Buy this used Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 for half the price of the new one

In an entirely unsurprising move, Husqvarna has comprehensively updated the Svartpilen 401, along with the Svartpilen 125 and Vitpilen 125/401. We’ve been expecting this ever since KTM refreshed its Duke 125 and Duke 390 bikes, as the aforementioned Husky models use those KTMs as a starting point.

And so, the Svartpilen/Vitpilen 125/401 have arrived with a new frame, revised engines and fresh tech including a smart five-inch colour TFT dash. Pricing is still very reasonable, with the Svartpilen 401 - our pick of the bunch - coming in at £5,599. 

If you don’t want to part with that much cash or aren’t able to, and if you’d rather not tie yourself up with a finance deal, there is the option of a used Svartpilen 401. These bikes have been around for a while now, so while you’d be missing out on all the improvements, you do stand to save a lot of money and end up with a riding experience which shouldn’t be all that different. 

You still get a trellis frame, a 373cc single-cylinder engine (slightly less capacity than the thumper in the facelifted 401) which will eagerly scream its way up to around 10,000rpm, and those achingly cool neo-retro looks. 44bhp (giving A2 license compliance) might not sound like much, but the 401 is a light motorbike, tipping the scales at just 150kg, so it feels plenty quick at full twist. 

The pithy weight figure means it’s a nimble-feeling bike too, and one with a limited degree of off-road ability thanks to the Pirelli Scorpion tyres wrapping its wire wheels, and a ‘Supermoto’ mode that disengages the ABS. 

Our used pick is for sale at an independent dealer in Thame and is up for £2,995 - only a little over half the price of a box-fresh Svartpilen 401. It's not a bike you'll want to do particularly big distances on, as evidenced by the mileage being pretty low at 6,900. A fresh MOT is promised at the point of sale, and it's just had a new battery fitted.

Tempted?