Husqvarna Nuda 900 R
It’s done 95,000 miles!
“I’VE GENERALLY AVOIDED mainstream bikes and before the Husky I owned a series of supermotos, which are great fun but totally impractical and is why I ended up with the Nuda. I live in East Yorkshire but when I got a job in Essex in 2014, the 220-mile commute wasn’t possible on a supermoto. I saw the Nuda in 2011 at the bike show and loved its mad blend of a supermoto and naked bike and I also prefer twins to inline fours, so when I saw one for sale in 2014 with just 850 miles on its clocks, I snapped it up. At that point, the Nuda was seen as a failure, so it was cheap!
“I put on a screen, heated grips and a 12v socket to run heated clothing and the Nuda made for a comfortable commuter thanks to its upright riding position. During the whole 95,000 miles it only let me down three times — and one of those was totally my fault.
“After about 35,000 miles, the filler cap was getting a bit stiff and I ended up shearing the key off in the lock, which was annoying. Also, the wiring to the fuel-pump relay corroded and left me stranded shortly afterwards. It was a simple fix but I ended up mis-diagnosing it as a broken pump before I spotted the corroded wire. And then there was the one that was my fault…
“At just short of 85,000 miles, a few weeks before I left the job in Essex and took one five miles from home, I accidentally brimmed it with diesel. After hanging on the starter for way too long I diesel-locked the engine and burned through the starter cable’s insulation. To be safe I bought a new engine for £1800 from a Nuda specialist but when I removed the motor, I got carried away and ended up stripping the bike back to its frame and getting it all powder coated to create a Nuda special. I’ve since done another 10,000 miles on it and I ride for fun, as my commute is now so short.
“The Nuda’s motor is very solid and is built by Rotax, which knows its stuff. I change the oil every 10,000 miles using Motul 300V 5W-50 fully-synthetic and although I checked the valve clearances at 50,000 miles, they didn’t need doing. I know a lad who has done 125,000 on his Nuda without touching them.
“Right now, my Nuda is in pieces as I’m starting to find it a bit too slow on the straights during trackdays at Cadwell Park, so I’m going to fit a turbo over winter, as I still love it! A 170bhp turbo Nuda R will be the ideal bike for me.”