Husqvarna has a widely known issue (to them and owners) for false neutrals in the gear box on the 701 and 401 Svartpilens and Vitpilens. In the 1500 miles I have owned this motorcycle, I have had 8-10 false neutral cirumstances while in operation, cornering. This has mostly taken place when upshifting from 4th to 5th or 5th to 6th gears. Very dangerous. I have advised KTM and given them a spreadsheet of 19 other people (owners) willing to speak wit them as the parent organization for Husky. I have received no information that this is being seriously evaluated as a dangerous engineering issue to be remedied.
The worst 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Transmission2
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission2
Recalls 3
Power train: clutch assembly: slave cylinder
- What is wrong
- KTM North America, Inc. (KTM) is recalling certain 2018-2020 690 Enduro R, Vitpilen 701, 701 Enduro, 701 Supermoto, 2019-2020 690 SMC R, Svartpilen, 2018-2019 690 Duke, and 2020 701 Enduro LR motorcycles. The bellow-style gasket on the clutch slave cylinder may have been damaged during manufacturing, which could cause the clutch to become inoperable and not disengage when the clutch lever is pulled in.
- Risk
- An inoperable clutch increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the clutch slave cylinder and replace it if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 3, 2021. Owners may contact KTM customer service at 1‑888‑985‑6090. KTM's numbers for this recall are KTB2112 and HTB2110.
Recall number 21V792000 · Recall details
Structure: motorcycle: fairing/cowling/windscreen: mounting fasteners/hardware
- What is wrong
- KTM North America, Inc. (KTM) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Husqvarna Motorcycle 701 Vitpilen and 2019-2020 701 Svartpilen motorcycles. The gear teeth on the license plate holder and swingarm may be positioned incorrectly, possibly resulting in a loose rear axle nut, causing the license plate holder to contact the rear wheel.
- Risk
- License plate bracket interference with the rear wheel can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and realign the gear teeth on the license plate holder and swingarm, and inspect the tightness of the rear wheel axle collar, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact KTM customer service at 1‑888‑985‑6090. KTM's number for this recall is HTB2106.
Recall number 21V627000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- KTM North America, Inc. (KTM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Husqvarna 701 Svartpilen and 2018-2020 Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen motorcycles. Fuel may leak from the fuel level sensor and fuel pump mounting area.
- Risk
- A fuel leak can increase the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source, and increase the risk of damage or injury.
- Remedy
- KTM will notify owners, and Husqvarna Motorcycle Dealers will replace the affected fuel tank, install new gaskets, and update software for proper fuel calibration, free of charge. Owners will be notified to take their motorcycles to a Husqvarna Motorcycle North America, Inc. (HMNA) dealership for repairs. The recall began July 7, 2020. Owners may contact HMNA customer service at 1‑888‑985‑6090. HMNA's number for this recall is HTB2012.
Recall number 20V170000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 3
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
KTM, as the parent company of Husqvarna, has continued to put models on the road with problematic clutch slaves from Magura as the OEM clutch slave. This part is known to be a significant engineering problem and result in loss of clutch functionality on these motorcycles while in operation. That is what happened to me Friday, July 16th in Redmond, Oregon in traffic. Fortunately, I was able to get the vehicle, very luckily, out of traffic after the power train completely failed with a failed clutch slave at that time. There is apparently a revised OEM clutch slave that is in place but they have issued no voluntary recall for prior models affected by this and it cuts across a number of their platforms using a Magura vs. Brembo clutch slave on the 690/701 engine used in the Svartpilen and Vitpilen models as well as several others. I find it very troubling that KTM/Husqvarna would continue to allow bikes to be built and delivered that fail in their operation on the road and where that failure is likely. Mine happened with a mere 1500 miles on the new motorcycle.
Compare the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701
Other model years
2020
Questions about the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701
Is the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 reliable?
Owners have filed 2 complaints about the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701, close to a typical Svartpilen 701 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 2 complaints.
How many recalls does the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 have?
3 recalls, covering power train, structure and fuel system, gasoline.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Husqvarna Svartpilen 701 transmission?
Yes, 1 recall: 21V792000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
VIN decoder
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