps folks thinking of some mods.
Be safe!
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