At the 2023 Makina Moto Show in the Philippines, the distributor and manufacturer of Husqvarna in the region have just announced the official availability of the Norden 901 adventure bike. Destined to go up against other middle-to-heavyweight rivals in its segment, it also marks a couple of firsts for the brand in the country.
Husqvarna got its start in the Philippines off the back of the local KTM operation. Under its distributor who has handled KTM for quite some time now, adopting the Husqvarna brand was a natural next step. Now that the Svartpilen and Vitpilen models are out and about in the ASEAN country, the Norden 901 was the logical next step for the brand, and it’s now available.
The Norden 901 is also the first middleweight Husqvarna in the region, as well as the first middleweight Husqvarna to enjoy local manufacture in the Philippines. According to the company, the initial batch of Nordens will total 48, commemorated by a special decal on its side.
The specifications of the Norden 901 in the Philippines are quite similar to the top-end specs in other territories. The bike shares a lot of componentry with its Orange-faired twin, the KTM 890 and 790 Adventure, but its powertrain comes from the larger-displacement sibling. Equipped with an 890cc 285-degree parallel-twin motor, the Norden 901 makes 105 horsepower with 100 Newton Meters of torque (73.7 pound-feet). The engine is paired with a six-speed transmission, and the Philippine-spec model of the Norden gets several of KTM’’s adventure-ready technologies with include cruise control, an up-and-down quick shifter, Motorcycle Traction Control, Motorcycle Slip Regulation, Cornering ABS, Cornering Traction Control, and KTM’s ride modes.
Chassis-wise, it shares the same bones as the 790 and 890 Adventure bikes, has the same braking system which is now Husqvarna branded from J.Juan, and the ever-present WP suspension which is also found on KTM adventurers, save for the more extreme Adventure R models, and the limited but extreme Rally version.
Local manufacture has allowed KTM motorcycle prices to reach good levels of affordability in the Philippines, but being a little bit more “special” compared to its orange brothers, the Norden 901 commands a premium price tag in the region, set at P950,000 PHP, or about $17,200 USD give or take depending on the exchange rate. The Norden will compete against the likes of Ducati, Aprilia, BMW, and even KTM themselves for dominance in the middleweight adventure segment in the region, and with premium amenities, it’s not far-fetched to assume that Husqvarna will corner a good chunk of the segment.
Gallery: 2022 Husqvarna Norden 901
