Husqvarna will release its new Norden 901 Expedition to Australian showrooms in May, to sit atop its adventure bike range with increased off-road and long-distance touring capabilities.
The new Expedition variant joins the standard Norden 901 adventure bike which launched in March of last year with an entry pricetag of $25,050 rideaway. Pricing for the Norden 901 Expedition has yet to be confirmed.
Distinguished by a new blue-and-white colour scheme, the Expedition gains fully adjustable and ‘off-road-specific’ WP XPLOR suspension providing 240mm of travel at both ends. This translates to a 20mm increase at the front, and 25mm increase at the rear compared with the standard Norden 901.
Also unique to the Expedition variant is a heated seat and heated grips, a larger ‘touring’ windshield and a revised luggage system which ‘integrates with the bodywork’ and can offer up to 36 litres of storage.
Other key features include a centre stand, engine guard, a 19-litre fuel tank (up to 400km range), tubless spoked wheels with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres, lean-angle sensitive traction control and four rider modes: Street, Rain, Offroad and Explorer.
The middleweight adventure model is specified with an off-road bias, putting it in contention with the likes of the Triumph Tiger 900 Rally ($22,390 rideaway) and Honda CRF1100 Africa Twin ($20,999 +ORC).
As with the standard Norden 901, the Expedition is powered by an 889cc parallel twin engine that generates 78kW and 100Nm. For reference, the latest Honda Africa Twin manages 75kW/105Nm from its 1084cc motor.
Spencer has a keen eye for hard news, and does some of his best living on deadline day. He loves more than anything to travel on his motorcycle, and is adamant that Melbourne Bitter is a world-class lager. He also knows how to operate the big computery thing in the office. By night, Spencer plays guitar with Melbourne punk outfit LOUTS.
