Custom Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 Built by Revival Cycles Is a Display of Artful Metalwork

At present, Revival Cycles is one of the hottest names on the American custom motorcycle scene, but it was from humble beginnings that the workshop had emerged back in 2008. Founder and head designer Alan Stulberg got his first bike – a teeny Honda Mini-Trail – at the age of five, and it wasn’t long before he started wrenching on his pocket-sized machines, too.

“In truth, my dad built custom bikes, to a degree, when I was in diapers,” says Alan, recalling the time when his interest in motorcycles was initially sparked. Unlike the countless hours this fellow had spent tinkering with two-wheelers, the professional career he later pursued was found to offer no sense of satisfaction whatsoever.

Stulberg began loathing his nine-to-five corporate job by the time he’d reached his thirties, so a radical change could not be postponed any longer. “Revival was created out of my own desperation to not go back to work . . . I wanted to mix something that I gravitate towards naturally into my job,” the man explains. Many years and dozens of projects later, Alan probably sees this as the best decision of his life!

The bike-modding mecca he owns is located just outside downtown Austin in Texas, but all the hype generated by their builds reaches far beyond the frontiers of the Lone Star State. More often than not, Revival’s bespoke entities employ a design approach that’s nothing short of fascinating, and this shiny Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is no exception, alright?

When asked what his expectations were, the client for whom the Husky was to be customized simply replied with three words: “raw metal brutalism.” Husqvarna’s urban scrambler came with top-shelf running gear and a well-proven powerplant straight out of the box, so Alan and his team focused mainly on the cosmetic side of things.

Once the donor’s factory plastics had been removed, they wasted no time manufacturing a new aluminum attire from scratch. As the centerpiece, the tailor-made bodywork flaunts a streamlined fuel tank cover adjoined to triangular side panels to form a single unit, which bears a stainless-steel luggage rack, neat Husqvarna logos, and a brushed finish we seriously dig.

A pointy tail unit and fresh saddle upholstery can be spotted right behind the gas tank, along with LED lighting, Svartpilen 401 decals, and a handmade exhaust muffler that exits on the right-hand side. Beneath the motorcycle’s 373cc single-cylinder engine, one may find a bespoke skid plate keeping the powertrain componentry away from any danger.

To round out the bodywork mods, Revival installed a slim front fender and enshrouded the headlight in a grilled cover. The OEM gauges are still in play, but they've been carefully repositioned to better suit the customer’s individual preference. Choosing to also retain the stock triple clamps, Stulberg’s artisans had them brush-finished and clear-coated to suit the overall aesthetic. Then, the same treatment was applied to the chain guard.

Going back to the cockpit, we see an LSL handlebar replacing the standard item, complete with Motogadget m.View Classic mirrors and bar-end turn signals. For a clean fit, the whole ordeal is neatly perched atop new handlebar risers and CNC-machined spacers made in-house. With all these goodies in place, it was time for Alan and his crew to address the final touches.

They did so by adding a swingarm-mounted license plate holder, as well as a foldable set of bear trap-style foot pegs. Last but not least, the customized Svartpilen saw its 17-inch wheels wrapped in Twinduro TKC 80 rubber from Continental, which can provide adequate grip both on and off the asphalt. When the knobbies had been fitted, Revival Cycles’ moto connoisseurs were finally happy to call it a day.