Norden 901: The Comfort-touring KTM890

The Husqvarna Norden 901 is nearly here – and we still don’t know very much about it. 

This is what we know.

Originally shown as a concept bike at the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori (EICMA), or the Milan Motorcycle Show, in 2019, the Norden 901 was a bike that boasted a visual aesthetic inspired directly from retro rally bikes of a bygone era.

Moving in tandem with the excited crowds, the company decided to go ahead with production – though ongoing restrictions of 2020 cut short any release date. 

Had the bike been released last year, we would have seen it nestle nicely between the KTM 790 Adventure and the KTM 1290 Super Adventure models.

As it stands, the KTM 790 is now an 890, placing the bike level to the Norden 901…at least in power. 

We’re talking Husky’s version of KTM’s LC8c motor, with 100 horsepower, with 889cc, 75 ft/lb of torque, and general weight of 440-480 lbs. (again, Husky is rather sparse with the information we’ve released, so we’re guessing based on the information we have of the KTM 890, from which the Norden 901 was inspired).

As for a market niche, Husky was clever – RevZilla says the company’s goal was to come up with additional features the die-hard KTM 890 didn’t, pairing obligatory performance with comfort, ease, and luxury. 

“The goal was to squeeze maximum comfort from the bike concept,” says Andreas Gühlsdorf, project leader for the Norden 901. 

“We also selected a specific suspension spec, which mixes street comfort and off-road handling.”

“In the end, its strength is long-distance exploration – meaning range, comfort, and all-terrain versatility.” 

The racks of the Norden 901, combined with the applicable packs, will be sure to add weight – but with the additional pains Husky took to keep a comfy caboose, that weight is hardly a deal-breaker. 

Since the KTM 890 is the inspo for the Norden 901, expect two trim levels upon the release date. 

“We want to appeal to new target customers — those who want to travel, the explorers… Norden can guarantee that you’ll be able to tackle any terrain,” says Federico Valentini, Husqvarna’s head of global marketing.

Based on the advertisement video at the top of this article, it’s also possible the model will come with two different sizes of bike wheels to accommodate differing topography.

Now for the pricing. 

Husqvarna bikes tend to cost a tad more than their KTM siblings. Pair that with the fact that the Norden 901 will be the most powerful ADV bike in the Husky showroom, and the purchase could cost a bit extra for the exclusivity. 

Bottom line: The KTM 890 Adventure is $13,099, and the R model is $14,199, so a report from RevZilla states that the curds will still likely cost you somewhere in the ballpark of $13,500 to $15,500, depending on the Norden 901’s trim.

We’re expecting that the Norden 901 will be revealed sometime before the end of the 2021 season, with the bike hitting dealerships in spring of next year (provided restrictions behave, of course).

And here’s a list of everything we’re expecting from the Norden 901 at present:

• The unique two-part split dash of the concept bike has disappeared. Expect a 5”, full-color TFT dash (the same as the KTM 1290 Superduke R).
• Akrapovic pipe
• Potential for both off-road and touring-focused model variants
• Potential for two types of pannier rack
• High mudguards
• Potential for two types of tyres
• Potential for both hard and soft luggage as available accessories

Regardless of the specs, rally legend Cyril Despres and extreme explorer Mike Horn are obviously having a ton of fun putting the bike through its paces in Iceland. We’re waiting our turn, Cyril…