Stupidly Fast & Capable, But Worth Buying? Husqvarna 701 Enduro First Ride

#husqvarna #701 #enduro #motorcycle #dualsport #dirtbike #adventure
Ridden off-road, twisties and a bit of everything else. But do I like it?
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[@jonwoodworker]

Excellent review, Curtis. I enjoy the way you explain clearly how you feel on the bike. To many reviewers, just talk stats, which has nothing to do with usability. Ian at BigRockMoto is my goto because he reviews a lot of bikes and is very thorough. I could watch you ride the DE every video, but if you keep getting new bikes to review, your channel will be as successful as Ian's. And thank you for converting things for us in the USA.

[@onthebackwheel]

I don't watch much KZbin, but have seen a bit of Ian's stuff and he does a great job

[@BigRockMoto]

​@onthebackwheel I think you're doing a great job, keep going! We need more honest reviewers like you who actually ride off road!

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate, good to hear from you

[@snowgo5922]

I second that… thanks for the US conversion!

[@ianross225]

I have one in the UK and love it. I’m in the US now riding 4,000 miles of mixed on and off-road over 23 days (this is day 21) on a 2019 KTM 690. It has a Nomad tower, bar risers, lower pegs and a Seat Concepts seat. We’re doing 6 to 8 hours a day and it’s excellent. A Rade Garage auxiliary fuel tank and stunning fuel economy gives 300 miles with plenty spare. My average is 80mpg (UK gallons). Expensive for sure but for my needs it’s the tool. I’m staggered by its road manners. The TC is fantastic and keeps things moving. I’m using map 1 to keep it under control on the mix of off-road having found map 2 softer on the throttle but tail sliding and not great with all my gear on board. I’ll modify my 701 when I get home. The buzz though the bars is a bit annoying but hasn’t bothered me over the past three weeks. Cheers, Ian

[@onthebackwheel]

Sounds like a serious ride mate. The rade garage tank does look the goods

[@maxflight777]

Nice post Ian .. please may I recommend.. the Rade garage tower .. oh and stick with standard exhaust

[@ianross225]

@@maxflight777 Thanks Max. Totally with you on the exhaust despite the temperature it gets to. My only issue with the Rade tower is that the screen is lower than the Nomad. The Nomad works perfectly but if you’ve got good experience perhaps a rethink. It’s quite a lot more than the Nomad but I certainly prefer the Rade from quality and function perspectives. Best, Ian

[@elliot7179]

Really enjoy your bike reviews , a lot more useful info than most . Actually riding the bike and giving your thoughts on specific annoyances with the bikes while you ride makes it feel like your genuine opinion

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate. I love doing them too which no doubt helps

[@maxflight777]

1:54 it’s important that it’s quiet … doesn’t frighten horses or animals. Ph the lack of engine breaking is a good thing, so easy to sling through twisty tarmac

[@onthebackwheel]

It's too quiet for me, you can't gauge the revs and it feels choked up. I don't like a crazy loud bike, but this is too much

[@ridemfast7625]

Good review. Yes, negatives are easily remedied. Tires, bars, adjust shocks... Or take my thrifty approach and buy a used bike. Save literally $$$$$, and these things and even more will already be done. I ride the 701 for an hour or two to get to the fun stuff in the Sierras. Fun in the twisties and very capable off road.

[@onthebackwheel]

For sure mate, I'm also a big fan of buying 2nd hand

[@anymouse6202]

Thanks

[@jonathanallen1962]

hey mate! i own the ktm 690 and im so glad you got to experience this monster!! loved the review keep it up!

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate. Definitely a weapon!

[@KentRodgman]

Love my Husky 701! Coming from an F800GS it's just so much more capable in my hands. And I dig how easy it is to carry the front wheel over objects. It almost wheelies by telepathy... My buddy bought the 690 first and I like it too but I couldn't buy the same one... and I'm so happy with the Husky it worked out great. Great review, maybe just because it matches my own feelings about it. I was able to get a '17 with lots of extra parts for $10k here in Canada (about 2 years ago), but it was a unicorn... not many used ones for sale around here. That is a good indication of how happy people are that own them.

[@onthebackwheel]

That's always a good sign. How are you finding ownership from a servicing and reliability point of view?

[@KentRodgman]

I haven't needed to do much beyond oil changes up to now. Though I have done fork seals twice now .. but that's probably a me problem. Just a week ago though my clutch slave finally gave up. I know those are a known thing for these bikes and I think I was lucky it lasted so long. Got the Oberon on the way now, but aside from that it's been an absolute unit. I would buy another one in a heartbeat

[@billcotton1551]

I just love the way the Husky looks. Can't say that about the Gasgas. Great review, Curtis!

[@onthebackwheel]

Cheers mate. It's funny, you put a black set of rims on the Gasgas and it looks amazing

[@vaughndrew852]

Sick bike the 701 but for me I'd get to complacent and hurt my self going to hard where the big 800de reminds me to remember I'm a 44 yr old dad and a kx 125 for 30 minutes would get that rush out of the system for the week mate another entertaining video as always.

[@onthebackwheel]

I get it mate. The 800 is definitely easier to ride. Here's the thing, I don't think I was riding any slower except when it got rough

[@TheGreatChrisB]

I have this bike and it's great. The front and rear suspension are both fully adjustable and it makes a big difference. Gears 1 and 2 are very long, 1st gear will get you to like 50kph easily, second will take you to 80-90kph while still having strong torque. Gears 5 and 6 are purely highway and freeway gears, but even they have decent get up and go. This bike is pretty good at it all, even gets good gas mileage, just wish the tank wasn't so small. My 2 big complaints with the bike is that you have to replace the exhaust, the stock one will melt your turn signal off, it's a horrible design. Second the mirrors are pretty bad, they are way too tall so they vibrate a ton.

[@onthebackwheel]

I didn't know it melted the exhuast, good info mate

[@cliff1551]

1:12 traction light on traction control off ,abs light on abs off ,silly but remember it ,and quick shift let the bike rev itself don't rev it yourself to down shift else it will suprise you 😅😂in mode two especially 😅😂

[@onthebackwheel]

Mate took me a little to get used to thats for sure!

[@danielhusain7570]

I love your down to earth reviewing style. I agree with all points and even though my 701 gives me no confidence to travel, and every day has a new weird feeling to the engine... well... It's a tonne of fun off road on tracks like you rode here. It's happy place is off-road yet it has more power then you need in those mid to high rev ranges... All of that power is only good for a quick bit of excitement on the roads... I'd love to get mine fully open with a remap but damn do I need the warranty on this bike. It just always sounds and feels like its about to blow up

[@onthebackwheel]

Haha you aren't alone in feeling that. Sometimes it seems like the oil takes a while to flow through and they clatter a bit

[@powertrip1050]

another excellent review !! good job, mate...and good advice on purchasing "alternatives"

[@onthebackwheel]

Cheers mate. That Gasgas is cracking value

[@adub59]

A proper review….not a bunch of blah, blah, blah, just great riding and commentary. I just bought a 701, moving away from a Triumph Tiger Rally Pro. As you pointed out, it is a blast to ride even though a bit choked down with all the emissions stuff. The handle bar mounts can be spun around to open up the cockpit and if you are not on the highway a lot going down a tooth on the counter shaft sprocket will help the bottom end. Yeah….it is pricey for a big dirt bike, but I can still do more highway miles more comfortably than a regular dirt bike, it has TC and ABS. Also, unlike my 900, I am not real concerned about dropping it in the dirt when it comes to weight or repair costs.

[@onthebackwheel]

Cheers and valid point about dropping it. There isn't much to break. I was thinking about the cost, a KTM 500 is near enough the same price so I suppose it isn't too bad

[@SK3DDO]

I've got a 2019 701, now at about 29,000km, and you're right about the ergos and the front/rear balance. Ergos are an easy fix. Compared to some of the other bikes I've had, it really seems to affected more/in stranger ways by the front/rear balance. Getting one of the Xtrig preload adjusters for the rear shock so you can dial the rear preload is pretty important, and was well worth it. You can even get tool-free preload adjuster caps for the front forks too.

[@onthebackwheel]

Glad it isn't just me. Do you find it's affected by changes more?

[@SK3DDO]

@@onthebackwheel Yes, +/- 5mm of preload on the rear shock has very notable effects, and it's easy to overshoot the sweet spot. There's also the adjustable offset triples, and the two height marks on the fork tubes. Both are only a 2mm change, but really change how the bike turns in. I think the fancy front end of the seat isn't just for show, and it's a bike where shifting your bodyweight forwards to get weight over the front wheel has more of an effect, what with all the fuel weight sitting over the back wheel. Adding luggage weight only over the rear is also a fiddly thing, and it's easy to make it too rear-heavy. Myself and a few other 690 owners I've talked to really found that when we put frontal fuel tanks on the bike, it really helped balance things out.

[@CRFLAus]

Any time you get to speak to a Ranger ask them with a straight face have they seen any Yowies. Most of them have no idea and laugh, some of them will look at you and say nah mate have a good day.

[@onthebackwheel]

Hahahaha

[@leighhill9185]

Great review mate, my mate has a 701LR (long range) I had a road ride on it and yeah, heaps of power haha Good tip about the Gas Gas :)

[@onthebackwheel]

They were a unique thing the LR. Always thought they were butt ugly 😂

[@leighhill9185]

@@onthebackwheel same haha #wideload

[@onthebackwheel]

@@leighhill9185 😂

[@pinkiewerewolf]

Husky knows how to build dirt bikes! I’ve lusted over the 701’s for years it’s just seemed that fate kept dodging me around the bike. Then I got the deal on a 501 with 66 miles on it. I’ve thought about selling the 501 but I might keep it. It’s a good 1-2 punch with the T-7. Excellent riding Curtis!

[@onthebackwheel]

I think you've got the ultimate combo mate. Hard to beat a proper dirt bike and ADV bike

[@pinkiewerewolf]

@@onthebackwheel The only limiting factor is me at this point. 😁 I should be able to take off, ride to Alaska or any BDR section with these bikes.

[@onthebackwheel]

@@pinkiewerewolf haha get stuck in mate

[@tieoneon1614]

U are riding harder on those 50/50 tires than most people could with full knobbies. I like that u mentioned u changed the psi offroad. Sooooooo many people dont, and blame the tires instead of their lack of skills. I mainly solo explore ride too, and it keeps me dialed back a little bit making sure the day is a good one when u are out in BFE instead of racing yourself and having a bad accident.

[@onthebackwheel]

That's it, keeps you in check a bit 😂. Always a balance with tyre pressures

[@bradleyalexander5821]

A fair review. I like that about this channel. 👍🏼

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate

[@gerritvanschalkwyk1031]

I have an 1100 A.Twin, but I'm scared for long, sandy trips with such a heavy bike. Looking to buy the 701 as second bike for long sandy dirt roads, that power to weight ratio is unbeatable and the power should be enough

[@onthebackwheel]

She's certainly got some get up and go!

[@johnjaques342]

Excellent review and great riding! You were slaying those trails, especially considering you were just becoming familiar with the bike 😮😅

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate 😁

[@miro_s]

thanks for the review. I’ve got a 701 which I always felt lukewarm about. I often think of replacing it with a 501, but that’s incomparably less comfortable on the road and with maintenance, so the 701 is still here. It’s a very compromised bike, not good on the road, not good off-road. Having said that, for my circumstances it’s a pretty damn good compromise, being the heaviest “adventure” bike I feel comfortable taking off-road (twins being at least 200kg). Because of this, I must say that the 701 is growing on me the more I use it, the less I think about replacing it, the more I let go and just ride it off-road 🤷‍♂️ in any case, you said that for that money there are a lot of alternative and better bikes to have. Which ones were you thinking of (beside the gasgas)?

[@onthebackwheel]

Exactly mate, it's a compromise. If you've got one bike it's hard to beat. For the price, gasgas or a proper ADV bike like the Tuareg or Tenere

[@notgamingwithmax]

Something to note from a 2023 Gas Gas ES700 owner here. The seat height on the Gas Gas is at least 1 inch higher than the Husky and Ktm. No idea why but it's a crazy tall bike and the bar to seat height is really cramped even with risers. There are so many cables you can't put taller than a inch risers on, unless I'm missing something.

[@onthebackwheel]

I've sat on both and found them to be exactly the same (they should be, they are the same bike). Maybe the preload setting was different? Interesting with the front, certainly needs risers for me

[@WadeMade]

@@onthebackwheel gas gas is 36.8, ktm and husky are 35.8. they are the same bikes but gas gas changed something in the seat.

[@onthebackwheel]

@@WadeMade interesting mate I didn't know that, I'll make sure I have another look next time I see one!

[@johnkol]

@@WadeMade All of them are 36.8, GasGas are honest about it, KTM are not.

[@notgamingwithmax]

@@johnkol Lol, I've never actually sat on a KTM I just new that after buying my gas gas the seat was super freaking tall and the bars were super low in comparison. That's why I looked it up. Both Husky and KTM claim to be shorter by a inch. If the 690 had normal ergos like a dirt bike it would be so much better.

[@-CHeWy-]

Loved this review. You should do way more. Do a WR450F! This bike needs a 14T front sprocket. From what i know they run a 15T stock.

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate. The plan is to review a heap more bikes, just hasn't worked out that way so far this year 🤞. Will try to get my hands on a WR

[@grantschelfhout1227]

Hey mate always offset yourself in your lane by sitting to the right side. You’ll avoid oil etc at traffic lights and also won’t be in car drivers blind spot.

[@orionswitness]

Personally I try and avoid going anywhere near a centre lane .Why ? That’s where the car drivers come in the opposite direction . Have saved my life multiple times on back roads hugging the inside shoulder on blind bends , think big trucks , big 4wds , little hatchbacks driven by dangerous ,careless , and or drug affected individuals …crossing into the wrong side of the road on corners .

[@cliff1551]

1:12 traction light on traction control off ,abs light on abs off ,silly but remember it ,and quick shift let the bike rev itself don't rev it yourself to down shift else it will suprise you 😅😂

[@mkramsauer]

Almost makes meant to trade in the Tiger great review brother 👊

[@onthebackwheel]

Cheers bud

[@katojimmybling]

I have the 22 model, I changed gearing down a little perfect.only issue i have with it is i find in the front is so nervous in the sand but can not have everything but to me it is the perfect bike

[@onthebackwheel]

I could see that being the case. I had some footage with front end wobbles I didn't put in. Hard to have everything

[@IronbarkMX]

My 24 KTM 500 is loose in the front end too. I think an adjustable steering damper is a major upgrade from what I've read.

[@katojimmybling]

@@IronbarkMX yeh i have a ktm 450 22 model as well with dampner and suspension modified just perfect for tight singles 😎

[@Drysc]

Thank you for the video. Maybe you could testride a SWM RS500 someday. If they are still available in AUS.

[@onthebackwheel]

They stopped selling them here a while back. I was actually heavily considering buying one

[@stoney10]

Nice. I will be buying one. I do have to say though, the things you are saying that are hard, my old xr630 would eat for breakfast and ask for more. Can you tell me where you are riding please? I live on the Gold Coast and don’t know any trails.

[@onthebackwheel]

Hey mate, this is at Mt Mee, north of Brisbane. There's a full days riding and more there if you explore. It's basically a modern xr600, just with a heap more whack up top!

[@terratrodder]

Great review. Would love to try this bike for a day, most likely way too much bike for me :D

[@onthebackwheel]

It's a real puppy dog until you yank its chain, you might be surprised

[@shariffshockair]

Nice review thanks Curtis! Would you consider modifying a 701 as your adventure bike?

[@onthebackwheel]

For me, I'd prefer 2 bikes, a proper dirt bike and a bigger adventure bike

[@MegaRich7]

You need to play with your camera settings. It's very grainy and pixelated. Otherwise, it's a very enjoyable vid.

[@onthebackwheel]

Its the Insta360, not happy with the video quality when it gets darker TBH. Might change back to my GoPro. Also, you really need to watch it in 4k or KZbin crushes the quality (thats if you didn't)

[@Duken4evr29]

These have power up top, but let's face it, the bottom end is weak for a massive high tech thumper. The weak bottom isn't due to it being tuned at a high level. Correct the seriously lean emissions compliant fueling off the bottom and at part throttle and it has XR650 like grunt off idle and tons of midrange, and of course that sick top end. My '23 has a PC6 with Rottweiler's map, O2 eliminator and a Yosh can, it is just stupid fast at all engine speeds, and the DB killer free Yosh can is the brappiest thing on earth when on the gas. It's not bad when just cruising but I won't say it isn't loud when the throttle is wound. These machines are a riot when uncorked and running properly. My biggest challenge is not hanging block long monos all the time on the street. The part throttle lower RPM power increase was so dramatic that I geared mine up from 15/46 to 16/45, which puts it at the same as the SMC-R. This makes it a way better street bike and it has the grunt to deal with the slightly taller 1st. Have ridden moderately difficult single track with it and it's fine. If I truly need shorter 1st gear I don't want to be riding that nasty of a trail on a 350 pound bike. I find dealing with the TC and ABS to be a nuisance in the dirt. To bypass them, remove the rear ABS sensor, roll it's signal cable up neatly with a zip tie, and stow it under the seat. Like magic ABS and TC are always off. You won't have them on the street of course, but if you're riding one of these monsters hopefully ya have some throttle control! If ya wanna see a wheelie and hear the Yosh can, check out my lame little channel. Bear in mind I'm mile elevation in Denver and it's still mental.

[@onthebackwheel]

Sounds like a weapon now it's set up mate. Definitely wanted more from the big girl down bottom

[@tonyt73oz]

The Euro 5 has no low down power/torque, that's why it feels like you need to rev it. An ECU remap fixes the issue.

[@onthebackwheel]

Yeah right. I was riding it thinking a pipe would liven it right up

[@cliff1551]

24:45 agreed 👋🤠👍💯

[@cliff1551]

4:39 I run the LR mate with 733 cc kit on from Lyndon poskitt racing ,it's like ,1 st 2 Nd fckin hell 🏍️💨

[@onthebackwheel]

Haha I bet. Be good fun!

[@maxflight777]

Nice review

[@onthebackwheel]

Thanks mate

[@H3avyHaul3r]

theres a well sorted low km one on FB marketplace atm in brissy

[@onthebackwheel]

Is that the 22 model? Pretty sexy

[@markmcintosh3202]

Does it have the dongle to fix the low end lack of power. He needs to change the fuel cap straight away as the lock gets jammed with crud and breaks the keys.

[@onthebackwheel]

No dongle mate, completely stock

[@vaughndrew852]

The 701 long range twin tank would be better adventure set up I don't under stand why they did away with the long range model may be to make this thing a mxer compared to the Ktm's around this size

[@onthebackwheel]

Mustn't have sold well. You don't see many about

[@ridewherever]

I’m amazed a 3rd part aftermarket doesn’t make the same LR tanks either, easy sell id imagine. Husky didn’t give the LR a fair chance. It was out for a year and it was done if I remember right.

[@distilledfreedom1840]

I really want one, but $13k? I've never spent that much on a car.

[@onthebackwheel]

They are getting up there for sure

[@ScottHintz]

A pie? Like a Shepards Pie or are you talking pizza? I'm guessing that doesn't mean dessert down there.

[@onthebackwheel]

We do savory pies, usually filled with meat or steak. Bloody delicious

[@jasoncee666]

Hey mate late question but do you think the balance is a little weird due to the fuel being at the back end? 🤔

[@onthebackwheel]

Very possible. A couple of owners have said it's pretty dependant on set up too

[@jasoncee666]

@@onthebackwheel cheers man I'll eventually get around to test riding one 👌👍

[@MrRplo]

Considering the 701 is less fatiguing off road than an adventure bike (T7/890R etc.) particularly as the difficulty level of the off road tracks increase, does that off-set the increased fatigue you experience with the 701 on pavement vs. the adventure bike? Do you end up with the same amount of fatigue at the end of the day? Or is the adventure bike so much less fatiguing on pavement it makes up for its higher fatigue levels and lower performance off road?

[@onthebackwheel]

If I was to get stuck on a tough trail, that lighter weight would certainly come into play. Vice versa with more road work. A screen would certainly help. I'm of the opinion to go full adventure bike because it has more benefits

[@stitchjones7134]

I have the 690. Very first thing to upgrade is the seat, its heinous for the anus. Seat concepts for the win. I changed the exhaust to an Arrow titanium. Put a 'Screens for bikes' screen on. Perun rack and outback panniers. Rade garage tank and intake. Crash bars and good to go. I ride mine every day. Commute, adventure, dirt fun....does it all. Unicorn

[@onthebackwheel]

Sounds like a bloody good set up mate

[@stitchjones7134]

@@onthebackwheel works for me. It's light!

[@onthebackwheel]

@@stitchjones7134 light is good!

[@ridewherever]

Bars need to be either black, blue or yellow lol.

[@onthebackwheel]

For sure, yellow would be pretty wild 😂

[@orionswitness]

Did you have a tow truck on standby 😂 Oh I forgot that’s only the orange and white variety. Go Honda CRF 300 rally …which along with the CRF 450 you haven’t tested as yet 🤓

[@onthebackwheel]

Mate I'm trying my hardest to get both of them. Both were supposed to happen months ago but there's been some issues 🤞

[@orionswitness]

@@onthebackwheel No worries , I have a 300 rally for sale , bought in mid December , 2900 kms , perfect condition , B and B rear tail rack , all else stock . Having to sell to fund some medical bills , keeping my Versys 650 . Would take $7500 cash . 💰

[@onthebackwheel]

@@orionswitness that sucks mate. Nothing else than selling when you don't want too

[@orionswitness]

@@onthebackwheel Life can change very quickly . Just glad I can still ride , the Honda is a good bike , but is a tad tedious on the bitumen , whereas the unrestricted Versys can do soft dirt , and handle rough bitumen roads like an armchair ….not to mention it can do 200….so they say. Was looking at the Transalp , more capable on the dirt , but the Versys is too good to sell.

[@onthebackwheel]

@@orionswitness makes it tricky. Good you've got a keeper though

[@JIMHusky]

701 🧡🤍💚

[@onthebackwheel]

Nice machine for sure

[@appv12]

its funny. all this technology and anyone who can actually ride just wants it all off. rider modes, traction control, abs. Nobody who can ride wants this. They should put that crap on TTRs and beginner bikes. U buy a big bike its time to put on your big boy pants.

[@onthebackwheel]

Lol yep. I prefer nothing!

[@miro_s]

thanks for the review. I’ve got a 701 which I always felt lukewarm about. I often think of replacing it with a 501, but that’s incomparably less comfortable on the road and with maintenance, so the 701 is still here. It’s a very compromised bike, not good on the road, not good off-road. Having said that, for my circumstances it’s a pretty damn good compromise, being the heaviest “adventure” bike I feel comfortable taking off-road (twins being at least 200kg). Because of this, I must say that the 701 is growing on me the more I use it, the less I think about replacing it, the more I let go and just ride it off-road 🤷‍♂️ in any case, you said that for that money there are a lot of alternative and better bikes to have. Which ones were you thinking of (beside the gasgas)?

[@onthebackwheel]

That's it mate, always a compromise. The 501 is just a full on dirt bike, awful on the road 😂. I think you have to jump up to the Tenere or Tuareg. If you've got one bike though, the 701 seems hard to beat