HUSQVARNA NORDEN 901 (2022 - on) Review

Husqvarna have a lot riding on the Norden 901. It’s their first properly middle of the road, meat and two veg adventure bike for the average motorcyclist.

Until now, most of their bikes have been niche options for a trendy, urban crowd but this is supposed to change that. To do it, Husky have taken the 890 Adventure platform from their sister brand KTM and reworked it.

The changes go deeper than simply bolting on some different shaped bodywork. The Norden is more of an adventure-touring bike than the donor and so its suspension, riding position and weather protection are all different.

Unfortunately, I found it a little confused. By sitting the Norden directly between two distinctly different bikes (the standard KTM 890 Adventure and hotter 890 Adventure R) it loses its purpose.

It is by no means a bad bike, it’s just that the middleweight adventure bike market is already chock full of impressive machines that all excel at different things. It’s a bit of a 'jack of all trades, master of none', which could be exactly what you’re after – or it might not.

In 2023 a revised version of this bike was revealed - the Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition.

Watch: Husqvarna 901 Norden video review

It has the same steel trellis frame as the KTMs, though the Norden does use different suspension. There’s 220mm of front wheel travel and 215 rear, which is around halfway between an 890 Adventure and the more dirt-focused Adventure R, and the Husky is very softly sprung and comfortably damped.

This is a good thing – on the road the WP units are comfortable and cosseting, with a progressive feel and plenty of feedback.

It’s nowhere near as stiff as the 890 R, and gives a softer, adventure-touring vibe. Take the Norden off the tarmac and you can bottom the suspension out without trying very hard.

But I don’t think it’s the sort of machine you’d buy for hard off-road use. That’s what a KTM 890 Adventure R is for. For everyone else, the set up on the Norden will be better.

The riding position has handlebars with little rise and not much backwards sweep. It’s an over-the front riding position, and gives a twitchy feel to the Norden’s steering, particularly off-road.

Away from the tarmac you always think the ’bars might whip around on you, which doesn’t give confidence. The tyres don’t help. I normally love Pirelli’s Rally STR tyres, but they didn’t feel quite right on the Norden.

The J.Juan brakes do the job fine but they’re not winning any awards. The fiddly associated electronics (more on those later) don’t help either.

The engine is taken straight from the KTM, which means an eager 899cc twin with 74lb.ft of torque and 103bhp.

It’s a little bit direct when coming off a closed throttle but otherwise the power is really nice – they haven’t messed with what you get from the KTM equivalent. The standard-fit 'Easy Shift' quickshifter for the six-speed gearbox is very well programmed too, working well at any revs and load.

There are various power modes and traction control settings but being honest it’s all much of a muchness. Sure stick it in Rally mode and you can change the traction control settings live for more or less slip but who honestly needs to do that?

When in Rally mode I left it on setting four and when I asked around, so did everyone else. Sorry Husky (and KTM by extension) it’s just a gimmick.

Hard to say with reliability as its such a new machine but there are no major horror stories with the 890 and 790 models its based on.

The fit and finish however are impressive – the Norden feels very nicely put together but that’s the least you should expect for the price.

This is the Norden’s biggest downfall. If you’re buying for cash, at £12,349 it’s only £150 less than the much higher spec 890 R and £900 more than the standard 890.

It’s also £250 more than a British Triumph Tiger 900 Rally and over £2000 more than a base model BMW F850GS. Not great but it only begins to look worse when you look at the PCP figures.

An F850GS TE (so the fancy one with extra bits) is £130 a month on a 36 month PCP contract, compared with £200 for the Norden – both with a £2000 deposit and 4000 miles a year.

For a similar monthly figure to the Norden (actually £13 less per month...), you could take home a legendary BMW R1250GS Adventure, which is just a roundly superior bike.

Compared to the 890 its desired to be much more civilised on the road. So the seat is not only much wider its it’s also more cushioned.

They took seat testing seriously, trying loads of different foams, shapes and riders of different sizes and weights, and it shows – the Husqvarna is all-day comfortable. The only minor downside is that the seat gives the impression of being higher because it splays your legs.

However the fairing is disappointing. The screen doesn’t come up very high and isn’t adjustable, and though the fairing keeps wind off your legs at motorway speed, I really felt the wind pressure on my shoulders, chest and head.

And I’m only 5ft 6in. If they’re aiming the Norden at riders touring on the road and covering long distances, it’s no more protective than the 890.

The ex-KTM dash is easy to read, simple to use and relatively straightforward to navigate. Connectivity is optional. Switchgear feels decent quality and is also nice to use, and cruise control is standard.

The electronics (cornering traction control and ABS, riding modes) are good, but the various elements aren’t linked.

If, say, you want to put the bike into off-road mode you need to scroll through menus as there’s no specific mode button, and then configure the ABS separately. And when you then go back to a road mode the ABS stays in off-road. It’s frustrating.