Husqvarna Norden 901

This Husqvarna story starts at the KTM factory, because…it just does. 

If you’re an adventure bike fan and you don’t live under a rock, you are well aware that Husqvarna and KTM leave their slippers under the same bed so to speak. 

So somewhere in recent history, KTM threw little ‘Bro’ a frame and their sweet 890 LC8C powerplant and said “Here, go and sit in the corner and play with that”. So, Husqvarna did! Well, let’s talk about that. 

The result was purposely leaked, out a while back, in the form of short video grabs of the prototype and not just Husky fans, but all adventure riders got a little excited, despite the lack of figures.

This excitement was created by the usual rumour mill and the prospect of a sub 200kg (wet), 100hp adventure weapon. After all, it had to be…didn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be? KTM already had the 890 and 890 Adventure R!!!!!

So what do we have? Lets start with the:

ENGINE: LC8C. Nothing! Not even a tweak apparently, but that’s ok, it’s a great engine that punches out a very respectable 105hp and 100nm of torque. 

FRAME: Ah ha! Change! As small as it seems, there is change in the geometry. Both the rake and trail have been slightly changed to give the bike a smaller wheel base than the 890’s. I suspect this along with downsizing the forks from 48mm to 43mm, is an attempt to make the bike feel less stable, giving the impression of a lighter, more nimble ride, and I’m sure it does.

SUSPENSION: Fully adjustable front and rear with 220mm travel up front and 215 at the rear. Ground clearance is 252mm and seat height is adjustable from 854 to 874mm. 

GIZMO’s: Lets kick off with 9 stage (yes 9) traction control. Switchable ABS for off-road, cruise control, quick shifter and much more.

All very awesome and frankly one hell of a bike. To be honest, I prefer its look over its brothers, from another mother too, but where does it stand in the game? 

Weirdly, right in between the 890 Adventure and 890 Adventure R.

And I mean right between. It’s no coincidence that the figures fall that way, it can’t be.

I tend to agree with a lot of others that have had a “what the?” moment with this. This was a golden opportunity for Husqvarna to smash the sales of the extremely popular T7 for a six. I mean, what does everyone want once they’re bored with their 205kg, 72hp adventure rocket? A 199kg, 105hp adventure rocket … of course.

 At the end of the day, it’s still a great looking bike and I am sure it will be loved by many.