Nuda Launch Rapid - Husqvarna

idden-bike LaunchNUDEPommie headsnorth to sample theHusqvarna Nudaand comes backimpressed…TEST: Tony ‘Pommie’ Wildingphotography: iKaptureIt’s always nice to be asked to go to a launch and is a privilege to be one of the first people inAustralia to ride a new bike release – especially when it’s Husqvarna’s first real road bike since the’60s. The Husqvarna Nuda is actually based on the BMW F 800 parallel twin, of whom it shares theengine and chassis – all be it in a heavily modified way. This is far from a bad thing as the BMW is acracker of a bike to start with and super reliable – Husky have just remade the bike from the groundup into a very exciting, steroid feed street weapon…After a brief presentation, I get suited up and throw a leg over the very sharply ‘Italian’ styledNuda 900R. The first thing that strikes me is it looks and feels nothing like the F 800 BMW that Ihad previously tested. The bike is extremely narrow and has some very sharp angles, all of which I’mtold provided a function, from the wide vent panels on the tank area that force air into the airbox,to the front guard that looks more like some sort of diffuser from an F1 car. The actual 13 litre fueltank is located under the seat to keep the centre of gravity down low, while it’s accessed in a moreconventional manner from the flat tank area. The seat height is pretty tall on the R, at 875mm to895mm, depending on where you have the ride height set on the fully adjustable Ohlins shock.Although, the standard 900 model is a bit lower at 870mm and has a softer seat as a bonus – the900 seat is also stepped up on the rear to aid with passenger comfort when two-up. Talking aboutthe rear, it has to be one of the sleekest in the business and is fitted standard with an LED taillightand indicators. Opposite to that, the 'bars are very wide so you get that instant ‘motard feel’ whenyou stretch your arms out. One thing I do like is the dash layout, it has everything you need to let youknow what’s going on, such as a gear shift indicator, rev counter, digital speedo and clock and its veryeasy to read – extra info can be gained by a small toggle button on the dash.THE FUN PARTPoking at the start button the parallel twin sparks to life and sounds like a beast with a deep raspygrowl – how they got it through our tough ADR rules is beyond me but I’m glad they did. The Rmodel has a slightly different muffler that has a carbon-fibre guard and tail cap but booth soundequally as menacing, as all nine Husky Nuda’s all fire up at the same time and I get that tinglingfeeling down the back of my neck.As we head out of the city to the Gold Coast hinterland, the urban environment is the perfectplace to try out the commuting capabilities of the Nuda. The cable-operated clutch is reasonably lightand the gearbox is precise and slick. The 900R has one tooth less on the frontsprocket so it has a bit more poke away from the lights. However, the engine hasthat much torque that it’s really not needed and I find myself in third and fourthmost of the time at speeds of 50km/h and less, as its far smoother than the firstand second gear instant wheelie punching throttle response, and the fantasticgrunt of the engine is more than happy to abridge. With the bike being sonarrow, any sort of lane splitting shenanigans is only a thought process and thebike has a fantastic steering lock if you really want to get creative in your trafficcarving...I have a bit of a play with the two map modes the Nuda comes with; one isthe standard full power map, the other is a rain map [mode 2]. The rain mapreally just alters the ignition curve and fuelling making the throttle more doughyand less snappy – perfect for riding in any sort of slippy conditions. I would ratherthe mode button be accessed on the handlebar rather than the dash, as it can betricky to change on the move with gloves on, but this is only a small gripe really.Getting into the mountains is where the fun is and if this were my bike, thisis exactly the sort of place I’d be heading for to get my jollies. The engine isthe same on the 900 and 900R and is just a thing of beauty; it feels like a crossbetween a V-twin and a triple by the way it delivers its 105hp. From the momentI twist the throttle that 105hp, which may not sound like much to your1000cc sports bike rider, feels like it’s there instantly.This is probably because it also has 100Nm of torque, which has the feelof being available from tick over all the way to the 8500rpm redline – perfect40 RB issue #73

issue #73 RB41

idden-bike LaunchengineCLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE:Wide, flat 'bars and multifunctionLCD dash. Goodheadlight. Radial pullmaster-cylinder. Ohlins forthe R. Rubber 'peg platforms.Brembo monoblocks.for mountain corner carving. You do get a bit of vibrationfrom the engine but just enough to let you know your havingfun and riding something special – never enough to be a painor become annoying – at least not on my 300km ride.One of the Husky Nuda’s best features is the handling andneither the standard 900 and the R don’t disappoint on thisfront. The R has fully adjustable suspension, with 48mm Sachsupside-down forks at the front and an off centred Ohlins rearshock, while the 900 gets the lesser spec Sachs front suspension and an fully adjustable Sachsrear shock – both bikes share the same trellis steel frame that’s been adapted from the BMWF 800 GS.On these mountain roads there is everything from ultra tight 15km/h marked hairpincorners that are riddled with potholes, to wide open sweepers laced with the smoothesthot mix I’ve ever seen. As I head up the side of the mountain on the Nuda R, it does feel abit more flighty and lighter on the 'bars than the 900, this is because it is sprung stiffer and is higheroff the ground – definitely a more race oriented setup with a supermotard feel. Braking hard andtipping in to a 45km/h marked corner that has a few bumps on the entry, is not enough to unsettleone of the Nuda'sbest features isthe handling andneither the 900 or Rdisappoint...Based on BMW F 800 parallel twin, those clever Husky engineershave worked there magic. The engine capacity has been takenout to 898cc by increasing the bore by 2mm to 84mm and thenthe stroke was lengthened by 5.4mm. Other improvements is thenew eight-valve cylinder-head that has a higher compression ratioof 13.0:1, the heads sport new camshafts along with 1mm biggerdiameter steel valves and revised cam timing, the head also hasa larger water jacket to aid with cooling. Stronger forged pistonsand forged conrods are used, along with a new crankshaft. Theengine has a 315-degree offset throw to the crankshaft, whichgives a very unique sound along with an impressive torque curve.A reciprocating counter balancer beneath the crank is drivenby a slave (third) conrod that does a great job of reducing anyengine vibration normally associated with a twin-cylinder, plusthis method is less power draining than a conventional chaindriven counter balancer. Basically, the only thing on the engineleft, that is BMW, is the six-speed gearbox.Fuel is sorted by a Magneti Marelli ECU which pumps the fuelthrow 46mm Dell’Orto throttle bodies, this setup is extremelyeconomical, with Husqvarna claiming fuel figures of 5.3L per100km/h at a constant 120km/h and a range of 250km.The result is an output of 105hp at 8500rpm and moreimportantly plenty of torque from low down in the rev range,peaking at 100Nm at 7000rpm, and to keep the power deliverysmooth, a power-valve has been incorporated into the exhaust.chassisThe steel trellis frame is taken directly from the BMW F 800 GS, itwas then shortened by a further 50mm, the steering head anglehas also been reduced to 24.5-degrees with a trail of 101mm, thesteering head tube is now stronger to increase torsional rigidity– these changes improve handling and make the bike more agilethrough the turns.The frame is matted to large 48mm Sachs USD frontsuspension that have a long 210mm of travel to help absolve thebumps, while at the rear the off set Sachs shock is fully adjustablefor preload, compression and rebound and has 180mm of travel.The R model uses higher spec fully adjustable 48mm SachsUSD front suspension and a fully adjustable rear Ohlins unit that isalso adjustable for ride height – the centre of gravity has also beenraised on the R model to increase ground clearance and handling.The rear double-sided aluminium swingarm runs on roller bearingsthat sit in the crankcase for super smooth movement.Both bikes use 320mm twin floating rotors at the front, whilethe 900 grabs with four-piston Brembo radial mounted calipers,the R model uses extremely powerful one-piece monobloc Bremboradial mounted calipers. Both models use the same twin-pistonBrembo caliper with a 265mm rotor.optionsKIT TOURING FULL ....................................................... $2,031.25KIT TOURING LIGHT ..................................................... $1,596.00KIT RACING APPEAL ..................................................... $1,305.80KIT RACING TECH ........................................................ $2,176.40KIT URBAN ................................................................... $1,015.65FRONT SPROCKET 16T ................................................ $50.35OHLINS REAR SHOCK .................................................. $2,769.25CARBON AIRBOX COVER .............................................. $526.70CARBON FRONT FENDER ............................................. $326.70CARBON HEADLIGHT FAIRING ...................................... $381.45FUEL TANK SOFT BAG .................................................. $322.80REAR SOFT BAG KIT .................................................... $397.15REAR SOFT LATERAL BAGS ......................................... $185.85REAR UPPER SOFT BAG ............................................... $258.25TITANIUM CARBON MUFFLER KIT ................................ $1,097.25CARBON MUFFLER CLAMP .......................................... $224.95TWO COLOURS FLAT SEAT BLACK WHITE ................... $195.60HARD LATERAL BAGS KIT ............................................ $1,106.05ANTITHEFT ALARM KIT ................................................ $358.00LOW SEAT NUDA ......................................................... $195.60HEATED GRIPS KIT ....................................................... $215.20HIGH WINDSHIELD KIT ................................................. $273.85CNC FOOT-RESTS WITH SLIDERS AND LEVERS ........... $877.80CNC BRAKE AND CLUTCH LEVERS .............................. $451.4542 RBissue #73

idden-bike LaunchSPECIFICATIONS2012 HUSQVARNA NUDAPrice:Warranty:Colours:$13.995 + ORC (900R $15,995+ ORC)Two years/unlimited kilometresBlack/White, Black/White/RedClaimed power:Claimed torque:Dry Weight:Fuel capacity:75kw[105hp]@8500rpm100Nm[73.7-lbs]@7000rpm174kg13LEngine:Liquid-cooled, DOHC, inline paralleltwin, 90 x 68mm, 898cc, 13:0.1,electronic fuel injection, wet multiplateclutchChassis:tubular steel trellisWheelbase: 1495mmRake: 65.5 degTrail: 101mmSuspension:Front: 48mm inverted forks (900R:fully adjustable), 210mm travelRear: Sachs shock, fully adjustable(990R: Ohlins shock, fullyadjustable), 180mm travelBrakes:Front: Duel 320mm rotors withBrembo twin-piston radial calipers(990R: monoblock radial calipers)Rear: 265mm rotor, twin-pistoncalliperWheels & Tyres:Dimensions:Instruments:Aluminium, 3.50 x 17in & 5.50 x17in, 120/70ZR17 180/55ZR17Metzeler Sportec M5’sSeat height: 870mmOverall height: 1220Overall length: 2190mmMulti-function displayBELOW CLOCKWISE: F800 based engine andframe. Both the 900 and900R have a nice note.Lots of front trail givesastounding front gripand the bike even looksOK infront of cardboardboxes! R/H chain drive.the R’s Ohlins/Sachs combination and I can’t help but feel that with a bit of time spenttinkering, it would only improve the bike's manners. But for me, the standard 900 winswhen things get bumpy and unpleasant; the suspension is just plusher and absolvesthe ruts better. Once the Nuda’s on its side it feels well planted even when I hit a bit ofrough stuff, this is a feature that has remained from the super stable BMW F 800. Onthis front, a lot of these style of bikes tend to get out of shape and chatter due to theirdirt bike geometry – not so with the Nuda.Corner exit is where the fun is and it that sort of bike that I can really turn up thewick even when the bike is still laid over, and I can use just about all of the horsesavailable due to the smooth throttle response. Coming out of the corner the rear tyrejust digs in and drives and with the bike being so light, it really does get along veryquickly and it’s pretty addictive hammering up and down the gears – not only to go fastbut to hear the acoustics coming from the two-into-one exhaust.On the R model I really get to feel the awesome power of the Brembo four-pistonmonoblock radial brakes, I mean come on, the bike only weighs 194kg fully fuelled –these brakes would pull up a tank… Heading hard into a corner the sintered pads dohave a fair bit of initial bite, that takes some getting used to and at first I find myselfbraking far to early for each corner. Still, once I have my technique mastered and getused to the stopping power, I’m having a ball. The brakes on the 900 are slightly more‘beginner’ user friendly and are still very powerful, being four-pot Brembo’s and to behonest would be my preferred choice if this were my bike.There are a whole host of options for the Nuda, including a touring package andwhile the bike is more than capable of hauling you and your loved one, you have toremember that there is only a 13-litre fuel tank. Although, Husqvarna claim the bikewill travel 250km before you start to push, so it’s very fuel efficient. The seat wouldbe another draw back for any long distance work, it is rather narrow and hard – thestandard 900 seat is the softer option for your numb bum.CONCLUSIONI make no apologies by saying I love this style of bike and the Husqvarna Nuda is oneof the best of that ‘motard style’ breed. It has more than enough punch to get youinto trouble and the brakes to get you out again. The bike looks and sounds amazing,even with the standard exhaust pipe and on a twisty mountain road it would be almostunbeatable in the right hands and last but not least it’s great value and backed up byBMW reliability. The only choice is it the 900 or the 900R?RB44 RBissue #73