FE/FC 701 Enduro It's official!

Ive got a 800 gs and recently sold my KTM 690. They're entirely different machines. The best way i could describe the very big difference is that the GS is road bike equipped to do some off road, the 690/701 is an off road bike equipped to do some on rd. the 690 platform is an extremely versatile bike, it just doesnt have the comfort of the twin 800 but the motor will sit all day at 130kmh on a road if it has to, the riders comfort is the limit. I would have kept it as it was a great bike but the mrs loves being a pillion, but not on the 690. It isnt a 2 up touring bike. Top speed well beyond by comfort level. Got it up to 180kmh with plenty left. I could talk more, very regretful sale.

we kinda moved away from this new beast and got chatting the ultimate bike mode, I wanted ask a tech question. Has the KTM 690 motor always had the hollow intake valves like the spec say this Husky version has???

Hollow since 2007...

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/05/autos/hy-throttle5

My local dealer said they will be selling at MSRP, so ~$12k for either model.
I paid $6k brand new for my 630....

The 701 appears to be in short supply and selling well, may be why the price is at MSRP. Did you buy your 630 when they were already being discontinued/discounted?

Plus the 701 has more power, a cush, slipper clutch, ride-by-wire throttle, multiple EFI maps, ABS, and higher-spec suspension, and longer service intervals, so you do at least get something you your money.

Thanks Jondirt, not very familiar with the KTM LC4 motor so just being cautious about 1st year models

In agreement here, any good, street legal thumper of this caliber is $10-11k so this estimated price (12k) is not outrageous!

The 690 engine is well proven. From what Ive heard, things do break from time to time, and when they do parts and service are expensive - but the engines seem to last well. My buddy Chris has clocked 50k kilos on his.

I did, I was close to paying $5k on a used 07 610 until they dropped $3k off the 630

I always use good oil and change it often, but you really should use the good stuff in the 690 motor. I was told multiple times by 2 different ex KTM dealers that the Motorex fully synth stuff (10w50?) Assists in protecting a particular engine bearing, i dont know which bearing they mean. Apparently it has silver in it? Very vague i know.

I'm seriously thinking about ordering one of these.

I think we all are unless we already own the Orange version

True that. I'm getting a set of 17's for mine when it shows up and just hope the front brake is enough to haul it down from high speed in a hurry. I'm also curious about the geometry changes it will make on the handling with the smaller wheels front and rear.

On the rd the spoked off road rims were scary at speed in corners. So much roll on torque made the rear spin when leaning (not always desirable in a real life scenario), the slim front made for not much grip. The long suspension travel sometimes made the forks dip on hard braking, that is on the E with only a single disc. I think the SM with firmer forks and a lower ride height would fix most of this and you could utilize the second front disc. Mine had no ABS which made riding in the wet .... interesting. ......

Seven-Oh-Won-ers,
Just read a new test review posted Feb 1st that depicted the dry weight at 350lbs
Previous reviews have the weight at 320 lbs.
Anyone got the real scoop? 30 lb delta is huge

Official specs say 145kg (320 pounds). The 350 pounds is probably its wet weight.

You are right, I mis-read the reported weight

Lightweight weekend winter driving, overall trip a bit less than 800km.
2 x Husqvarna 701 Enduro + 4 other bike

So.. I find this amazing. There have been numerous 701's sold around the world at this point. I belong to this thread, as well as a few FB threads and thumper talk on the 701. Have posted this question a few times.
NO ONE ON THE PLANET has apparently set their sag on the 701. Like that is supposed to be the first thing you do on an offroad bike. It blows me away that I can not find 1 person so far that has actually taken the time to remove the shock and set their sag.
Seems WAY wrong to me..