I know I know, 230 miles isn't exactly crossing continents - but 7 hours of seat time in a day is what I'd probably do on tour, so I think it's a fair test! Lets see if the Husqvarna 701 can do it...
Oftentimes it's tough to get your nut up and do something, for various reasons, even though more often than not it's a rewarding experience. Hoping this trip will be the catalyst for adventures to come.
coming from the deserts of Arizona riding in the rain is scary for me! you are a badass for sticking it out through that fog and rain! good riding, would love to see more of your country on your videos!
Thank you! We get plenty over here so it's good to keep the skills sharpened, even though it's pretty scary sometimes. Deisel, gravel, rain, wet leaves and fog, think I must have gone on the worst day of that whole month!
I'm watching you from Southern California. What a beautiful ride. So grateful to tag along. I too have the 701 in the enduro spec and believe me at 59 I feel the weight of "What's it all for". Thanks for the music! Cheers, JM
Thanks for commenting JM, always helps to know other people are sometimes feeling the same sort of thing! Wish you many more happy miles on your enduro 👌
+1 for Wings support. Try a sheepskin pad works a treat on longer runs, OK not cool in a "supermoto accessory mod" however one's posterior will think it's the best mod ever.😃
I was looking into these actually, I'm not particularly style conscious and it kind of suits the Husqvarna Swedish vibe if you ask me! Only thing I wasn't sure about was how to attach it to the seat?
Thanks for taking us along for the ride! Love the sound of the Wings! Had a giggle when did, opening up the throttle 😅 Currently looking into the 701 (reason I came accross your channel). Question: how is the seat after touring a long day? Question: what camera gear do you use? Is it behind your helmet visor?
Thanks for the comment, it is much appreciated 🙂 In response to your questions: A: the seat is bearable, and probably not as bad as you might expect for what is essentially a plank. I have also found that it’s improved over time as it felt worse when I first got the bike. Being a supermoto it’s easy to stand up or reposition often which helps a lot. It can also be a bit slippery depending on what trousers you wear. A: It’s a Gopro 11 with media mod, mounted on the chin bar using the original curved mount and some sugru, then I run an external RODE lapel mic from the camera to the inside of the chin bar on my helmet, with a deadcat for controlling wind noise.
The problem is this idea is the concept that there is a right tool for each job. As in, there's a bike for every different activity, besides the supposed ability of big ADV bikes to to everything (false in practice). Motorcycles are almost always lacking something in every situation. And motorcycling is usually about overcoming obstacles. So, you can do almost whatever with any bike and will very likely have a great time.
Good point, if we're fortunate then we can own multiple bikes for different activities. Most important is to get out there and ride them, something I am guilty of not doing enough! I will say though that some more winter-ready tyres would be a great help for the 701, the standard conti-attack SMs have started stepping out on me with the temperature dropping at this time of year.
@@TheRoadWarrior96 Try the Heidenau K73 tires if you get the chance! I have put them on my KTM Duke 640 for 2 weeks now and I really love them! Excellent for rain as well! Thank you for uploading! Greetings from Greece!
@@koutsion As a matter of fact I was looking at these the other day, as well as the Dunlop Mutants, but I think I would want a second set of wheels so I could easily swap between them. The tyre shops near me are very hit and miss, they either don't want to do it (unless you buy a tyre from them), they mark up the rims or they don't balance them correctly. Did you get the regular K73's or the M+S winter ones?
@@TheRoadWarrior96 I got the regular K73s. Same problems with tyre shops here. I found a new one and I think this is the one I am going to stick to(good people and professionals).The Mutants are described as crossover so I thought that they lean mostly to the on-off/touring side of the spectrum, so I chose the K73s in the end :)
Nice video! I've been to Elan many times when I was younger, not on a bike but for long weekend hikes and runs. Every single time I had the same weather as you! :-) Absolutely stunning though and well done for recognizing that you needed to get out and not letting the weather put you off! I am very interested in a SM and I have seen that Ducati have just released a single cylinder SM. Would like to know your thoughts on that. Cheers.
It's frankly criminal how little time I've spent in Wales recently, considering I am based almost next door in Worcestershire. Even the shall we say 'consistent' weather is no excuse! I was blown away when that new Ducati was revealed, and I am sure it will be an awesome bike. I have heard that the Ducati might be a little less grunty down low, so all is not lost yet. I am financially comitted to the 701 now though, so it will just have to be a misty eyed test ride for me.. mind you there are worse fates eh?
@@TheRoadWarrior96 I'll try to get a test ride sorted on the Duc early next year when the weather improves. I live in Germany and it's already grim over here, so no desire to get out on a bike. However, there are some great deals on 2023 model KTM 690's & Husky's at the moment and compared to the price of the Duc, it's a no brainer.
@@Cliffracer46 yeah still no reliability issues thankfully. Developed a bit of a rattle in the headlight cowl which will need some foam pads or something like that to resolve - and the rear swingarm is a nightmare to clean!
@@TheRoadWarrior96 lol! I wanted to get the gasgas because it has different wheels that are easier to clean! I had a 690 before but swapped it for a sportsbike and miss the sumo
@@Cliffracer46 Only think that put me off the gasgas is they don’t seem to hold their value as well as the other two, perhaps a lightly used gasgas would be the best bang for buck 🤔
Cool video! I have the oppotunity get a Dorsoduro 750 but I am not sure it will hold up for longer trips. Im doing 80% the roads you did here but in Norway. But also I do like 12 hour trips as well. Will it hold up do you think? The bike already has a comfort seat and planning on maybe getting a windscreen
Excellent video and great to watch. I am after a Wings exhaust for my 690 smc r. Is it plug and play? Did you get hit with import duties before delivery?
Cheers mate, I appreciate that. Fitting is plug and play, hardest part is the exhaust clamp as it’s under a lot of tension while you try to get the fasteners in place, but once done up it’s been fine ever since. I believe it’s just Torx and Hex tools required, and make sure they send you the correct link pipe (they provide an imagine reference in the box to verify this). Totals costs for mine was £412.85 (I got the middle carbon heatshield only) + £91.31 customs duty. Not exactly cheap but I am 100% satisfied with the exhaust.
Also enjoy seeing roads like mine. All the American stuff is good but those roads over there must get sooo boring. Im in New Zealand and we have goat tracks with sheep everywhere to
I'm with you on that, having been to Canada and rented a Harley I understand why they're so popular over there. Would love to visit NZ one day and perhaps rent something more nimble!
Do you have full exhaust now or only slip-on? I wonder how loud this bike would be with decat and slip-on. I have Vitpilen 401 with decat and Leo Vince slip on and this single is juicy loud plus it pops on deceleration like mad
You might also find you miss the smoothness of an inline 4, they really are chalk and cheese in terms of riding experience. I will say though that the size of the 701 is very approachable, when I first test rode it I was shocked to find it felt more like a naked bike than I expected. My old DRZ was way taller!
@@TheRoadWarrior96hey man great vid! Can you tell me what the rider sag is? I’m vertically challenged as they say but heard from some buddies that w the sag it should be doable, the 35.8in seat height (I know, I’m a yank 😅) is quite intimidating. My ‘22 750 is just under 32” and I’m barely tipping both feet so I figure if the sag brings it down to 33”-ish I’d be alright
A 450 conversion will be a very different animal, take a look at ‘lamb chop rides’ video on conversion vs factory supermotos I think you will find that super useful
It was more of a day trip to be fair, so a backpack was enough (although it did give me sore shoulders after a while). You can get some good tail racks for these bikes thanks to the enduro model, as well as saddle bags (if you don’t mind moving them to refuel), and I think SW motech does a ‘proper’ pannier system too.
A suspension lowering link + a seat concepts low seat would make it doable I reckon 👍 (you’d also have to adjust the forks in the triple tree to match the rear, don’t want to turn it into a chopper 😃)
Really good, especially for halogen. Although because I am tall I get blinded by the top of the headlight so I need to put a sticker or something there to block it from my view.
Absolutely nailed it with the 'just get out there' mentality, I need to adopt that one into next year.
Oftentimes it's tough to get your nut up and do something, for various reasons, even though more often than not it's a rewarding experience. Hoping this trip will be the catalyst for adventures to come.
I think the only time I'm not plagued with the what's it all for blues is when i ride and when I'm with my dogs. I like your honesty, subbed 🙃
You can tour with a Supermoto. The only problem is that it is so much fun that you can't stop.
coming from the deserts of Arizona riding in the rain is scary for me! you are a badass for sticking it out through that fog and rain! good riding, would love to see more of your country on your videos!
Thank you! We get plenty over here so it's good to keep the skills sharpened, even though it's pretty scary sometimes. Deisel, gravel, rain, wet leaves and fog, think I must have gone on the worst day of that whole month!
I'm watching you from Southern California. What a beautiful ride. So grateful to tag along. I too have the 701 in the enduro spec and believe me at 59 I feel the weight of "What's it all for". Thanks for the music! Cheers, JM
Thanks for commenting JM, always helps to know other people are sometimes feeling the same sort of thing! Wish you many more happy miles on your enduro 👌
+1 for Wings support. Try a sheepskin pad works a treat on longer runs, OK not cool in a "supermoto accessory mod" however one's posterior will think it's the best mod ever.😃
I was looking into these actually, I'm not particularly style conscious and it kind of suits the Husqvarna Swedish vibe if you ask me! Only thing I wasn't sure about was how to attach it to the seat?
Thanks for taking us along for the ride! Love the sound of the Wings! Had a giggle when did, opening up the throttle 😅
Currently looking into the 701 (reason I came accross your channel).
Question: how is the seat after touring a long day?
Question: what camera gear do you use? Is it behind your helmet visor?
Thanks for the comment, it is much appreciated 🙂
In response to your questions:
A: the seat is bearable, and probably not as bad as you might expect for what is essentially a plank. I have also found that it’s improved over time as it felt worse when I first got the bike. Being a supermoto it’s easy to stand up or reposition often which helps a lot. It can also be a bit slippery depending on what trousers you wear.
A: It’s a Gopro 11 with media mod, mounted on the chin bar using the original curved mount and some sugru, then I run an external RODE lapel mic from the camera to the inside of the chin bar on my helmet, with a deadcat for controlling wind noise.
Im looking forward to picking up a 701 or 690 next year. It will be an epic bike up here in the Lothians and beyond.
Beautiful part of the world.
They actually double up as amazing bikes for almost any use case. In fact, they are more adventure oriented bikes than so called ADV bikes.
The problem is this idea is the concept that there is a right tool for each job. As in, there's a bike for every different activity, besides the supposed ability of big ADV bikes to to everything (false in practice).
Motorcycles are almost always lacking something in every situation. And motorcycling is usually about overcoming obstacles. So, you can do almost whatever with any bike and will very likely have a great time.
Good point, if we're fortunate then we can own multiple bikes for different activities. Most important is to get out there and ride them, something I am guilty of not doing enough! I will say though that some more winter-ready tyres would be a great help for the 701, the standard conti-attack SMs have started stepping out on me with the temperature dropping at this time of year.
@@TheRoadWarrior96 Try the Heidenau K73 tires if you get the chance! I have put them on my KTM Duke 640 for 2 weeks now and I really love them! Excellent for rain as well! Thank you for uploading! Greetings from Greece!
@@koutsion As a matter of fact I was looking at these the other day, as well as the Dunlop Mutants, but I think I would want a second set of wheels so I could easily swap between them. The tyre shops near me are very hit and miss, they either don't want to do it (unless you buy a tyre from them), they mark up the rims or they don't balance them correctly.
Did you get the regular K73's or the M+S winter ones?
@@TheRoadWarrior96 I got the regular K73s. Same problems with tyre shops here. I found a new one and I think this is the one I am going to stick to(good people and professionals).The Mutants are described as crossover so I thought that they lean mostly to the on-off/touring side of the spectrum, so I chose the K73s in the end :)
People using cycles to cross continents. This can definitely do it. Great take on 701 being tourer..hope to see more. Bw from pakistan 👏👏🫶
Nice video! I've been to Elan many times when I was younger, not on a bike but for long weekend hikes and runs. Every single time I had the same weather as you! :-) Absolutely stunning though and well done for recognizing that you needed to get out and not letting the weather put you off! I am very interested in a SM and I have seen that Ducati have just released a single cylinder SM. Would like to know your thoughts on that. Cheers.
It's frankly criminal how little time I've spent in Wales recently, considering I am based almost next door in Worcestershire. Even the shall we say 'consistent' weather is no excuse! I was blown away when that new Ducati was revealed, and I am sure it will be an awesome bike. I have heard that the Ducati might be a little less grunty down low, so all is not lost yet. I am financially comitted to the 701 now though, so it will just have to be a misty eyed test ride for me.. mind you there are worse fates eh?
@@TheRoadWarrior96 I'll try to get a test ride sorted on the Duc early next year when the weather improves. I live in Germany and it's already grim over here, so no desire to get out on a bike. However, there are some great deals on 2023 model KTM 690's & Husky's at the moment and compared to the price of the Duc, it's a no brainer.
Epic video im in exactly the same boat! 701 is the bike for me! Keep up the good work!
Thanks mate!
Well done great ride. I’m thinking about buying one?
Test ride one first, they are unique beasts
Sweet bike! I’ve wondered how reliable these machines are, they certainly look cool.
Me too honestly, I have had some paint issues and oil leaks, but only time will tell for overall reliability.
@@TheRoadWarrior96so far so good?
@@Cliffracer46 yeah still no reliability issues thankfully. Developed a bit of a rattle in the headlight cowl which will need some foam pads or something like that to resolve - and the rear swingarm is a nightmare to clean!
@@TheRoadWarrior96 lol! I wanted to get the gasgas because it has different wheels that are easier to clean! I had a 690 before but swapped it for a sportsbike and miss the sumo
@@Cliffracer46 Only think that put me off the gasgas is they don’t seem to hold their value as well as the other two, perhaps a lightly used gasgas would be the best bang for buck 🤔
I’ve done Elan many times. Never gets boring. Beutiful place.
Nice! Have you been on your 690? I didn't get to throw the bike around much with the conditions that day.
@@TheRoadWarrior96 No. only on the 1290. Been around there more times for work purposes.
I will sometime next year go on the 690.
@@Robbiemoto Let me know if you fancy dual vlogging that, would be a fun day out.
@@TheRoadWarrior96 Sure.
Cool video! I have the oppotunity get a Dorsoduro 750 but I am not sure it will hold up for longer trips. Im doing 80% the roads you did here but in Norway. But also I do like 12 hour trips as well. Will it hold up do you think? The bike already has a comfort seat and planning on maybe getting a windscreen
Dorsoduro is said to be quite a relaxed take on a supermoto - I think you’ll be fine 👌
Fair play going out in that weather, looked great though! I'm looking at a 701 SM for by next bike, how are you feeling about it 6 months on?
It was a fun day despite the weather! As for the 6 months on update, I’ve covered that in my latest video 🙂
@@TheRoadWarrior96 Ahh perfect, thank you :D
Excellent video and great to watch. I am after a Wings exhaust for my 690 smc r. Is it plug and play? Did you get hit with import duties before delivery?
Cheers mate, I appreciate that. Fitting is plug and play, hardest part is the exhaust clamp as it’s under a lot of tension while you try to get the fasteners in place, but once done up it’s been fine ever since. I believe it’s just Torx and Hex tools required, and make sure they send you the correct link pipe (they provide an imagine reference in the box to verify this). Totals costs for mine was £412.85 (I got the middle carbon heatshield only) + £91.31 customs duty. Not exactly cheap but I am 100% satisfied with the exhaust.
If i can on my DRZ you deff can on ur 701
Also enjoy seeing roads like mine. All the American stuff is good but those roads over there must get sooo boring. Im in New Zealand and we have goat tracks with sheep everywhere to
I'm with you on that, having been to Canada and rented a Harley I understand why they're so popular over there. Would love to visit NZ one day and perhaps rent something more nimble!
Yeah those bikes make far more sense on those roads. @@TheRoadWarrior96
Do you have full exhaust now or only slip-on? I wonder how loud this bike would be with decat and slip-on. I have Vitpilen 401 with decat and Leo Vince slip on and this single is juicy loud plus it pops on deceleration like mad
It’s just a wings slip-on, but I believe the cat is actually inside the OEM slip on so it is effectively decat, and yes it does sound rather fruity!
I have a zx6r and I’m seriously considering either a 701 or 690 SMC. I’m worried I’ll miss that “super sport” excitement though haha.. I’m also 5”7 😂
You might also find you miss the smoothness of an inline 4, they really are chalk and cheese in terms of riding experience. I will say though that the size of the 701 is very approachable, when I first test rode it I was shocked to find it felt more like a naked bike than I expected. My old DRZ was way taller!
@@TheRoadWarrior96hey man great vid! Can you tell me what the rider sag is? I’m vertically challenged as they say but heard from some buddies that w the sag it should be doable, the 35.8in seat height (I know, I’m a yank 😅) is quite intimidating. My ‘22 750 is just under 32” and I’m barely tipping both feet so I figure if the sag brings it down to 33”-ish I’d be alright
You stopped in Rhayader.
Better place to stop is cross gates on A483. Next door to the Texaco fuel station.
Ahh good to know thank you!
I think I must have gone past there, although where I did stop was agreeable enough. Or 'quant' as I put it.
What sprockets are you running on the supermoto? And what's it like on the motorway? I have a KTM 450 and wanting to turn it into a supermoto
A 450 conversion will be a very different animal, take a look at ‘lamb chop rides’ video on conversion vs factory supermotos I think you will find that super useful
You tour without bags? How do you put fuel if you have bags packed in the back?
It was more of a day trip to be fair, so a backpack was enough (although it did give me sore shoulders after a while). You can get some good tail racks for these bikes thanks to the enduro model, as well as saddle bags (if you don’t mind moving them to refuel), and I think SW motech does a ‘proper’ pannier system too.
I want a supermoto but im 5'7 they are way too tall. Whats the most u can lower it?
A suspension lowering link + a seat concepts low seat would make it doable I reckon 👍 (you’d also have to adjust the forks in the triple tree to match the rear, don’t want to turn it into a chopper 😃)
How is front headlight for 2 way roads?
Really good, especially for halogen. Although because I am tall I get blinded by the top of the headlight so I need to put a sticker or something there to block it from my view.
Get the comfort seat, it is like night and day…im to buy my 4th 701….
How so? Do you ride so much that you change it that often? Genuinely curious as I want to get a 701
Ride your bike and go see cool shit... great saying, ride safe