Husqvarna Nuda 900 Touring

HUSQVARNA’S Nuda 900 wouldn’t pop instantly to mind if you were thinking of a touring model. And fair enough, it’s a ballsy, no nonsense, aggressively styled machine which looks as though it’s ready for motard action just sitting on the stand.

But it’s amazing what a few touring accessories can turn a machine into. If we are being fair dinkum here you could go touring on a postie bike if you strap enough luggage onto it. It might not be all that fun but it can be done.

On face value this looks like what Husqvarna has done with the Nuda 900 Touring. It’s not a specific model as such, but a Nuda fitted with a set of hard panniers, small screen and a small tank bag, items all available through your Husqvarna dealer. But to think this would be a massive injustice to the capabilities of the bike.

The difference
When we tested the Nuda 900 and 900R in the May 2012 issue of Cycle Torque we were more in love with the 900 rather than the 900R.
While both bikes share the same mechanical package the 900R gets upspec suspension and brakes. It has more grunt down low due to shorter final gearing, and the seat height is taller.

On the whole it feels more manic to ride compared to the ‘standard’ 900 and we would rather own the 900 because it was just plain nicer to ride on the road.
It is cheaper too, $13,995, two grand less than the ‘R’.

To compare, the suspension on both bikes are 48mm Sachs forks, fully adjustable on the ‘R’, and with heavier springs.
At the rear the 900R gets a fully adjustable – including ride height – Ohlins shock, while the 900 gets a Sachs unit with preload adjustment only.

Brembo brakes are fitted to both models, but the 900R gets monoblock calipers. Let’s just say neither bike is underbraked.

Engine
The BMW based engine was changed extensively before it was placed in the Nuda chassis, which is straight from the BMW 800GS and shortened by 50mm.
For a start, it now has chain and not belt drive, it received an increase in capacity to 898cc and an increase in power from around 80ps to 105ps, and 100Nm of torque.Compression is up to 13:1, and its redline is 8000rpm.
Two power modes are available – Full Power and Rain Mode.

Road trip
As you can see from the pics, the Nuda is quite minimalist and you sit perched on top rather than in.
Overall though, it’s a reasonably comfortable bike to ride, with the only gripe being the flat and hard seat. When we say gripe, it’s meant in the context of a touring motorcycle.

The other issue for long distance work would be the lack of fuel range. It does have a range of around 250 kilometres, which by looking at the fuel tank you would immediately disbelieve.
That is until you realise the 13 litre fuel tank sits under the seat, as per its BMW forefather.

The bike will happily just cruise along, with its V-twin sounding parallel twin cylinder engine purring along. If you want to have a bit of a crack the Nuda can provide plenty of entertainment in that regard, and the touring accessories do not hinder the enjoyment in any way.

Touring accessories
Husqvarna has put a fair bit of thought into accessories for both Nuda 900 models, and in fact you can buy five different ‘kits’.

Our test bike was fitted with most of what’s in the Touring Kit, which normally consists of a windshield, tank bag, hard panniers, seat bag, heated grips and an anti-theft kit
You can also get a comfort seat and soft throw-over saddlebags, so there’s plenty of scope to kit out a Nuda for longer distance runs.

The full price for the Touring Kit is $2031, and is by far the most cost effective way to buy the parts.
Buy them separately and it will cost you more.

Final word
While the Nuda 900 might not be an ideal touring bike it still does a pretty good job of being one when fitted with a factory Touring Kit. It will lope along while you take in the scenery on a long weekend away, and when all of a sudden you hit some primo curves you can just wind the wick up and have some fun.

It might be more of a sports bike than a tourer but it never feels out of its depth when on tour.