Been watching every video on RU-vid of this bike. Really enjoyed yours, very well thought out and organized, and the footage and camera work was excellent. Well done! Just subbed as well.
Many thanks Asah, really appreciate it. Believe some of the content has been a bit less enthusiastic, but believe me the Norden is the real deal. All the best, Aaron KNOX
@@KnoxArmour You’re most welcome. It was my pleasure to watch Aaron. And yes I agree, some other reviewers have been heavily biased trying to compare the bike to one other specific model or another. Your approach was open minded and unbiased, as all bike reviews should be.
From someone involved right from concept phase of this bike, this was one of my favourite reviews. Great camera work, clear and concise info and you nailed who this bike is for. Thanks for a great video.
Excellent review for "the rest of us" and discussion of many points that others did not mention. Intriguing bike to consider in the middleweight class as it appears to be both a decent traveler and off-pavement machine.
Thanks Paul, appreciate the feedback, and yes its definitely a serious contender for the Adventure market, think people are going to love it! Aaron KNOX
I was initially negative to the Norden, especially because of the weight. But I was looking at it from a wrong perspective. I had my KTM/Husky glasses on and I was expecting something groundbreaking and very performance oriented. This seems to be a softer, less performance oriented 890 that loves to travel. I think I get it now, cool.
Yes, you definitely need to try it to understand it, I was personally blown away at how well the weight is masked and became very confident on it. I think it probably is less hard nosed in comparison to a KTM bike, but I don't think its lost anything in that, and gained some abilities in other ways. Thanks, Aaron KNOX
@@KnoxArmour I had a T7 which I sold due to weight. The weight was carried high and the bike was top heavy. Can imagine this being a lot better as you say. Personally I’m dreaming about a 701, just finished watching your videos about it. Didn’t want it any less after that 😍 excellent videos!
Back to give an update on this after riding it - a very good machine that masks its weight very well, just as you said. I also bought a 701 as mentioned and I’m blown away!
i was hoping for the 'r' models up-rated Xplorer suspension & less computer nanny nonsense , all the ride modes and tft dash ect... how about a Tenere' 700 but with good suspension brakes and hp
Nice bike and torque is the same as a 990 - peak power is down only 8-10 though that doesn't matter to me - but weight is 450 lb so only 10 lb less. The KTM 890 Adv R is 40-45 lb lighter than a 990 so where did the extra weight come from over the KTM? I can also go compare side by side in specs but you'd know off the top of your head. Do they both have center stands? Norden has tank guards but look very light aluminum, and also has aux lights but those are 'light'. Maybe the suspension components and other comfort features, I know little things add up and is likely worth it. I'm trying to think what else is significant enough weight to make up 30-35 lbs over the KTM version. One day I'll probably buy one but hard to when the 990 is so close in weight and has more power/sound and to me even looks. The only reason I can think of now is nearly 50% better fuel economy - 63 mpg vs 43 mpg and that's a massive improvement plus even lower c of g. I understand even the 790 KTM can out-accelerate a 990 up to a pretty high speed though unsure a 'within 10 lb but less hp' 901 would as well. The 890 KTM version certainly would. Suspension's probably better given new suspension technology since 2012 and surely a decade of development has improved things. So they're better in a few ways but not sure if it's enough to justify selling such a legendary bike as the 990 developed for Dakar.
Good looking bike, but 14k. Over here probably 16k incl. tax. I ride a 2000 Transalp, it does everything Just as well. With lots of € left over for any mods.well presented though, i' ll hit the sub. but.👏🇳🇱NL.
I've been debating getting one to replace my klr, but the local dealer closed up shop so parts/service is unavailable gonna have to look for a different bike.
As an owner of the 890R, as I gave up waiting for the 901, I'm curious to know if the 901 fairing has solved the buffeting problem that plagues the 890R. Non of the reviewers have mentioned this. Aaron, you have road the 790R and now the 901, what did you experience in the area of buffeting?
Great question. Tbh, I don't think I can entirely answer that one correctly as I was wearing my mx helmet with goggles which gives a different feeling, plus we didn't do tonnes of riding at consistent high speed. Gut feeling is that it is better than the 790 r, but maybe not sorted 100%. Hope that helps. Aaron Knox
Ive test ridden it and the screen is terrible. Also got an incredible amount of intense heat soak on my legs and worse on my left shin. Both maybe addressed?
As adventure riders we should all just gang up and convince everyone else that our bikes are by far the least compromised segment compared to all the others. There. I've said it. Now let's start the cult!
I test ride one last weekend and I’m smitten with the 901. I had more fun on it than on my Super Duke R (on public roads) simply because I wasn’t worrying about seeing any coppers or having a kangaroo, Wombat, etc wander across my path and be going way too fast to safely react. I’m going to test ride the new 890 Adv R and maybe a Tiger 900 Rally before making a decision.
Too bad that the only tires listed in the booklet have speed code V (240 km / h) and there are no alternative tires ... (it is difficult to find something less road with code higher than Q or at most H). Husquarna (ktm) made the same mistake that Honda made with the Africa twin just released (which he remedied with the clearance before ... for those who want to argue with the Civil Motorizations ... and with the update of the booklet then). This information that almost never gives anyone is that you discover only after buying the bike
Rear mirrors needs ti change. I also dont like the big Husqvarna logo and the yellow strip dont match if ypu change seat height. Other than that. Dynamite bike!
Been to view this morning, absolutely lovely. Expensive on a PCP though as no finance deals yet. About 100 a month more than similar prices bikes so tht needs sorting as not all of us can pay cash etc.
Great isn't it! Husqvarna don't normally do very good PCP deals, but having owned one (701 enduro) residual values are generally excellent. Thanks, Aaron KNOX
It’s a shame the yellow seat doesn’t line up with the tank decal (curls up at the front) and if you raise the seat height it looks very odd. Apart from that its almost perfect (would like to know the actual price of it too, but I guess they’ll charge what they think they can get away with).
Absolutely THE BEST review I have seen or read about. You totally confirmed my decision to put a deposit down when I was ready to buy an 890 AR!!! The one thing that every reviewer has stated that was sweet music to me was "Comfort." I plan on riding it as a commuter and as a t true adventurer and the thing the 890 AR did not have was comfort and looks!! I have subscribed after discovering you today and great wheelie BTW lol. I come from the UK and now live in Canada with lots of exploring to do...Cheers mate.
I'm a big fan of Husqvarna in general, even their lawnmowers. They give you a LOT for what you pay for. Higher quality and durability for lower prices.
@@Bow-to-the-absurd Where I live the Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 is half the price of nearly identical bikes in the same market. I have Husqvarna tools that are nearly twenty years old that still work. What would you call that?
If the motor is the same, the clutch is the same, etc, why do you think the norden has less tendency to stall than the 790? Might this be because the norden is an 890?
The norden uses the ktm 890 engine which had a big upgrade from the 790. I hadn't ridden the ktm 890 adventure before I rode this bike so was comparing it to the 790 adventure r I had previously ridden. Hope that makes sense. Aaron Knox
The norden uses the ktm 890 engine which had a big upgrade from the 790. I hadn't ridden the ktm 890 adventure before I rode this bike so was comparing it to the 790 adventure r I had previously ridden. Hope that makes sense. Aaron Knox
Thanks a lot, really appreciate it! Although on this one @husqvarna provided the camera shots, but yes they smashed it! It's a brilliant bike and I think we'll see a lot of them! Aaron Knox
Great review Aaron, completely sold it to me. The bike is really nicely designed. I love the inclusion of cruise and the setting adjustments. It looks like a brilliant do it all bike. Really keen to get a test ride on this.
super review Aaron. même pour un français ;-) ta vidéo sur le 390 Adv était déjà une merveille! du coup je m'abonne ;-) (I let you translate my post ^^ little work for you)
Really strange he chooses to say they gave it the 890 motor frome Duke with altered tuning instead of simply stating the obvious reality that it has the KTM 890 Adventures motor....What you just thought that sounds more impressive or your trying to avoid the obvious that this IS the existing KTM 890 Adventure platform with different bodywork and styling features and different colors than just orange? (though I understand Husky tweaked the standard budget Apex suspension to get more travel front and rear?? Not sure how that works....THAT is what needs to beexplored! if you ask me) .....But as to the mentioned BSreDukeengine? LOL As if any appreciable percentage of interested potential buyers is not already FULLY aware this bike is overwhelmingly a cosmetically different 890 Adventure due to identical platforms DUhh
I have a KTM 790 Adventure S. The Norden 901 looks much more Dakar/ Super Tenere (which I like very much), erm........ and that seems to be it: style. I'll continue with the 790 then.
"Huge turning circle Is it only me that thinks this sounds opposite of the intention? I think of "turning circle as literally the size circle a motorcycle could turn around in lol....so a SMALLER circle sounds more appealing.....but I realize this must be a different way to describe steering movement between the stops where more means tighter potential turning radius
I just did a test ride on the Norden and it’s hands down the best looking adventure bike on the market!! It rides incredibly plush and riding the 890 at the same time made up my mind that the Norden is the way to go. I do around 70/30 commuting/off road, making the comfort of the Norden my preferred choice. Did I mention style, yes I did. 890 for a different kind of rider, but still a great bike. Fantastic review Aaron. It’s because of your Svartpilen 701 review that I bought one and will never ever sell it.
When I first saw the concept I put my name down here in Australia! Got tired of waiting & spent my money elsewhere. Husqvarna sat on their laurels far too long. 👎🏼
Press events are usually pretty uninspiring for me as a viewer, but the Norden event seems to have been absolutely spot on. You guys had everything to get an accurate feel for the bike, and we viewers got to see the bike in conditions that might match our part of the world. This bike needs a tie in with Death Stranding. It would look right at home as DLC. Obligatory 'you guys nailed the video' comment.
Conceps looked super good. This looks cheap. Nothing has changed with the engine so this is just a bad KTM copy. Can you even drive below 2000 rpm? Surely the old standard one engine that just wants to run hard. No nice yamaha T7 engine.
Definitely not a bad KTM copy... its really awesome and you'd need to ride it before you made your mind up. And yes, hugely refined engine and definitely rideable below 2000rpm. Thanks, Aaron KNOX
Liked your review very much. I'm curious as to how rugged you think the bike is and how well it will sustain the typical tip-overs and trail crashes. will the lower gas tanks be too vulnerable to other-than- cosmetic damage?
Thanks Kent! I think the lower parts are quite rugged and similar to the 890 adventure which are very rugged at the lower gas tanks. However, remember these adventure bikes dont crash as well as enduro or dual sport bikes and i would probably invest in some bark buster style hand guards, engine guards and fold away mirrors if planning some rough terrain. Hope that helps, Thanks, Aaron KNOX
Great review, but no mention of the adjustable seat height. Us vertically challenged, would appreciate a lower seat/lowering suspension. Glad to see it comes with cruise control. This would be a tough choice against the HD PanAmerica.
Thanks Rich! The creative team at Husqvarna did an excellent job of the camera work on this one... it was nice to not have to do it ourselves for a change! Thanks Aaron Knox
I really like the way it looks but it’s not got enough off road for me! The KTM 890 A R for me! The Norden is to road oriented and in my mind that’s a mistake / intended to protect the KTM s off road range
Its actually great off road tbh, just depends whether you are planning massive jumps etc.. in that case the 890 R is possibly more suitable. Thanks, Aaron KNOX
Theory is that a 21" front wheel like MX bike helps it roll over bigger rocks etc off road. In practice for an adventure bike, a 19" wheel is fine in my opinion. Thanks, Aaron KNOX
I cannot believe this! Aaron comes to my island and I don't get to meet him?! Oh man! Well, truth is some of us had already tracked down the first groups of journos so that we could have a look at the bike. She looks great and people seemed to be having fun. I hope Aaron enjoyed the island, in spite of the weather :)
Oh sorry Paulo! 😅 Maybe next time!! Yes, loved the Island, a truly incredible place and unlike anywhere I have been before and it provided the perfect place to get to grips with the bike. Thanks, Aaron KNOX
@@sgtace i meant all those fanboys that come to ktm`s defense whenever someone say they have too much problems with their bikes. 😁 i agree about knox, usually does great honest reviews!
A beautiful bike that might disappointment me on a solo adventure. I never fear when heading out into the Sequoia National Forest onto Forest roads on my Africa Twin (no not single track).
@@ju_rld yes I heard the same about KTM (same as Husqvarna now) but mine's been perfect so if you own one as I have for 10 years - they're extremely reliable and well built. Maybe I was lucky or the 990's were more reliably than the new 790/890's and now 901's.
@@forestmotoadventures of course they are, I've had mine for 10 years and have had no issues (2012 990 Adventure), performance AND reliability. If it wasn't built with reliability in mind I'd have had frames crack, electronics fail and engines leak or break. I was told they are hard to maintain, and this one is hard to get at stuff for an oil change for instance, and that they're high maintenance....except they're not high maintenance AND they don't break or mine hasn't. I just change the oil and one valve check. But anyway you're free to keep stereotyping every European bike that way.
@@roverroko306 from memory had no issues, but probably not 100% flatfoot either side, but irs definitely manageable and less tall than my 701 enduro for example. Hope that makes sense. Aaron knox
@@KnoxArmour Thanks allot man, very helpful. I am 5’10, 179cm tall. My inseam without boots on is 31’5 almost 32, with boots and gear is 34 or so. Since I am from Croatia there’s no where I can try the bike on a demo ride or so far even go sit on one. So this is very helpful man thanks.
Surely the benchmark for you should have been the 890 Adventure R not the 790 Adventure R. Sounds like you didn't compare it to the 890 Adventure R because the Norden is inferior in that category with the added weight, smaller tank, and lower class suspension. Sounds like it wins out on the comfort though, so a good all-round adv tourer.
I haven't had chance yet to ride the 890 adventure, so I compared it to the previous 790 adventure r which I have ridden quite a bit. I wouldn't say it's inferior in any way until you've ridden it tbh, it's really is that good... thanks Aaron Knox