[BernardV]

I get my bike today in the morning. I rode 30 km. Weather conditions dry but cold, about 5°C.

I drove carefully, some parts of the road were still wet. I installed the lowering kit (-22mm). I don't have my feet flat on the ground but it's enough to be confident. I am 174cm tall. I left with an empty tank and went to fill it up. No difference in driving, you don't feel the extra 15 kg of gasoline at all.

The engine is quite flexible and revs very well from 2,200 - 2,500 rpm. After 3,500-4,000 rpm, it pushes hard. I did not exceed 5,000 rpm.

The saddle is firm but comfortable, to be seen on a longer journey. For those who want to get an idea of the seat height with the lowering kit, I found it to be very similar to the seat height of the KTM 890 adv in lower position. The gearbox is very smooth and the change is very easy. I haven't tested the quick shift yet. On the other hand, the gear lever is quite small and requires a little practice to find it. Above 90 km, the wind protection is not great. But there is no miracle with such a small windshield.

The hand guards are plastic. In offroad, they won't last long. Without heated grips but with big gloves, I didn't suffer from the cold. I often had trouble with the locks, my key didn't always turn correctly, maybe too new. The Pirelli Scorpions are very quiet, especially compared to the Heidenau K60 or Metzeler Karoo 3. As soon as there are suitable crash bars, I will install them. I'm really scared of damage from a fall. The dealer told me that was one of the big fears of people who inquired about the Norden. They will try to do a test run with the KTM 890 adv crashbars to see if they fit. For the moment, Husqvarna has nothing planned yet.

My previous bike was a 2008 R1200GS Adv. Fabulous bike but got too heavy for me. The Norden will certainly replace it very well.

Next steps : topcase Givi Dolomiti, soft panniers from Bumot and central stand OEM.

 

[darwinisright]

I've been ripping wheelies on mine the last 3 days, breaking it in right.

 

[belgiancx]

I definitely didn't hear any tire noise on my 112 mile (180km) ride yesterday, tires are super smooth on pavement and even got me through some 5" (13cm) snow!!! The bike became intuitive very quickly. Didn't have any issues with the quickshifter like others have reported except that I kept using the clutch out of habit. Brakes are more than acceptable. Zero vibration, and I mean zero, super smooth ride. Agree on the seat, it's great with plenty of space to move around, although the more back you get the longer the reach and less upper body wind protection but better lower body (leg) protection. I might try out a clip on windscreen kit to add some additional wind protection.

It's snowy here so I had to ride county and state highways and one interstate which are clear. At 5,000 rpms the bike cruises with problem at 80mph (~130Km/h) in 6th gear and with a twist of the throttle quickly hits 100mph (160km/h), overdrive not really, maybe you could call it high performance overdrive? Very pleased.

Bernard, where are you in Belgium? Have relatives in West Flanders, east of Roeselare or in the middle of a triangle of Kortrijk, Bruges, and Ghent; near Tielt if you know that. The roads are great, especially the small rural ones, lots of rally races around where my relatives live. Just watch out for tractors and mud on the road!!!

 

[BernardV]

Amazing ! I know this region. This is one of the routes to go to the Belgian coast. And I also have colleagues coming from this region.

I live south of Brussels in Wallonia, my father was from Ieper. Sometimes I ride in Flanders but I rarely go further than Geraardsbergen. I prefer to ride in the Ardennes. For long trips, I usually go to French and Italian Alps or Provence.

 

[belgiancx]

The Ardennes are amazing, less people, more hills and castles, cool little towns. Most Americans don't know how great Belgium is, the culture, the food, etc. All they know is the battlefields and cemeteries, of which, especially Wallonia has plenty but so much more! And not just beer and chocolate. Although my relatives always get me a case of Westvleteren 12 and we often go to the brewery, there's a great butcher near the brewery with really good blood sausage too. My great aunt just died last Spring, she always made me rabbit in brown beer gravy and horse tenderloin, loved it! Gained 16 lbs (7.25Kg) in 10 days on one trip, I couldn't even start the zipper on my jeans, I was pure gluttony. drink, eat, repeat. needless to say my bowels were not functioning properly. TMI!

I once made the mistake of riding a bicycle thru Wallonia with my new cycling jersey that I was very proud of, it was a Flanders one with the lion, I didn't realize the red claws meant to separate Belgium, so Flanders could be independent. I got some weird looks and didn't realize why and my relatives were too polite to tell me. Dumb American! I did also ride the whole Ronde de Vlaanderen sportif 258km. Crushed me but rode the whole thing, even all the bergs, fell asleep during the pros race the next day....

Not sure how the borders are right now but I've always enjoyed Luxembourg and the western part of Germany has great terrain. One day I dream of coming and riding from Portugal to China, but first to ride around the Adriatic Sea, renting a bike in Italy, then the ferry from the 'heel' to Greece and up and over.

 

[Fuzzcuzz]

Had mine 7 days now. What a machine! Immense power and smooth to the touch. I’m enjoying it and have been easily lulled into going too fast by it’s smooth power. Pros: it’s a big bike, comfortable, powerful, easy to learn electronics, and it looks fantastic. Cons: not sure I have too many yet. Standing riding position is funny but coming from a FE350s that’s to be expected. Shifter takes some getting used to as I’ve jumped into neutral several times by accident. My rating, 9/10 with the last point to come when I improve my skills! Well done husky.

 

[darwinisright]

No auto cancel on the signals. dammit

 

[Fuzzcuzz]

No auto cancel on the signals. dammit

Yeah that’s a bit of a downer.

 

[Bill Van]

I get my bike today in the morning. I rode 30 km. Weather conditions dry but cold, about 5°C.

I drove carefully, some parts of the road were still wet. I installed the lowering kit (-22mm). I don't have my feet flat on the ground but it's enough to be confident. I am 174cm tall. I left with an empty tank and went to fill it up. No difference in driving, you don't feel the extra 15 kg of gasoline at all.

The engine is quite flexible and revs very well from 2,200 - 2,500 rpm. After 3,500-4,000 rpm, it pushes hard. I did not exceed 5,000 rpm.

The saddle is firm but comfortable, to be seen on a longer journey. For those who want to get an idea of the seat height with the lowering kit, I found it to be very similar to the seat height of the KTM 890 adv in lower position. The gearbox is very smooth and the change is very easy. I haven't tested the quick shift yet. On the other hand, the gear lever is quite small and requires a little practice to find it. Above 90 km, the wind protection is not great. But there is no miracle with such a small windshield.

The hand guards are plastic. In offroad, they won't last long. Without heated grips but with big gloves, I didn't suffer from the cold. I often had trouble with the locks, my key didn't always turn correctly, maybe too new. The Pirelli Scorpions are very quiet, especially compared to the Heidenau K60 or Metzeler Karoo 3. As soon as there are suitable crash bars, I will install them. I'm really scared of damage from a fall. The dealer told me that was one of the big fears of people who inquired about the Norden. They will try to do a test run with the KTM 890 adv crashbars to see if they fit. For the moment, Husqvarna has nothing planned yet.

My previous bike was a 2008 R1200GS Adv. Fabulous bike but got too heavy for me. The Norden will certainly replace it very well.

Next steps : topcase Givi Dolomiti, soft panniers from Bumot and central stand OEM.

I’m in the US and my 901 is on order. I have a 32” inseam and sat on a 901 at the dealer today. I’m thinking about the lowering kit, but I have a question. The rear shock on the 901 has an easy adjustment knob for the preload. The picture in the accessories for the lowering kit implies you replace the whole shock and spring assembly and it shows a shock that requires a tool to adjust the preload. If I go with the lowering kit, do I lose the easy preload adjustment knob feature?

 

[BernardV]

I’m in the US and my 901 is on order. I have a 32” inseam and sat on a 901 at the dealer today. I’m thinking about the lowering kit, but I have a question. The rear shock on the 901 has an easy adjustment knob for the preload. The picture in the accessories for the lowering kit implies you replace the whole shock and spring assembly and it shows a shock that requires a tool to adjust the preload. If I go with the lowering kit, do I lose the easy preload adjustment knob feature?

Yes, you lose this easy adjustment. The shock of this lowering kit is the shock of the 790 adv with just the preload adjustment no rebond adjustment.

Take a look at this Lowering kit

 

[Javaddicted]

Got mine about week ago. Ordered the lowering kit, 5-7” tall. Rides like a dream, seems to absorb everything, has crazy power to weight ratio making it feel smaller than it is. I already dropped it 🙄, but it’s gonna happen when u hit the dirt, so thought I’d get it over with sooner. 🤣 What was the damage, slight scuff to the aluminum bottom shields, which can be replaced even after market, although not planning to until I really need to. I kinda like the idea of having the original shock and springs, if I decide to bring it back to stock height later on if ground clearance is an issue.

 

[KrillOill]

Got mine about week ago. Ordered the lowering kit, 5-7” tall. Rides like a dream, seems to absorb everything, has crazy power to weight ratio making it feel smaller than it is. I already dropped it 🙄, but it’s gonna happen when u hit the dirt, so thought I’d get it over with sooner. 🤣 What was the damage, slight scuff to the aluminum bottom shields, which can be replaced even after market, although not planning to until I really need to. I kinda like the idea of having the original shock and springs, if I decide to bring it back to stock height later on if ground clearance is an issue.

Same height and totally get the height struggles. I've been making it work, but haven't been off-road yet and I know that will be a challenge not being able to get both feet planted enough to matter. I'm really interested in opinions from folks that have installed the lower kit. Did they lose any off-road capability? Does it change any characteristics of the bike at all? Just hesitant in general to get/install the lowering kit. Not sure if my worries are warranted or not.