For some time now, manufacturers of motorcycles for the mass market have had one thing in common: the following: If they are going to spend R&D resources to create a new engine, they better believe that engine will be at the center of several models. Honestly, you can’t argue against the logic.
When Husqvarna finally released the Norden 901 to the world as a 2022 model, the internet breathed a collective sigh of relief. At that point, it wasn’t a matter of “if”; like so many other things, it was more a matter of “when”.
Why? Because by that time, test photos, teasers, rumors, and all sorts of things had been circulating for years. Rumors come up all the time, but they usually disappear quickly if there’s no substance behind them. That wasn’t the case with the Norden.
Interestingly, however, the Norden is still alone in the Husqvarna 901 lineup as of February 2024. While it’s true that the Norden 901 shares the same engine with some of its KTM 890 sisters under the Pierer umbrella, it still seems a bit strange that it hasn’t been joined by at least one more 901. After all, we’ve seen test photos depicting more than one 901 in testing since at least 2019.
Evidently, Husqvarna must think so too, because they just released a teaser for an upcoming video launch on March 5, 2023. The 30-second short film, posted on the company’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, shows what appears to be a new 901 prepared for ice racing.
We have access to several close-up images of the studded tires tearing through the ice, with audio of the studs biting into the ice with a sound quality sharp enough to send shivers down your spine. The sound of the engine is present for part of the time, but it’s evident that this whole video is just a teaser. So, you don’t see much, although we were able to extract some key images to try to understand what we’re seeing.
Judging from the images we see in this teaser, compared to the recently refreshed small-displacement Svartpilens and Vitpilens 2024, it seems quite Svarty to me. But not entirely; the high-mount exhaust is clearly a change. On the other hand, if this is indeed a teaser for some kind of production ‘Pilen, it is obvious that it will not come from the factory with studded tires. So, it may just be a racing modification.
However, I asked around and here’s what some of the remaining RA team members observed.
What do you think, reader? Are you ready for the biggest ‘Pilen ever? And what do you think we’re looking at? Let us know in the comments.
