“Crap, I may not make this turn, I’m going to make a fool of myself and fall off the bike,” I thought to myself as the group I was riding with suddenly made a hard right U-turn from the tarmac to cobbled stones with a steep drop connecting both terrains.
I was part of a group of riders from South East Asia who were invited to ride the Husqvarna Norden 901 at the romantic island of Jeju, in Korea. I was the only one from Malaysia, so national pride rode on my shoulders as well.
The Norden 901 Expedition has been equipped with new hardware to make it a more travel-ready adventure motorcycle. The most significant upgrade is the new suspension system, featuring WP XPLOR forks and XPLOR PDS rear shock absorber with 240mm of travel, which is 20mm more than the stock bike.
Husqvarna hit the sweet spot by introducing a fully adjustable suspension, allowing riders to control preload, compression, and rebound damping.
The bike’s cockpit has also been upgraded for long-distance comfort, with a larger front screen fitted as standard and adjustable heated grips and rider seat.
Additionally, the Norden 901 Expedition comes with pre-fitted soft luggage that offers 36-litres of carrying capacity in two sub-frame-mounted panniers.
Other notable additions include a center stand as standard, a heavy-duty engine guard, and a Bluetooth connectivity module, which enables on-bike calls and communication, as well as turn-by-turn navigation.
Interested buyers can order the 2023 Husqvarna Norden 901 Expedition now through the official website. The motorcycle is set to arrive in Europe’s in mid-March.
The upgraded features make this bike an ideal choice for adventure enthusiasts looking for a reliable and comfortable ride, whether it’s for a long-distance tour or a weekend getaway.
At the time, dealers were given a private showing of a prototype version of the motorcycle.
However, the latest European type-approval documents have confirmed that the motorcycle is set for the 2023 unveiling.
Despite the bike’s first image already making its way to social media, Husqvarna is yet to make any official announcement.
Since the base Norden 901 is based on KTM’s 890 Adventure, we expect the “Expedition” version to use the 890 Adventure R as its basis. That said, it could feature a WP Xplor 48mm inverted front fork with 240mm of travel and a WP Xplor rear shock.
Also, the document confirms that no change is done to the engine meaning the Expedition gets the same 889cc LC8c parallel-twin engine that makes 103hp @ 8,000rpm.
However, the wheelbase is longer due to the longer front fork, while the bike’s overall weight also increases from 220kg to 229kg.
Based on the videos shared on Facebook, the Expedition stands apart from the standard Norden 901 thanks to new paint and graphics, soft luggage and alloy shields.
The Norden 901 officially made its bow in November 2021, two years after the Swedish company unveiled the concept at EICMA.
Build based on the KTM 890 Adventure platform, the Norden 901 carries a different styling set than its Austrian cousin.
It has a more extensive body panel than the 890 Adventure, thus making it a proper dual-purpose bike for long-distance touring.
The Norden also features a 21″ front and 18″ rear wheel paired with a tubeless Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR.
If you fancy some electronics, the ADV bike comes with three standard riding modes (Rain, Street and Off-Road) but should you fancy ‘exploring the world’, Husqvarna offers the option “Explore” mode. (Which we thinks is another fancy name for Touring mode).
Other exciting features include:
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