VOL. 53 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 9, 2016 P69
the gears and when holding a
steady rpm at highway speeds,
which the Husky does surpris-
ingly well. The bike cruised
along nicely at an indicated 70
mph, and I saw 100 mph on
the digital speedometer once
on a long but somewhat down-
hill stretch of road. The bike
seemed to be geared well for
both the tight and twisty roads
and for those wide-open sec-
tions.
Thankfully, the 701 has
super-strong brakes that are not
grabby whatsoever, and the slip-
per clutch does its job superbly.
You can't get the back end to
chatter on downshifts or on the
rear brake even if you try, at
least I couldn't, so this makes it
fairly easy to get the back end to
slide with confidence as you en-
ter a turn, Supermoto-style; that
is, of course, with the rear ABS
turned off. Both the Supermoto
and Enduro models I rode were
fitted with the dongle switch and
set with the rear ABS turned off.
I never missed the rear ABS,
nor did I ever feel the front ABS
kick into action without trying
to do so on purpose. Luckily, it
was a nice, dry and sunny day
on this ride and the front ABS
had it easy, but it was reassuring
to know that the front ABS—the
important one—was always there
if needed. Sandy patches often
have a way of popping up where
you don't want them.
The Supermoto feels light
and agile, even though it's
not a feather on the scale at a
claimed 330 pounds dry. Figure
it weighs approximately 350
pounds with a full tank of fuel.
But with the tank positioned
where it is, aft and somewhat
low, the 701 has a very bal-
anced feel with light steering.
Again, the Supermoto's ergos
are neutral and should fit a wide
range of bodies, as it did my
6'1" frame. I had no issues with
the Supermoto's 35-inch seat
height, which is just under an
inch lower than the Enduro's.
Hand guards are a nice touch
on the Supermoto but a very
much-welcomed necessity on
the Enduro model. And speaking
of guards, both bikes have plas-
tic, though seemingly strong,
skid plates.
Overall, I found the Super-
moto to be easy to ride and very
unintimidating thanks to its linear
powerband, relaxed riding posi-
tion and powerful and ABS-fitted
brakes.
ENDURO
Day two was the 701 Enduro's
turn. The Enduro and Super-
moto are essentially the same
bike but with different wheels
and tires, gearing, suspension
and ABS settings. Different
triple clamps result in a slight
geometry difference up front.
The steering-head angle is 45°
for the Supermoto and 44° for
the Enduro, and offset is 35mm
for the Supermoto and 33mm
for the Enduro; trail is the same
for both bikes at 112mm. The
Enduro has a slightly longer
wheelbase.
Both the
Supermoto and
Enduro feature
the same WP
4CS forks that
are found on all
of Husky's
dirt bikes.
