The Husqvarna 701 has Adventure Bike Written All Over It!!!

[@hzraydn7113]

Thank you for your information. I agree with you too.. I've got the same machine. And I fall in love with it.

[@upshiftingadventures]

It really is a great bike!

[@Rossi593]

I’ve just returned home (UK) from a 23 day, 4,200 mile ride from Boston area down to Tennessee and up to the Canadian border and back to Boston. We rode on TAT and BDR trails where possible. I rode a 2019 KTM 690 Enduro R with Nomad Tower, Rade Garage range extender tank and Seat Concepts seat. Utterly superb. It was the perfect bike for our mix of riding. I find that it will pull lower revs but more throttle which is probably the weak fuelling that these bikes come with. The quickshifter made it easy to find the perfect ratio and never annoyed me. The TC kept me on the trails without a doubt. My old buddy who actually made the whole trip happen rode a Tiger 900 Rally. It was also excellent in his hands. I would certainly have struggled with the weight. That, for me, is the key. I bought a 701 here on the strength of my experience on the 690 and will sell my 890. It’s just too much for my needs. Cheers, Ian

[@upshiftingadventures]

That is a huge amount of miles on a 690. But it sounds like it was outfitted pretty darn well for all that riding. I'm glad you agree with my assessment of the bike. It makes it all worth while when I hear that people agree with what I am putting out and that it isn't just BS. Awesome story to have as well. Cheers, Jason

[@Rossi593]

@@upshiftingadventures Thanks Jason. Hard to believe we did it but I’m home on the 701 now and love it. Just a matter of a few mods and expense! Cheers, Ian

[@luckyluke7112]

I’ve owned both an 800gs and 1200gs, and now I’ve got a 701 LR. For me it is the unicorn. I have a windshield on it because the weather in Sweden can be quiet rainy… So with a Giant Loop bag, larger fotpegs and 6,6 gallons of fuel I will reach about 300 miles of range. I can live with some lack of comfort when the handling of pavement is so much better due to heavier bikes. Thanks for great videos! Cheers from Sweden.🍻😃🇸🇪

[@upshiftingadventures]

I totally agree with you. I do like the thought of the LR version as well. 300 miles is a great amount.

[@davidwood974]

The 701 was a finalist when I went looking for an adventure bike and while I went with the 901, I often question whether the 701 would be better for me…especially when I’m picking it up. Fantastic evaluation, safe travels

[@upshiftingadventures]

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. The 901 is a great bike though. My suggestion, don't drop it. Haha. Cheers! and thanks for commenting.

[@bobholley6202]

Just bought a 2024 and I completely agree. Coming from a 2020 Tiger 1200 I can say it’s not as comfortable and as you said it doesn’t have the range. But the 701 is freaking amazing. Light, fast and very capable. I absolutely love the thing. I’m putting the Tiger up for sale. Your vid is spot on and was a big help in me making up my mind to buy one.

[@upshiftingadventures]

That’s great to hear. I know you’ll have loads of fun on it. I just suggest that you change oil more often then the recommended 6000 mile interval to ensure the motor stays in great shape. I change mine every two thousand miles and even sooner if I’ve really been romping on it.

[@bobholley6202]

Sounds like a plan! Looking forward to it!

[@masbaoutdoors5353]

I added the Rottweiler O/2 delete and it helped alot down low. I lug on technical trails all the time. I have alot of riding videos on my channel showing the low down capabilities of the bike.

[@docwyte]

I've got a 17 690 with a Yenkro tower/fairing, Safari Tank, Renazco seat, etc, etc. I love it, have taken it all over Colorado, slab, super slab, double track, BDR, Alpine Loop, etc. That said, it is NOT an "adventure" bike, it's a great dual sport. Those other bikes have more power, more options, more comfort, more carrying capacity, you name it. They're also much heavier and a lot harder to deal with off road, which is where the 690/701 shine. Pick your poison.

[@PetterIvarsson]

I really like the scientific-style of review as adventure-bike. Now some competitors are entering the scene like the AJP PR7 and Kove 450 Rally.

[@traviscarter9300]

I want to recommend the Adventure Spec rally fairing. For the price, it is pretty sweet to give a little wind protection and moved my gps up off the handle bar mount to up and in front of you onto the rally tower fairing mount.

[@upshiftingadventures]

I checked out the fairing and have to say it is the one fairing that I would consider using on my 701. It is not overly large and doesn't require a lot to fit on to the bike. I have steered clear of the other ones because I use my 701 like a dirt bike in a lot of ways and always worry about busting up the tower. This appears to be a great compromise between a full rally tower and the stock number plate/windscreen. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@secondarymachine7521]

I sold my GS for a 701 recently, and for me, the 701 is the unicorn. 100% doable on highway, and an absolute blast off road..

[@upshiftingadventures]

Awesome! I think the 701 is a very capable adventure bike. Like I said in the video, the best adventure bike, is the one that you own. haha

[@1962kokopelli]

Yep, I did the same

[@TheOGProtestantMormon]

They lug just fine when you open them up and get different sprocket sizes.

[@Husky701Mike]

Get a Power Commander, new exhaust, and foam air filter. It will make a world of difference in fueling in all RPM's. Civil and refined at low speed whether that's parking lots or rock steps or loose rocks. No flame outs either. I've ridden mine in some rough stuff. Lots of slow rocky areas with a lot of clutch work required. It works much better than stock.

[@EZ_shop]

That was a great review of the 701. What year model is it? Does it have the later model couterbalance shaft? And if it doesn't how much smoother would you guess it would be? Ciao, Marco.

[@upshiftingadventures]

Thanks for your comment. My 701 is a ‘21 model with the counterbalanced crank. I can’t say if it is smoother or not because I haven’t ridden the earlier versions but I have heard it’s much better.

[@EZ_shop]

@ thanks

[@mattiasmyrman]

Great video, thanks! 👌It sounded nice I think, what exhaust do you have on it?

[@upshiftingadventures]

I’m running an Arrow muffler with a Tekmo head pipe

[@mattiasmyrman]

@@upshiftingadventures Many thanks!

[@dandersonjr]

I had a KTM 1290 SAR and now a Husky 701. The 1290 was an Adventure bike and the 701 is a Dual Sport. You can do hard muddy trails with the 1290 and long road rides with the 701 but neither of those scenario's are very enjoyable.

[@BlackdogADV]

I rode my 690 from Portland to Ushuaia Argentina in 2016, 5 years later I rode my 701 from Portland to Tuktoyaktuk. While the 701 isn’t an adventure bike in my opinion it can fill that role. Luggage, fuel capacity, wind protection and comfort must be addressed and that can get expensive. It will never come close to a BMW GS (I have one) but with some time and money it can get the job done. Ideally you need both a big advantage bike and a 701.

[@upshiftingadventures]

Thanks for you comments. I agree with you 100 percent. Obviously, no one thing can do everything. If I was going to go 1500 miles over mostly slab, or dirt rode, obviously, the GS would win every time. But if you are willing to sacrifice a little comfort, the 701 can get you in to more places and you can have more fun doing it then on the larger adv bikes.

[@rickreasoner8664]

It’s got to be way better than most DualSport bikes for service intervals. As far as mileage, a spare tank can fix that. I get at least 170 miles to the stock tank. We’ll work on the comfort issue.

[@upshiftingadventures]

Absolutely agree.

[@joanlechuza7193]

❤ from Philippines 😊

[@wesb123]

If not for the cam issues I’d sell my DR and have me one of these wicked Husky’s 🤩

[@upshiftingadventures]

I haven’t heard of any cam issues with the LC4 motor. On the 890 inline twin. At any rate, I change the only way more often then the recommended time frame and that will usually prevent those kind of issues.

[@Eds_PanAm]

Just purchased one, i'm vertically challenged at 5'7, having the dealer lower the suspension, springs, front/rear, valving, setting it up for my weight, i've decided i really do not want to pick up the pan am lol so looking forward to seeing what this escape of and when I do get it, I'm going to sign up for a two day adv course....sláinte

[@upshiftingadventures]

That’s awesome. Congrats on a fantastic new bike. Hope you have many many miles of adventuring.

[@silverado5325]

The motor will lug. Its the close ratio gearbox that's the problem. Put a bigger rear sprocket and a Rekluse Radius X and it's amazing. Also put a tower on the front.

[@upshiftingadventures]

I have a larger rear sprocket and that cleaned it up a lot. Not perfect but pretty darn good.

[@ipdjbt]

@@upshiftingadventures How many teeth did you go up in the back?

[@upshiftingadventures]

@ipdjbt I went up two teeth

[@ogregang3203]

You can also buy a wide ratio gear box

[@traviscarter9300]

I have lots of little "adventures" on my 23 701. 😂 I told myself I would never spend over 1k for the Rade Garage rally fairing but God, it would be nice. I've been trying to convince myself I need one. I'm doomed if I'm already doing that. It will be mine eventually. Need to address the low rpm fueling also. Dongle or Power Commander? Any suggestions?

[@upshiftingadventures]

I have a power commander with auto tune, Rottweiler intake, SAS and Evan canister delete. It doesn’t completely fix it but it helps. Also have a larger rear sprocket which makes a big difference. I’ve heard the fuel dongle is also very useful though. But I like the extra power. At 240 I can do 2nd gear power up wheelies.

[@masbaoutdoors5353]

What did you do to suspension to carry that load? How much pre-load? Was there anything else you needed to do?

[@upshiftingadventures]

The suspension is already set up for my weight and since I was riding dirt roads that weren’t technical I didn’t make any adjustments to the bike. But if I was going to load it down and hit more aggressive roads, a turn or two on the back shock and bumping up the preload adjuster on the forks would do just fine I suspect

[@masbaoutdoors5353]

@upshiftingadventures4034 to "set up the suspension for your weight " did you change Springs or shocks or just set preload, damping, etc?

[@masbaoutdoors5353]

I am getting ready for my first camping trip on the 701 and wondering how suspension is going to do with all my gear.

[@upshiftingadventures]

@@masbaoutdoors5353 I found I didn’t really notice any difference so I would assume you’ll be good unless you’re adding quite a bit of weight

[@rann127]

I don't remember you talking about safety equipment you had on this event.

[@billslicer3203]

Also consider -thé Pickup Ability

[@PetterIvarsson]

Spot on. Thats the biggest one for me because I ride alone and it would be a disaster if I drop the bike and cant lift it because I have problems with my back. I even thinking about something like KTM 500.

[@billslicer3203]

The Trans America trail requires ~ 200 miles per day to sleep in motels

[@RandomGRK]

It’s a sweet bike but weirdly enough, I preferred my tricked out DR650. It had more soul. I find the 701 to be capable but it lacks character.

[@ridemfast7625]

Yeah, 74 hp, 6 speed, quick shifter, on a 350lb bike is boring.

[@RandomGRK]

@@ridemfast7625 Yeah, fast bikes can be boring. 6 speed and quick shifter doesnt add to the fun, its the character of the engine.

[@ridemfast7625]

@@RandomGRK What exact character trait are you comparing?

[@RandomGRK]

@@ridemfast7625 Potato

[@billslicer3203]

Rottweiler fueling dongle helped my low end a bunch 12:38

[@istra70]

Is it fixable ? ...... - NO. Is it adventure bike ? - Oooh yes - when it breaks down in the middle of nowhere - you will guaranteed have the adventure getting out of there ! There are horror stories all over internet, about break downs in the middle of nowhere thanks to fuel pump, clutch , stand sensor ...... ( just to name few ).... Do you always carry spare parts with you ? Don't get me wrong - Bike is great , but reliability is something to wish for ( or luck ) !

[@upshiftingadventures]

@@istra70 mine has been very reliable. I’ve heard all the stories as well, but I’ve added a side stand dongle, also a better clutch slave etc. I would say every bike has its achilles heal and when you adventure ride you have to be prepared for bumps in the road

[@IamAWildMan]

As dual sport it's great option, but i think it's not so great an "adventure" bike. Mainly because of the seat being so flat and sporty for long rides on tarmac and because that 701 cc engine is single cylinder. I rided 401 husky and after 30 minutes my hands felt vibration like i was working with drill all day. and that is 400cc single cylinder. I think for adventuring unless you need to be 70-90% off road twin engine is way better option because there are way less vibrations.

[@upshiftingadventures]

Yes the seat is definitely a problem as an adventure bike goes. You would need to change it out. Long rides on tarmac would not be ideal either but it can be done.

[@billslicer3203]

175 miles and over on the road requires bore of a touring Adv

[@billslicer3203]

If we call the KLR an adventure bike……..

[@MadDog-65]

I'd rather a DR650.

[@Michael_Shay]

As somebody who put about 5k miles on a DR650, I loved that bike but I've put almost 5k miles on my 701 and it's much better at pretty much everything. I know Austrian bikes don't really have the reliability reputation but this engine is pretty solid. If I was going to remote places in like South America I'd consider switching back to a DR or XR for the sake of simplicity. But this machine is pretty damn solid.

[@upshiftingadventures]

I have two different LC motors. The LC8 in my Super Duke and the LC4 in my 701. I agree with you, the Austrians have a well deserved reputation for being unreliable but I believe that was all in the past. They are having a hard time shaking that stigma of being unreliable and it will probably be some time before it goes away. However, both my LC motors have been nothing but top notch and super reliable so far. With respect to the LC4 motor in the 701, I don't believe it is any less simplistic then the others out there like the Suzuki's or Honda's. It's just a much more performance oriented machine that spends a lot of time in the high end of the rev's and has a ton of power so it is going to malfunction more often then the Japanese bikes. But I don't think it is really much more complicated then any other bikes. In my opinion, the more frequent mechanical issues are a small price to pay for the incredible boost in performance that you get from the Husky. There are always gonna. be those who parrot the same old line about the bikes being unreliable, and I don't think there is anything we can do about that. Hell, American cars got a well earned reputation for being unreliable in the 80's because they were just junk for the most part, and 40 years later, people still talk about them like they are still not as reliable as Japanese cars, and that just isn't true anymore.

[@beejoutbush3322]

Too tall, Crap seat. End of story. Also with all respect mate if you own both a GS 1250 and a 701 I think you're probably out of touch with most bikers. Just sayin'

[@dvargdamnit]

Yet somehow i respect the opinions of people who have experience more bikes than some kid who says a trail 50 is great for across the country; Just look it up!

[@miro_s]

why? Most bikers I know have (at least) two bikes…

[@medic001465]

No, it's an overpriced dual sport. You have a GS! Why would you lump that bike into this class? You already own the king of adventure bikes! There's other avenues for content.

[@upshiftingadventures]

The 1250 is not a middle weight bike by any means. The point of the video was to see if the 701 could qualify as a mid weight Adv bike. And I disagree about it being overpriced. It is certainly too much to spend on a CRF or or DRZ but if you are looking for top of the line performance out of a single cylinder thumper, I don't know that you could find a better deal. I respect your opinion though, as that's what all of this is right? Opinions.

[@georgesinclair1393]

Don’t like the colour’s

[@upshiftingadventures]

Colors can be changed. But honestly, I don’t think it will be on your mind much while riding.