Husqvarna Norden 901 BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

This is a hugely important bike for Husqvarna as the dirt-bike specialist enters the highly competitive adventure market for the first time with the all-new Norden 901

- Adam ‘Chad’ Child

As Husqvarna’s first-ever road-going adventure bike, the Norden 901 is a hugely significant motorcycle for the dirt-bike specialists. But given that Husqvarna is owned by the KTM group, it will come as little surprise that, while the Norden 901 is new, it shares many similarities with KTM’s two highly acclaimed 890 Adventure variants. In fact, the 890cc parallel-twin that powers the 901 is taken – lock, stock and two smoking barrels – directly from the Adventure and Adventure R. And why not? This lightweight jewel of an engine works as well on dirt as it does on asphalt, and is already proven not only in the Adventure, but also in the 890 Duke and 890 Duke R, and KTM’s racing 8RC.

Husqvarna has positioned the Norden 901 between KTM’s road-focused 890 Adventure and the more off-road purposed 890 Adventure R, and is clearly confident in the on- and off-road capabilities of its new model as it launched the bike with two days of extensive testing on the stunning Azores islands. This was a true examination of its first global adventure bike in every condition imaginable, from sticky, strength-sapping mud and sand to epic switchback mountain passes in the wet and dry.

Plenty of options