Husqvarna Nuda 900R: how do you say 'KTM' in Italian?

These are the first images of the Husqvarna Nuda 900R, a new high-end, quasi-dirt-style, naked roadster from BMW’s Italian brand. The Nuda adds 100cc, a steel-trellis frame, fully-adjustable suspension and edgy, angular styling to the basic premise of the BMW F800R. Think parallel-twin KTM SuperDuke and you won’t be far off.

On Wednesday, we learned that the Nuda would make “more than 100bhp” and weigh “below 386lbs,” giving it a power-to-weight ratio a little ahead of the Ducati Hypermotard 1100 and a little behind the KTM. Like those European competitors, this dirtbike-influenced streetbike also comes with high-end running gear — a Brembo Monobloc caliper, fully-adjutable, remote-reservoir Ohlins shock and Sachs USD forks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-l2E2q2nhk&feature=player_embeddedVideo courtesy Omnimoto.it.

And those two bikes remain a good point of comparison as we move into the styling, which combines the dirt-style ergonomics of the Hypermotard — look how long and narrow the seat is — with the kind of creases and bold surfaces that have come to define KTM.

Curiously, the fuel cap is offset to the left, the same side of the bike the sidestand is on. Looks like you’ll be sitting on this one at the pumps.

One concern we have with this new Husqy is price. That F800R donor bike is already a tad pricey at $9,950 and, with premium suspension, a labor-intensive frame, relatively low volume production and that punched-out motor, the Nuda should add at least $1,500 or $2,000 to that, if not more. Are buyers prepared to spend liter-bike money on a parallel-twin?