With a taller, wider handlebar than its sportier Vitpilen siblings and reasonably placed footpegs, the Svartpilen puts the rider in position to comfortably tackle both traffic and twisties alike. Photos by Kevin Wing.

Different is good. What would our world be like if the only ice cream flavors were chocolate and vanilla" A life without Denali Mint Moose Tracks or Cherry Garcia would be rather bland indeed. And that?s why bikes like Husqvarna?s Svartpilen 701 excite me: it?s a refreshing antidote to the homogeny we can often detect creeping into our lives.

Husqvarna, founded in Sweden in 1689 as a manufacturer of guns and, since 1903, motorcycles, is probably best known for its off-road models, but after its motorcycle division?s acquisition by KTM in 2013 it decided to make a return to the street bike market — with a decidedly Scandinavian flair. Its current lineup of four street models includes the café racer-styled Vitpilen 401 and 701, the Svartpilen 401  scrambler and the Svartpilen 701.
Powered by the 693cc liquid-cooled single used in KTM?s 690 Duke and 690 Enduro, the Svartpilen 701 might be best described as a Swedish street tracker, complete with vestigial number plate on the right side, and its 18-inch front, 17-inch rear cast wheels are shod with the same Pirelli MT60 RS tires as those found on other street-oriented but off-road-flavored bikes like Ducati?s Scrambler lineup.

The harder you look at it, the more oddities — or art, ...