VOL. 53 ISSUE 25 JUNE 28, 2016 P97
out of its comfort zone.
However, doing the donkey-
work around town and between
traffic lights, the nimble nature of
the 701 SM quickly makes you
forget about the foibles of the
freeway and the bike begins to
make sense. There's far more
than ample grunt on offer to get
you out of any sticky situations,
and at slower speeds the 701
isn't nearly as vibey as it is at
70+ mph.
Below this speed, the suspen-
sion works better to give you a
slightly gentler ride. At
freeway speeds the 701's
ride is harsh and far from
fun; below them, the 701
is in its happy zone, al-
lowing full range of travel
from the WP suspension
and most importantly, the
allowing the damping to
work to its full potential.
This is where you start to
realize what this bike is good for.
Hey, it's a supermoto, after all,
not a superbike or a supercross
bike. And when you go hunting
for the kind of corners
associated with this
sensational form of
bike sport, the 701
SM will reward you in
spades.
Give the engine
what it's for and the
701 responds with
the eagerness of a 21-year-old
going clubbing for the first time.
The motor scorches up the rev
range, power is available every-
where, and as long as you don't
stay in one spot in the rev range
"THE 701 DEMANDS TO BE RIDDEN
LIKE IT WAS STOLEN."
The 701 SM is
powered by the
same motor
found in the KTM
690 Duke. It'll be
a while before
you wear out the
front tire.
