2020 HUSQVARNA 701 SUPERMOTO
R I D E R E V I E W
P70
tem to my FS 450, if for nothing
else than the quick upshifting).
You also have the APTC slip-
per clutch (Adler Power Torque
Clutch) at your disposal, mean-
ing you can ram back down
through the gears and not lock
the rear wheel. This is joyous for
backing it in, as you play with
the chassis balance on the rear,
brake slide the back tire right
to the apex. Most of the time, I
screw this part up, but it's still
more fun to back a bike in than
to do wheelies—in my opinion.
My FS 450 has given me a bit
of prior knowledge for the 701's
new traction control and dual
throttle map settings. As on the
450, I preferred to switch the
701's map settings to level one
for a smoother initial hit of power
(especially so given the mas-
sive single piston between my
legs), and turn traction control
and ABS off. Traction control
inadvertently works as a wheelie
control on the 701, so if you
launch the front wheel skywards
with the system on, the com-
puter says "no" really quickly and
brings it back to terra firma.
The two-channel Bosch 9.1
MP cornering ABS is pretty
unobtrusive, but it does kick
in a little early for my liking
when you're really hammering
the brakes. Feel at the lever is
decent, as is the stopping power
from the four-piston front caliper.
The 48mm fork is set quite
stiff and can make the Husqvar-
na a little hesitant to begin the
first part of the corner. Backing
off the compression damping
can help here, but the ride is a
little harsh from the front, es-
pecially when hitting hard-edge
bumps like potholes at speed.
The front
suspension is
quite stiff and
can make the 701
slightly reluctant
to begin the
corner, but once
in there, stability
is good.
