Swedish-born, Italian-based and German-owned motorcycle brand Husqvarna has come clean with details on a new street bike engine, which is based on the BMW F 800 R power core.
When BMW took over Husqvarna in 2007, it made no secret of its plans to expand the brand's line-up and news of the newly fettled 900cc parallel twin-cylinder engine will be music to the ears of riders looking for something a little different.
While details are scarce about what the new street bike will be, rumours from inside Varese at Husqvarna's HQ suggest that a naked street bike designed to rival the KTM Super Duke and Ducati Supermotard is on the cards.
According to Husqvarna, the company has "...reached a significant milestone in its long history by developing a street bike that will create an innovative new riding concept. This will focus on a unique combination of performance and versatility, with the pleasure and fun of riding the machine."
That's about as much as Husqvarna is willing to reveal, but is has detailed engine characteristics and has released a number of photos - all of which are conspicuous for their presence of BMW engineers.
Taking the BMW F 800 R engine, an 800cc twin-cylinder unit, the motorcycle maker has modified it for "the specific needs of Husqvarna's new bike concept."
The word 'sporty' seems to pop up in the media statement quite a bit, and Husqvarna has outlined that many of the water-cooled engine's components have been 'reworked' which together with the increase in displacement results in "a reasonable increase in power and torque".
Together with altered exhaust and air-box designs, Husqvarna claims the new 900cc parallel twin will be "linear and smooth at low rpm, but strong and outstanding at high revs".
BMW's F 800 R engine has a bore and stroke of 82mm x 75.6mm and judging by Husqvarna's comments of an 'outstanding' top end, it's likely that stroke will remain relatively unchanged and bore will be increased. Rated at 86hp (64kW) at 8000rpm and 86Nm of torque at 6000rpm, there's every chance the new 900cc Husqvarna engine will get close to 100hp, while torque is likely to hit 90Nm.
With Husqvarna working closely with BMW Motorrad to develop a new engine for its first street bike, we can expect a reliable and user-friendly power plant with plenty of scope for shenanigans.
Expect more of the drip feed campaign up until November when the Italian-based company reveals solid details on its new street bike at the EICMA motorcycle expo in Milan.
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