HUSQVARNA 701 SUPERMOTO (2015 - on) Review

Here's the thing about the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto in 2021: Ten grand looks like an awful lot of money for a bike with just one cylinder. Especially as it’s a supermoto, which is another way of saying it’ll be more focused than the sharpest sportsbike and as practical as jelly shoes.

• Related: 2015 Husqvarna 701 Enduro review

Husqvarna’s 701 is far more than ‘just’ a single, though. Its 693cc unit is one of the most impressive engines of recent times, combining punch, character and impressive performance at realistic speeds with economy, eerie smoothness and sensible service intervals. And the 701 is way more than just a supermoto too.

While the tall, slim, light chassis readily delivers all the big-lean, foot-out, one-wheel antics inspired by bikes of the breed, the 701 is set up to ensure proper rideability on the road. It’s also a thing of quality: components, fit and finish are extremely pleasing, and despite the bike’s apparent simplicity the latest version has plenty of tech.

• Related: Best supermoto motorbikes

Fabulous sub-80mph fun, most of the practicality of a middleweight twin, superb quality, and the air of the exotic – the Husqvarna 701 might not be the obvious choice in today’s capacity-mad world, but the 701 has the potential to revitalise your riding.

During 2016 MCN spent an entire year living with the 701SM in the UK as a long-term test. Here are five things our man Liam Marsden loved about his time with the bike:

That Husqvarna 701 engine

There's something about a big single that I love. They're incredibly simple, no-nonsense, and produce their power in an addictive way. They might run out of puff a little bit at higher speeds, but they're much more fun at lower speeds than most other bikes.

Impressive supermoto handling

It probably comes as no surprise the Husky handles well. Its lightweight trellis frame, overall weight of just 145kg (claimed weight without fuel has now climbed to 148kg) and wide motocross bars ensure precise handling.

More often than not I end up pointing towards the inside kerb on the first corner if I've been riding something else for a little while.

It will fit through almost any gap

The Husky is an excellent commuting tool. Tall and slim, it's able to squeeze through almost any gap in traffic, much to the annoyance of my fellow commuters, no doubt.

Husky 701 is surprisingly economical

I half expected to be stopping for petrol more than once a week, but the 690cc single returns 51mpg, which results in a 130-mile fuel range from the 13 litre tank. Twisting the throttle harder and faster seems to have little effect.

The Husky makes me smile

The Husky is so simple. Yes it's flawed as an everyday motorcycle, but the combination of light weight, that punchy engine and good brakes can't fail to make me smile. Whether it's accelerating hard out of a roundabout, tearing round my favourite roads or commuting home, I'm always guaranteed a smile.

Once you've read this review, and our owners' reviews, you may want to join an online community to meet likeminded people. We'd suggest the Husqvarna 701 owners' group on Facebook.

Suspension is on the sporty side of comfortable, meaning you notice larger imperfections at lower speed, though with plenty of wheel travel and luxurious damping the ride is never harsh.

There’s no questioning the quality of the WP Suspension components. Full adjustment is offered, with the ability to alter preload, rebound damping and compression damping front and rear (the forks have compression damping in the left fork leg, rebound in the right), but the factory set-up is so good you probably won’t meddle.

There’s touchy-feely feedback from the Husky 701 in the middle of a corner, with a fluid suspension action and grip-enhancing weight transfer – you feel the front tyre biting the road under braking, and the rear wheel digs in accelerating out of turns while banked over. Being tall, slender and light, the Husky doesn’t need to lean as far as lower, heavier bikes for a given speed, so always tends to have lean and grip in reserve. It’s real fun in the wet.

Husqvarna 701 stopping power

The original bike's single disc front brake needs a good tug on the classy lever for serious effect, but there’s no shortage of power. From 2020 onwards the 701 has cornering ABS, for panicky grabs mid-turn.

Earlier versions got run-of-the-mill Bosch anti-lock (which of course you can turn off for skids), which goes unnoticed unless you stamp on the rear pedal or encounter a loose surface while pinning the front down, at which point it does what it needs to.

For 2021, Husky went one step further and installed a new Brembo monoblock four-piston front brake caliper, combined with a chunky 320mm disc. The electronic aids remained the same as before.

With its considerable 890mm seat height the big supermotard can be imposing for those who are less gangly. The ribbed seat is very slippery in textiles, though gives plenty of space to move about and get comfortable.

Body position does affect handling, however; sit too far back and the steering becomes vague, and you need to shuffle near the headstock and grip the wraparound seat with your legs to pin the front down accurately.

Sitting in the over-the-nose supermoto stance gives a strange sensation, as there’s nothing around you. It’s like flying… well, sort of. Windblast is obviously a consideration, though the Husky is no worse than any other naked bike.

The 701 may not be your first choice for track riding, but Liam Marsden rode the MCN Fleet Husky around Rockingham for an afetrnoon and found it to be engaging, capable and brilliant fun.

It pitches back and forth under acceleration and braking, hops and skips over bumps and kerbs and there's nothing to protect you from the wind on the straights - so it's quite hard work.

But you will find the occasional 701 SM at a trackday and you can guarantee the owner will have a massive smile on their face.

It’s not 701cc but 693cc: the model name is to differentiate the Husky from the KTM 690s that use the same liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine. 

The motor itself is very cunning. The oversquare unit (105 x 80mm) has a single overhead cam with roller rockers for the exhaust valves, twin spark plugs with individual ignition maps, forced lubrication from two oil pumps, plus a pair of balance shafts – one conventionally located by the crank, and a second in the cylinder head which also separates oil from the air passing to the breather. A huge 50mm throttle body is controlled by ride-by-wire.

It’s potent. The rev limit is a heady 9000rpm, and originals made a hefty 51.2 lb.ft of torque and 71bhp (against a claim of 74). For 2021 the engine gained Euro5 compliance, thanks to tweaks including a reworked exhaust system.

In such a tall, light package it’ll wheelie off the throttle in first and second gear, bound eagerly out of mid-speed corners and hit a datalogged 121mph top speed. On-the-road performance is identical to Yamaha’s twin-cylinder MT-07 – remarkable for a bike with one piston.

Yet it’s friendly too. Roll-on overtakes in a tall gear are easy, the electronic fuel injection is super-smooth, the hydraulic clutch is light, and it’ll slip through 30mph limits in fourth gear without snatch. Sit at 70mph on a motorway and the 701 is as smooth as a four-cylinder bike such as, say, a Kawasaki Z1000SX.

Honestly – you’re aware of the combustion process and power pulses, yet the big single stays amazingly smooth and never numbs fingers. The six-speed gearbox can occasionally be a little notchy, though. Bikes from 2020 onwards have a quickshifter installed.

Servicing is every 6200 miles, which is impressive for such a high-performance single. Unfortunately, it needs a valve clearance check each time (budget around £300).

Component quality is high, and the level of finish is impressive. The Husky is a premium product and should have no reliability issues as long as the engine is serviced as per the schedule. It’s essential for longevity of the eager thumper.

On a used example expect the white plastics and seat to carry subtle marks from leathers and stray boots – and expect to use significant elbow grease to shift them. The soft handlebar grips wear quite swiftly too. Exhausts discolour with use, and the coloured stick-on flashes on the wheels like to peel off.

Check the indicators work as the switch can fail unless greased periodically, and the dashboard can mist up. And make sure the speedo actually works – it’s tied-in with the ABS, and if the ABS switch fails you lose the speed readout as well as the anti-lock.

The aluminium swingarm needs smothering in anti-corrosion potion to prevent winter fur, and the engine might want about a cupful of oil every couple of thousand miles.

Our Husqvarna 701 Supermoto owners' reviews show positive comments. One reader complains of poor quality materials and an overly hot standard exhaust, though, and another says the bike makes strange noises.

The biggest problem our MCN Fleet long-term test bike had was the rim stickers coming off, which isn't the end of the world.

Overall we think you'll have a decent time owning one of these firecrackers. 

Getting a favourable insurance quote can be a struggle, as the bike’s nature means it might be popular with people who borrow without asking. It’s also group 14 insurance – the same as a Triumph Street Triple RS.

The fuel tank is within the self-supporting plastic subframe, with the filler located at the back of the seat. Fuel capacity is just 13 litres, but thankfully even when ridden as briskly as it encourages you to the Husqvarna 701 averages 54mpg.

So the fuel light doesn’t come on until 130 miles and it’ll cover almost 155 miles before spluttering to a halt. With less enthusiastic use the super-smart motor happily returns figure in the 60s or even 70s.

There are larger, better-equipped and faster bikes for the same sort of new price as the Husqvarna - for similar money you could get a BMW F900XR, Suzuki GSX-S1000 or Triumph Street Triple RS.

However, the Husky is good value. You get classy parts and the feel of a premium device, and residual values are high too – used Husqvarna 701s don’t lose much money. It's also a far more authentic supermoto than the Ducati Hypermotard or Aprilia Dorsoduro, and a class above the Yamaha XT660X.

There’s a simple compact display with speed, odometer, trip, plus a couple of idiot lights. That’s your lot. A supermoto wouldn’t be right with a huge TV-like dash, and the obvious feel of the engine means you never miss a rev counter.

Hand levers are fine quality with neat span adjusters, the tiny headlight is way better than you expect, the mirrors give a decent indication of what’s behind, and the sidestand can be a pig if you’re not overly endowed in the leg department.

Most dealers supply pillion footpegs and grab handles separately; pegs mount instead of the heel plates, but the handles require the bodywork to be drilled. Strapping on luggage isn’t easy, as there are no bungee points and there’s nowhere suitable for a tankbag (Husky will happily flog you some neat tubular frames to carry their accessory tailpacks and panniers, though).

Earlier 701s had straightforward Bosch anti-lock brakes. For 2020 the 701 Supermoto was upgraded to cornering ABS, and also sprouted a lean-sensitive traction control system, riding modes and a quickshifter.

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Husqvarna 701 Supermoto spec updates for 2021

Alongside refinements to the brakes and engine Husqvarna added small updates to the dashboard and headlight design for 2021.

Now priced at £8999, the design mimics the updates found in the 2021 KTM 690 Enduro R and SMC R, with a new LCD dashboard tucked behind an updated front headlight unit, now displaying a gear indicator and your revs.