REV'IT! Norden 901 Adventure Travel Project Part 2

With that notion, the Norden 901 Adventure Travel Project moves into phase two, with everyone on the team getting in on the action.

It is obviously still a part of the REV'IT! company bike fleet.

We left the REV'IT! Norden with a more fit-for-purpose stance, thanks to some serious suspension and chassis tech upgrades that Touratech and Husqvarna Motorcycles helped provide. This set the stage for Guido – one of our graphic design talents – to perform his magic on the visuals. We’re a design company, after all. 

So, just like the in-house designs we’ve rolled out for our daily company vehicles and the Racing Technology Center MotoGP service truck, the Norden’s final design received the full treatment. With special attention to every square millimeter of bodywork, we clattered it with unmistakable REV'IT! patterns, visuals, and detailing. Profound details like the inspirational creed across the top of the tank and subtle features like REV'IT! HQ’s exact coordinates along the side fairing. And even on the wheels!

Having inadvertently set a deadline for the REV'IT! Norden 901’s first real appearance at the Dutch Adventure Challenge off-road event, we were going to need a team effort to pull it off. A shared drive tends to shift things into gear - in this case, into top gear - as it turned out. Coordinator and project fixer, Jordy, got to calling in favors and ensuring the moving parts kept moving in the right direction – and at the right time, too. 

The worn standard tires were not going to cut it; all would agree. A quick call to Metzeler to source new, sharp, and grippy, knobby Metzeler Karoo 4 tires, while graphic designer – and resident get-it-done guy – Björn resolutely raised his hand to get the Norden to Dylan at Shred Graphics in time. The Norden’s brand-new graphics were going to be laid down in durable, off-road-ready sticker material. Only the sturdy stuff would suffice.

The Norden 901 needed the sturdy stuff because it was going to have to stand the test of participating in the 2024 edition of the Adventure Challenge. A one-day adventure bike event held at Action Planet – just north of Amsterdam. If you think all of the Netherlands is flat, think again! This purpose-built off-road compound wouldn’t just put our Norden 901 Adventure Travel Project bike to the test... Nick, REV'IT!’s resident copywriter and washed-up motorcycle journalist, ran his mouth about taking part in the Challenge aboard the Norden, and of course, the team held him to it. 

Luckily, Team REV'IT! had a wildcard to play with #revitrider Peet Gerards (@trophy_peet) also representing the brand at the sharp end of the competition. With two riders in the fray and with the enthusiasm and digital creative skills of Social Media Manager Fleur and our coordinator turned cameraman Jordy on-site, the Adventure Challenge was a go for Team REV'IT!.

With the Norden 901 purring anticipatively, and with the DIRT Series outfits assembled for whatever-the-weather-readiness, it was time to get the all-shiny and all-REV'IT! Norden 901 dirty like a good adventure bike should. From sand-dune surfing and gravity-defying hill-climb action, to the quintessential wooden off-road obstacle courses and vehicle control challenges, the Adventure Challenge clearly was not for the faint hearted.

But the benefits of the Norden’s modifications and upgrades were shining through just as the sun would eventually do – though there were muddy smiles and cheeky grins all around regardless. If those smiles were a prize, most of the 93 participants would have left feeling like winners. Nick sure did. Gritting his teeth as Touratech’s crash bars and handguards proved their worth. It’s not about going down; it’s about getting back up. Speaking of a having a winner's mentality and riding through adversity: Peet was so incredibly close to that win. Just one slight mishap early in the competition and the Dutchman was on the backfoot all the way to his – still very well-earned – second place on the Adventure Challenge podium.

Looking back after the event was through, and after riding through adventure and plenty of challenges, we can say our company bike did more than alright. Adventure ready, it very much is. Now all it needs is just a little bit more travel preparedness. Touratech’s Extreme waterproof luggage kit and Husqvarna Motorcycles' high-rise touring screen might be back on in mere minutes, it was still missing some crucial direction. 

Though it did already have a mount above the stock TFT dash to take a front-and-center mounted GPS: Cue the multifunctional Garmin Tread sat nav with its crystal clear and edgeless TFT color display. Even readied for GPS messengers and built to weather rugged terrain, this is the kind of digital travel companion that will at long last set us on our way.

We’re pointing the REV'IT! Norden 901 Adventure Travel Project bike’s front wheel directly at the unknown. We will be taking the Norden on the road – and off, too! – to attend adventure events across the European continent. 

Whatever the reason to ride, the event we’ve ridden up to, or whichever the REV'IT! Team member you find riding the REV'IT! Norden: Come up, say hi, and let’s just talk about riding bikes and going on an adventure. 

See you out there!

There are so many ADV events we’re looking to take our REV'IT! Norden 901 Adventure Travel Project bike to, and there’s always an event somewhere near you, or worth the trip to ride out to. If you still need convincing, take a look at some our other adventure journals for inspiration.