Motorcycle specifications HusqvarnaNorden 901 Expedition 2023 Across the North

It's when you've got mud in your shoes, snow up your nose, a squirrel on your back and grass in your lighthouse that you say to yourself: "we're having a good time anyway.... It's almost a shame to get to the village so quickly. It doesn't matter if you're coming home ragged or fresh as a fish from a fjord.

the village in question could be 2 km or 200 km away, it would be the same for the crew. The desire is there, and that's the kind of trip the new Norden 901 Expedition wants to imagine. The end of the world is in!

this is a much more adventurous version of the Husqvarna trail bike. The Norden immediately surprised everyone with its very "Scandinavian" design, but also with its marked orientation towards adventure. Except that this machine can start to refuse to put its nose to the grindstone when the road-trip looks a little too inviting. So what do you do? Tattoo it with a beaver? Infuse it with FR 450 Rally powder? No, let Husqy do its thing.

to arrive at the "Expedition" version, we first had to concentrate on the suspensions. The first step was to raise them to broaden the potential for investigation. Suspension travel now reaches 240 mm. This is one of the highest values in the segment, in line with the Aprilia 660 Tuareg, KTM 890 Adventure R (its cousin) and Triumph Tiger 900 Rally - even higher than those of the Africa Twin and the new 700 Ténéré Extreme.
The Norden Expé' not only gains ground clearance and suspension travel, it also gets a new fork. The fork's diameter has been increased from 43 mm to 48 mm. The entire damping system is no longer based on APEX technology, but on XPLOR. This allows, among other things, more adjustment possibilities. At the front, preload is added to the Norden's compression/rebound duo. The shock absorber, for its part, had rebound and preload; it now gains high and low speed compression adjustments.

with new suspension and a slightly longer wheelbase, the Norden Expedition's chassis has taken on a whole new dimension. It also aims to pamper its rider with a new level of comfort. To prevent icing on helmets, the front end is fitted with a larger windscreen. While certain parts of the body are accommodated by heated grips and saddle.
Afterwards, it's best to pack a sweater, a thermos of tea, a slice of lard, a sleeping bag and a can of grease. How do you pack it all in? Husqvarna has fitted two large waterproof bags on its hips, with a total capacity of 36 liters. A nice change from suitcases.

the 901 Expedition has also taken care of its belly. Look at that big aluminum boot, as wide as a fridge. It's enough to reassure the bottom of the engine as well as the cheeks of the fuel tank (yes, the fuel compartments go down very low on the sides of Adventure / Norden models). A center stand has also been added, along with a new connectivity module for pairing your smartphone. With the in-house app, the rider can download maps, have turn-by-turn navigation, manage calls, music, sound volume, etc. etc. A GPS support is available to attach an electronic co-pilot.

the more seasoned Expedition uses the same frame and engine as the standard Norden. It's pure KTM stuff, with a chromium-molybdenum trellis frame backed by an aluminum swingarm. The spoked wheels show off their pretensions to the full, with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires and true trail dimensions (90-90 / 21 and 150/70 / 18) - by SUV standards.

all this equipment inevitably adds weight. You'll have to deal with an extra 10 kilos, not counting what you'll pack in your luggage. To go with the compass, two bowls are used to get 105 hp out of the 889 cm3 engine. Under the throttle, there's a 10.2 mkg response accompanied by active curve traction control, engine brake regulation, various engine reactivity and power settings, and anti-wheeling. There's also a shifter and cruise control.
To stop, 320 mm discs are bitten by 4-piston J.Juan radial clamps. ABS is on hand, with a cornering function and the option of deactivating it. This can be seen in the Driving Modes. There are 4 of them: the 3 found on the Norden (Street - Rain - Offroad) + Explorer Mode, which comes as standard. The latter allows you to fully configure the available functions.

let's take a brief look at these 4 driving modes:
- Street : direct throttle response, full horsepower, Traction Control calibrated for normal roads (asphalt, potholes, gravel, oil puddles, speed bumps, ....) and Road ABS that's not too intrusive.
- Rain : less horsepower, softer throttle response, sensitive traction control and ABS.
- Offroad : moderate throttle response, permissive traction control to let the rear wheel slip for a while, off-road-tuned ABS and more anti-wheeling. In this mode, the sensitivity of the assistants to the angle of inclination is switched off.
- Explorer : allows you to customize your driving mode, by activating, deactivating and adjusting all functions.

so, where does this Expedition start and where does it go? For some, from alley to end of imagination; for others, from forest to forest, even without roads. The Norden 901 aims further, more equipped, more intrepid .... more fashionable too?!

M.B - Image credits: Husqvarna