Husqvarna has made it official: The Norden adventure motorcycle will soon be a production bike. Earlier this year we spotted the Norden during testing when spy shots of the machine were revealed, marking a potentially big change to the brand's street lineup. Then, at this year's EICMA show Husqvarna gave us a look at the fully dressed concept and it was clear a popular bike was in the making.
As we noted during our EICMA coverage, the Norden will be Husqvarna’s first-ever adventure-touring machine, and it breaks with the current stock of road-going bikes with a twin-cylinder, 889cc engine. It’s also ready for plenty of off-road duty thanks to a 21-inch front wheel/tire and 18-inch rear wheel/tire configuration. WP Suspension components will soak up the bumps.
And for now, that’s all we have definitively from Husqvarna. No date is yet set for release, nor is a price point. Husky does refer to the bike as “high-performance,” “slim,” “lightweight,” and packed with “high-end modern equipment.” Though the extent to which this is merely PR-speak won’t be revealed until closer to release, when Husqvarna will divulge more of its secrets.
The bike will be an interesting player in the packed adventure-touring segment. Its size puts it between the Africa Twin from Honda and bikes like the KTM 790 Adventure. Or in other words, an upper middleweight to light heavyweight. This is a great place to be in terms of producing a bike that provides plenty of power without bulk at a competitive price point. Granted, Husqvarna street machines trend a bit higher on the price scale than comparable models from Japan, but it will undoubtedly be less of a strain on your wallet than the top-tier bikes in this segment.
Stay tuned for more information on the Norden as it becomes available.
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