Thoughts & Details of the Soon-to-Come Husqvarna Norden 901

Since we know now that the Husqvarna Norden 901 has been given the green light to go into production, I thought I would share this small gallery of the ADV concept from the EICMA show, and provide my thoughts from the trade show floor.

One of the most talked about machines from the Milan trade show, the Norden 901 is Husqvarna’s first adventure-touring machine, and helps marry the brand’s extensive dirt biking history with its more recent street bike offerings.

Saying that, it is perhaps surprising that the Husqvarna Norden 901 is so late in its arrival, as one could easily see how an ADV machine would be a more palatable motorcycle to begin Husqvarna’s straying from the dirt.

Another White KTM?

Of course, we know that the Husqvarna Norden 901 is built off the KTM 790 Adventure platform, though it uses the Euro5-ready 890cc version of the parallel-twin engine.

Having such an off-road capable adventure-tourer is perhaps worth the wait for Husqvarna, but it still remains interesting that it will be in the 2021 model year that we most likely will see what is perhaps the most obvious brand extension for this Swedish marque.

Getting up-close with the machine at EICMA, it was disappointing that Husqvarna sequestered its crown jewel at the event, not only behind glass barriers, but also at an elevation above the show attendees.

I suppose this helps one to get eye-level with important bits like the wheels and engine (note the low-slung fuel tank design that carries over from the KTM 790 Adventure), but it also makes it difficult to judge the size of the motorcycle, especially its height.

What we can see in the details though is that this is a proper adventure bike, just like its sibling.

Whereas the KTM 790 Adventure strikes me as a dirt bike that is comfortable doing highway miles and riding on the road, the Husqvarna Norden 901 makes me feel the other way.

This is a bike that you can circumnavigate the world on, without worry when the road disappears for rock, sand, and mud.

The machine strikes me as overbuilt, though not necessarily in a good way. ADV riders of course want a certain durability, which often seems to border on the “indestructible” category, but there is always a fine balance with weight.

While the KTM 790 Adventure always seemed to play that balance quite well, the team at Husqvarna seems to have erred more on the side of…let’s call it robustness.

For this reason, I peg the Norden 901 as more of the travel option in the Austrian company’s arsenal, while the KTM 790 Adventure might be more of a weekend machine. Each riders’ mileage will vary, of course, and this is also not to say that one bike can’t fill the other role and vice versa.

Instead, it is a subtle stratification that seems to be made by KTM and Husqvarna, to help alleviate the “white KTM” criticisms that can so easily be lobbed at the Swedish brand’s machines.

What to Expect

Looping back, we know that the Husqvarna Norden 901 is going to be a production machine…but that is all we really know about this new motorcycle.

I should preface that we do have some details gained from Husqvarna itself, which has said that the Norden 901 will use the company’s 890cc parallel-twin engine, and that the wheel setup is 21″ front and 18″ rear.

Beyond that, it is anyone’s guess though based off the limited amount of information that we can glean from the concept bike.

This can be a challenge, since Husqvarna did a proper job of farkeling up the Norden 901 with bags, crash bars, handguards, and fog lights, which only serves to blur the line on what we can expect to receive from Husqvarna this time next year.

My guess is that the Husqvarna Norden 901 will make around 100hp and weigh under 475 lbs wet. I would also expect to see the level of spec on the components to be on par (or the same) with the KTM 790 Adventure R, though below the spec seen on the KTM 790 Adventure R Rally.

Pricing is going to be interesting though, as this is the modern struggle with Husqvarna’s street bikes.

I am sure there are those in the KTM ranks that will want to price the Husqvarna Norden 901 well beyond the $15,000 mark.

This is obvious from the premiums that we have seen on the Svartpilen 701 and Vitpilen 701 street bikes, which command almost double the price tag that is found on the KTM 690 Duke, with which they share the bulk of their platform.

The question that KTM and Husqvarna fail to ask each other though is what comes on the white and blue bikes that makes them worth the added price tag? In the case of the Svartpilen 701 and Vitpilen 701, the answer is not much – essentially just different bodywork.

This is why I make a fuss about the details released by Husqvarna thus far about the Norden 901, and why clouding the bike’s specs and offerings with farkles and add-ons muddles the value proposition that is being made with this motorcycle.

At its core, there isn’t much about the Norden 901 that can’t be found in the KTM 790 Adventure, except for the larger motor of course. Is that enough for price tag premium though?

We know the 890 motor is Euro5 compliant, while the 790 motor is built for Euro4, so only some of that added displacement will result in actual power gains, but is horsepower and torque something that is lacking in the KTM offering? I would argue not really.

Where Husqvarna can make a distinction though is by shifting the goal posts away from a dirt bike that can ADV, and instead have the Norden 901 be an ADV that can dirt bike.

Offering luxury items like heated seats and grips, ample charging and power points, and other touring-focused features could help add value to what is surely going to be a high price tag.

One sign that Husqvarna has caught onto this notion is the the split-screen dash, which incorporates the rider’s own smartphone into its layout.

It is hard to say how feasible this design will be to implement into a production bike – personally, I wrote it off as a fanciful hope from the design team – but it does show a meaningful level of sophistication that the Norden 901 can offer to help set it apart from the KTM, and to justify the “premium” nature of the white and blue brand.

There is not much that I can say for certain about the Husqvarna Norden 901, since so little has actually been released about the motorcycle. I do know that the motorcycle failed to get me excited at Milan, not because the design or package was off, but because I haven’t seen how this bike sells well with a KTM 790 Adventure sitting next to it for thousands less.

And what I do know is no matter how much chatter and praise that was ushered in at EICMA, if Husqvarna prices the Norden 901 too far beyond the $15,000 mark, then the Swedish brand will have another street bike failure on its hands.