No more rumors from Husqvarna, the 900cc parallel-twin street motorcycle has been confirmed with a fine art depiction…and a rather florid description full of hyperbole. It is a pretty drawing...
A Husqvarna 900 Twin
Husqvarna has a long tradition of enduro and motocross motorcycles, and only returned to the street through their supermoto machines recently. A 900 twin streetbike from the Italian marque is something quite new and different, but not at all unexpected. The Husqvarna story of late has been a perfect lead up to this for fans of the 108 year-old motorcycle builder.
BMW and Husqvarna
Most of those aficionados would know the story, but the last quarter-century goes something like this: Husqvarna taken over by Cagiva and eventually relocated to Varese (in Italy), and then BMW comes along and buys the brand but leaves it in place as its own semi-autonomous subsidiary. This chain of events left Husky with some perfect clay from which to make this new Husqvarna 900cc parallel-twin street motorcycle.
Cagiva provided Husqvarna with access to a certain Massimo Tamburini and the Cagiva Research Centre, where many designs for street-oriented motorcycles were created with the big blue crowned-H badge. These conceptualizations appear to have influenced several aspects of this new machine, but there is also plenty of new owner BMW there too. The 900cc parallel-twin engine is most assuredly a bored-out version of the 800cc parallel-twin which powers several current BMW models – from the F650GS to the F800R.
Early Husqvarna 900 Twin Specifications
This early Husqvarna 900 Twin depiction manages to pull characteristics from the supermoto and streetfighter aesthetics into one agile looking motorbike. The BMW 800 twin on which the engine will be based is a smooth operator when paired with the frame correctly, and it can be tuned radically if needed – the extra 100cc will surely assist the power rating on this model.
The first news about that engine indicates that it will push some 95 horsepower and a seriously rowdy 70 lb/ft of torque. Other obvious attributes look to be a trellis-style frame with that 900cc parallel-twin as a stressed member, massive suspenders at both ends, a fuel tank hidden somewhere between the frame rails, chain final drive and dual radial-mount stoppers at the front.
Husqvarna 900 Twin Style
Husqvarna’s literature surely says it best when they describe their own 900 twin street machine:
“The strong shapes of the body are a consistent evolution of the new style and design direction introduced by the Varese-based company, and are testimony of the manufacturer’s ability to innovate," explains the so very understated Husqvarna.
“The architecture of the vehicle is brand new, above and beyond any layout available on the market. The characteristic shape of the side panels, the tension in the vibrant surfaces, the sculpted volumes define an athletic body. Dynamism, agility and lightness are balanced harmoniously. The functional air intakes integrated into the front of the body and the thin tail highlight the unique design of this new model,” as the statement further extols the Husqvarna 900 twin streetbike.
Husky 900 Twin Public Debut
What you read above is just about all of the data currently available on the 900 twin street machine from Husqvarna at this time. It will be November of this year before most of us will get our first view of this bike at the EICMA show in Milan. That will certainly be a time of rapid learning about this and other future motorcycles from Husky.
You may have seen that it is only written as the “Husqvarna 900cc parallel-twin street motorcycle” – the name will not be revealed until the real deal greets the press in Italy in a few months’ time…
