Test Ride In association with New Norden Expedition 901
With sister company KTM providing the key engine and chassis components for the Husqvarna model, the 901 was in essence a restyled and repositioned 890 Adventure and slotted into the market between the road-biased 890 Adventure and the feistier, dirt-focused Adventure R. Now, for 2023, Husqvarna has introduced the Norden Expedition, which is positioned closer to the mud-larking R.
Engine performance remains the same as the 901, but the Expedition’s chassis is now ready to take on more challenging adventures. It gets longer-travel WP suspension similar to the R model; there’s a new screen; a heavy-duty bash plate; a heated seat and grips; plus a pair of soft panniers and a centre stand to assist maintenance duties in the wilderness. A GPS mounting bracket also points towards more adventurous ambitions while an ‘Explorer’ riding mode, which is an option on the stock Norden, comes as standard.
Further evidence of the Expedition’s intended focus came in the shape of the test route laid on by Husqvarna for its press launch. The venue was South Africa, the ride a genuine 500km-plus adventure, 80% of it off-road and into zebra country. Conditions varied from fast, dusty trails to deep sand and water crossings. We even loaded the soft bags, ready for a night’s camping under the stars.
Performance unchanged
The familiar LC8 parallel twin that’s proved so effective for KTM’s adventure and naked middleweights pushes out the same 103bhp at 8,000rpm as the older, stock Norden, with peak torque also unchanged at 73.8lb-ft at 6500rpm. That’s a little more peak power than Honda’s Africa Twin, and a
