Jesse Ziegler | December 2, 2021
Husqvarna has bolted out of the niche and created an adventure touring machine with claims of world-travel comfort and convenience. Can it live up to the hype—and family expectations.
Husqvarna built a world-tour-worthy adventure machine in the Norden 901. It can take you places you wouldn’t normally see without motorcycles. That’s a perfect use for it.
Family can be, well, difficult. Maybe it’s because I’m writing this at my in-laws over a holiday, but good or bad, relation can set pre-determined expectations for anyone. In Husqvarna’s case, the alpha family member is orange, big, loud and all too proud, putting every fiber of their being on the starting line with competitive claims. Even if their product will never see a gate drop or finish line, they r-a-c-e, race! race! race! Until they’re orange-er in the face.
Husqvarna isn’t that. Even if their business relies on the success of global competitive efforts to propel the brand into mainstream consideration, their ascension into the large street segment of motorcycling won’t be dominated by aggressive claims of hyper-dominance in all consumer components. They intentionally define motorcycling more as a journey to the unknown or unexpected, a push into yourself as much as it is down a new road or trail.
The Norden 901 is the first real test of this positioning to a mass market to lead the brand into the future. This is not a big Svartpilen or Vitpilen. Norden is DNA-dominated by the potent KTM 890 Adventure R in engine, chassis and significant componentry, but is spec’d out in suspension and ergonomics to be more approachable and comfortable down the road. Is it right for you? Is it unique at all other than looks? Let’s find out.
Nobody will mistake your Norden for another Austrian ADV bike, or any other ADV bike, for that matter.
The list of things we love about this bike are obvious. We like the power delivery of this parallel twin, a lot. We love the chassis. We like the selectable ride modes, cornering traction control and cornering ABS, and we like turning them off, too. We love the slipper clutch, ride-by-wire throttle, and the J. Juan-built brakes are damn good and don’t seem to have the rear-brake cooking gremlins anymore. We like a whole lot more, too. All of it you’ve heard before and all of it rings true here. What’s truly fun about the Norden is its differences from the Austrian ADV norm.
The first outlying Norden-specific feature, other than styling, is its standard suspension componentry. Spec’d with the WP Apex-series fork and shock group, the Norden moves through a new midrange of ADV travel movement of 8.66 inches (220mm) front and 8.46 inches (215mm) rear. Here, Norden does two things. First, it shuns the Xplor family’s 48mm tubes up front that we constantly rave about off-road on the Adventure R. Second, it enters a new range of unique suspension travel, down from the “R” and up from the standard Adventure offering from the family.
We don’t hate this direction. And while we’re clearly going to (and did!) max out the components of the Norden off-road, the comfort on the other end of the spectrum is a welcome touring companion. We do have comfort issues with the Adventure R’s 48mm Xplor fork and rough paved roads or even those that seem not-so-rough. It simply bites in the hands and wrists over the miles as its aggressive (race!) nature shows its teeth. Norden has no poor manners here. It smooths out the roughest roads. It gobbles up the most annoying chop. It makes washboard/rutted roads a buttery affair.
Capable and comfortable, the Norden 901 seems to scream that mantra as you ride it. It is setup for smoothness, not aggression.
The fact that I’m comparing it to an Adventure R is a compliment, as this bike is way ahead of the “standard” Adventure model and other midrange offerings, in my opinion. We got plenty rowdy on the volcano rims and jungle roads and water crossings that make up Azores Island riding. We were warned by the Norden that we were pushing the limit, but we didn’t stop until the third or fourth solid fork-bottoming “clank!” Then, we got the message that this bike has limits, and they are very responsible ones at that.
But this is still a compromise. The Norden doesn’t have the off-road jumping, jamming and oh-sh*t-I-didn’t-see-that-coming performance of its cousin. And as the bike heads out west from our exotic testing location in the Atlantic, this will continue to show as speeds increase and obstacles hit faster and harder. We’re excited to see it perform on our home turf. But as a true touring adventure model with off-road chops for the majority of the riding public’s needs, we like it.
Up next is ergonomics and styling, as they go together here. Norden comes to the ADV market boldly. It’s not looking like anything else out there, that’s for sure. With standard integrated fog/visibility lighting and a bold, round headlight anchoring a more wind-friendly fairing, we get it. We have grown a bit tired of the floating headlight ADV look-next-door. Norden brings a fresh face, like it or not. Oh, I hope you like black, because that’s your only choice this year.
This is more than good (or bad, depending on the eye of the beholder) looks. The ergonomic package follows the styling’s lead with a unique-to-family wind screen, fuel tank, shrouds, seat system and rear panels.
Call it an 890 or 901 or whatever you want, we’ve seen and loved this engine before.
Fuel capacity is about a liter less, or 1/3 gallon, and is a completely new tank design. Narrower at the feet and with a different overall shape, the Norden feels wider at the knees, slims up for stand-over compliance and control, then widens out again for the seat. I don’t compliment Austrian-made seats very often, but for our 10-or-so hours together, me and this seat’s relationship went to the next level. I loved it. My butt and this seat make sense. From there back, the differences are cosmetic, with more bulbous side panels covering the subframe that you can sometimes feel with your legs.
Wind protection—important for cross-continent travel—seems good, but not great. I still felt my moto-helmet being pulled around on highway sections even though my body felt more protected thanks to the fairing. Yes, I know I’m wearing a moto helmet, so what can I expect, right? Taller wind screens and add-on deflectors are coming to the accessories lineup to help this.
While it lost a little fuel, the Norden still has great range in its class (a claimed 248 miles). But the bike feels a bit heavier than its brethren. On paper, the bike is 17 pounds heavier than an Adventure R without fuel, probably around 15 pounds filled up with gas and riding around. So, not an insignificant increase when we’re thinking it’s all got to be in the headlight and bodywork areas. It’s something you can feel, but we’re not sure it’s a lot worse than the other ADVs.
The heart of the Norden 901 loves off-road riding thanks to a chassis and electronics package that enhances the dirt experience. Off-Road ABS, Explorer Mode with variable traction control settings and snappy throttle response make for a worthy dirt slinger.
Electronically, the systems are very similar to KTM’s—not a surprise. But the TFT display is updated with more visual cues to what the settings changes are doing. The rear brake rotor lights up red when you go into off-road ABS, and when you adjust slip control, the bike steps out more, and more—aligned with your setting for allowed slip. You can also customize what info you see. Overall, it’s a visual improvement and more natural than the other.
In a brilliant move, Husqvarna has added standard options to the Norden 901 the other guys aren’t. Some aren’t surprising, like Cruise Control. On a touring/travel bike, Cruise Control should be standard. The Norden 901 also adds a quickshifter (Easy Shift in Husqvarna-ese) function standard. On KTM, you can unlock the quickshift function with their Rally mode for $500 if you unlock the Rally Pack at your dealership. And cruise control on the KTM? It will add another $249.99 for the current model. The Norden 901 has Explorer Mode (KTM’s Rally Mode) and it will cost you $189.99.
To me, Explorer Mode is a no-brainer just like Rally Mode is in orange. It offers you max throttle response and variable slip control in nine levels. I leave this bike in Explorer Mode all the time and simply adjust my level of allowed slip based on road conditions. If it’s dirt, I let the wheel fly and drop slip control into 2 or 3 most of the time. If I hit pavement, I’m not looking to party like that, so I jack it up into the 6 and 7 range. If it rains, I go to 9. It’s easy and adjusts in real-time and makes electronic rider aids fun. That’s not easy to do. Buy it. MSRP on the Norden 901 is right at $14,000 and will run you around $15,000 once you get out the door without any of the add-ons above. That’s about $200 below a comparable KTM right now, if you can find one.
VIDEO | 2022 Husqvarna Norden 901 Review
I couldn’t help but compare this bike to its aggressive cousins. It’s just the way families work. You can’t pick your family, am I right? Husqvarna’s Norden 901 is a potent member to the Austrian family. It brings a unique style and performance spec to a proven platform and is intent on delivering a very complete adventure touring experience. It lives up to its hype and sets itself apart from relatives very well. It has limits, but they aren’t a surprise. And the benefits it brings to the ADV world are sure to overshadow them, in my opinion.
Here’s to the Norden for picking its own path. I sure hope it decides to visit me in America, next. CN
2022 Husqvarna Norden 901 Specifications (MSRP $13,999)
| Engine Type: |
4-stroke, parallel twin |
| Valvetrain: |
DOHC, 8-valve |
| Displacement: |
889cc |
| Bore x Stroke: |
90.7 x 68.8mm |
| Compression Ratio: |
13.5:1 |
| Starting System: |
Electric |
| Transmission: |
6-speed |
| Fueling System: |
DKK Dellorto, 46mm throttle body |
| Cooling System: |
Liquid |
| Clutch: |
Cable operated, PASC slipper |
| Engine Management: |
Bosch EMS with RBW |
| Traction Control: |
MTC (lean-angle sensitive, 3-mode, switchable, Explorer mode optional) |
| ABS Modes: |
Street (cornering sensitive) / Off-Road |
| Ride Modes: |
Street, Rain, Off-Road |
| EMS: |
MTC, MSR, Easy Shift |
| Cruise Control: |
Stock |
| Connectivity: |
Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Call-In, Music Selection |
| Technical Accessories: |
Connectivity Unit, TPMS, heated grips, seat |
| Frame: |
Chromoly-steel |
| Handlebars: |
Aluminum, tapered |
| Front Suspension: |
WP Apex-USD 43mm, compression, rebound, preload adj. |
| Rear Suspension: |
WP Apex-Monoshock w/linkage, rebound, preload adj. |
| Front Brake: |
Dual, 4-piston caliper, radially mounted, 320mm disc, ABS (switchable) |
| Rear Brake: |
2 piston floating caliper, 260mm disc, ABS (switchable) |
| Front Wheel: |
2.50 x 21 in., tubeless, spoked |
| Rear Wheel: |
4.50 x 18 in., tubeless, spoked |
| Front Tire: |
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 90/90R x 21 in. |
| Rear Tire: |
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR 150/70 R x 18 in. |
| Chain: |
X-Ring 520 |
| Wheelbase: |
59.5 in. |
| Ground Clearance: |
9.9 in. |
| Seat Height: |
34.4 in. |
| Fuel Capacity: |
5.0 gal. |
| Weight (dry, claimed): |
449.7 lbs. |
