For miles, we rode into a dense cloud of ruddy South African dust. Those dusty roads connected rocky trails and choice stretches of pavement like the famed Franschhoek pass which, on a Saturday, was reminiscent of California’s own Angeles Crest Highway. We watched eclectic groups of open topped roadsters interspersed with an equally varied slew of two-wheelers strafe from apex to apex while we made photo passes. Husqvarna had invited the world’s press to experience the new Norden 901 Expedition amongst epic terrain at the southernmost tip of the African continent.
Husqvarna’s Norden 901 is now more capable of long haul travel and challenging terrain off-road thanks to the Expedition trim.
Editor Score: 92%
Engine | 19/20 | Suspension | 14.5/15 | Transmission | 8.5/10 |
Brakes | 9/10 | Instruments | 4.5/5 | Ergonomics | 9/10 |
Appearance | 9/10 | Desirability | 9.5/10 | Value | 9/10 |
+ Highs
| – Sighs
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The Norden 901 Expedition is little more than the base model with bolt-on bits from the accessory catalog. The thing is, that “little more” makes a big difference. Since its inception, I’ve been a fan of the Norden, in theory anyway. Admittedly, I hadn’t spent much time on the bike ahead of this trip. That said, the Norden is heavily based on the existing KTM 890 Adventure platform which I’ve spent a lot of time with and find myself gravitating toward as a fan of the pointedly off-road end of the ADV spectrum. When reading Scott Rousseau’s (former EiC of Dirtbikes.com) tongue-in-cheek “letter” to me/review of the Norden 901, his words “gentlemanly character” struck me the wrong way. A gentleman, I am not. Word of the WP Apex suspension’s limits off-road spread and my interest feigned. A fantastic street bike with a proven foundation and its own unique style, undoubtedly, but a redressed base 890 Adventure simply didn’t sway me.
2022 Husqvarna Norden 901 Review – First Ride
The Expedition model has since reignited my vigor. The Norden 901 Expedition comes standard with useful bits and bobs like a center stand, taller windscreen, soft bags with the requisite rack, Bluetooth connectivity and heated grips and rider seat. All of these things are nice to have, but where my interest piqued was the inclusion of the uber-customizable Explorer ride mode (Rally in KTM speak), a substantial 4mm thick aluminum skid plate, and most of all, WP XPLOR suspension. Considering that the Expedition model only carries a $1,300 premium over the base model – and that the accessories not including the suspension retail for much more than that amount – the new Norden variant should be an excellent choice for those looking to eke out more off-road performance from their Swedish-gone-Austrian adventure bikes.
Getting amped for an Expedition
Husqvarna once again brought out the adventurous duo of Mike Horn and Cyril Despres to discuss their more recent voyage through Mongolia to promote the new Norden 901 Expedition. Inspiring on their own, professional adventurer Mike Horn’’s accolades include things like crossing both poles, using a hydrospeed to travel 7,000 km down the length of the Amazon river, and plenty of sailing trips around the globe. Mike is an inspiration and has a view of life and adventure that has landed him motivational coaching gigs. Of course, Cyril Despres might be more familiar to a motorsports audience as a five-time Dakar champion with a hard enduro background who has now contested the famed race 24 times on two and four wheels.
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It’s hard not to get excited listening to these two unlikely friends banter. When I met Horn he nearly crushed my soft editor hand with his grip strength and I watched him do the same to my compatriots as he made the rounds introducing himself. Watching Horn jump over motorcycles during the presentation and listening to him tell stories from their expedition while also throwing gibes Cyril’s way for using pampers (while he raced, of course), Mike exudes a youthful immaturity that lights up the room and gets you excited to be in it with him.
Back on track… or trail
Cyril and Mike would be with our chase riders during our two days of riding, but after some fun during the technical presentation, it was time for the Norden 901 Expedition to shine. During the morning of our departure we were advised that it would likely be quite warm during portions of our ride since summer had just ended in the southern hemisphere. We only needed to pack for an evening of glamping so the roll-top Givi-made 18L (each) soft luggage attached to my machine was mostly full of GoPro equipment, and later, extra layers that I had peeled off as the temperatures rose.
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Not only does the five-gallon tank keep the bike’s CoG low resulting in excellent off-road handling, it also keeps your feet from getting splashed when riding into a lake.
The two-position adjustable seat height on the Norden Expedition can be set at 34.4 or 35.2 inches, a stretch for some, but being a mere 5-foot 8-inches tall with a 30-inch inseam, most of these bikes are a stretch for me – I’m just used to dealing with it. The seat is quite wide toward the rear which makes it comfortable during longer stints, but also the curve from the front to rear allows you to securely hold onto the bike with your legs while standing as well. The windscreen is nearly three inches taller than that on the base model and it ended up being more of a detriment when riding off-road than it was useful, in my experience. That said, I didn’t have any buffeting even while using an off-road helmet. At one point as I slipped into a center rain rut and popped the bike up out of it on the other end, I didn’t account for the windscreen height and smacked my helmet’s chinbar hard. Also, once the windscreen was dirty, it was hard for a lil guy like me to see around the front of the bike.