Husqvarna 701 Enduro Build

2022Article

Husqvarna 701 Enduro Build

The goal for my 2021 Husqvarna Enduro was to build a medium size adventure bike. I had been riding I larger KTM 890 and before that a KTM 1090, but for me I feel for me the smaller bike as much easier to handle, and these days I end up riding 90% off-road anyway. 

In the engine department we went to the guys at Rottweiler performance as they are known for their research and development on these 701 bikes. We installed the Dynojet Power Commander V Plus a fuel dongle, kickstand dongle, and an ABS dongle. Installing all of the dongles has really helped in the convenience of riding this bike, with not having to turn off ABS and traction control every time I stop and start. Also we added the SAS/Canister removal kit, and a Dynojet map switch.

Rottweiler Performance

We had the Power Commander mapped to the fueling dongle, and also mapped to pair with a Yoshimura exhaust. Now my 701 has better, rideable power performance, and with the Yosh exhaust it sounds great too!

Yoshimura R&D

The main feature you see when you look at my 701 is the Rade Garage rally tower. Not only does this help with road sections for wind resistance, I think it also has a really cool rally style look to it. The craftsmanship on the Rade F5 tower is just beautiful. These guys have done a lot of work first with aluminum versions of this tower and now with this carbon version.

Rade Garage

Along with the tower I also got an auxiliary fuel tank from Rade Garage. This sits under the front of the seat where the regular air filter would be. The Rade auxiliary gas tank ads about 1.5 gallons of fuel, and also has a Twinair foam filter to replace the stock paper filter. The only downside I can see with the auxiliary fuel tank is now at the gas station you have to fill up two tanks every time, but for me it’s a small price to pay for the additional 70 miles of range. I think I have about a 200 mile fuel range now on the 701.

For suspension I went to Jack Struthers at Carl’s Cycles in Boise, Idaho. Jack is renowned in the area for testing and developing suspension settings for a wide variety of bikes. Our 701 set up is plush and tuned for fast BDR style riding.

Carl’s Cycles

For protection on my bike I went to Outback Motortek for their crash guards and heavy duty skid plate. Both of these items were really easy to install on the bike and I’m happy to know that if a large rock kicks up from my front tire that the bottom of my motor is protected. Outback Motortek makes high quality parts.

Outback Motortek

Another protection item on my bike are the Acerbis wraparound hand guards to protect my levers in case of an inevitable tip over.

Acerbis

For the handlebars I chose Protaper as I’ve had good luck with these quality bars over the years. Even though it’s a motocross style bar there’s plenty a room for the controls on either end of the bar. 

ProTaper

Living in Idaho I have found that heated grips are in a necessity during the winter months, so I chose these KTM OEM heated grips. Also mounted to the handlebars is a Doubletake folding mirror. I love the design of these mirrors utilizing a ram mount that can be folded down out of the way when you get into a tighter section.

Husq 701 Heated Grips

Doubletake Mirrors

The Rade Rally tower that I mentioned above has a USB outlet and also a bar to mount my Trail Tech Voyager Pro navigation GPS unit. This set up has been very sturdy so far and my GPS unit does not vibrate at all. I use my Trail Tech on each bike I ride, having mounted up a cradle on each bike I have.

Trail Tech

I added a Scotts steering damper to my handlebar set up. I’ve started to add dampers to all my bikes lately, and I might switch to this one out for a MSC damper from Australia.

A great addition on this bike for me has been the Rekluse auto clutch. It’s a big help on this larger bike when the terrain gets a bit more technical and rocky.

Rekluse

I always use Maxima lubricant in my bikes, so that’s what is underneath this clutch cover.

Maxima

Also from Rottweiler performance is this super clean Tail Tidy that really tightens up the back end of this bike and gets rid of the big OEM hanging holder. The brake lights, running light, and turn signals are all built in to this stealthy license plate holder.

Tail Tidy

I also remove the passenger pegs and added these Rottweiler tabs that act both as guards and also a good place to attach my Giant Loop bags for my adventure rides.

Guards

Speaking of luggage I added a Tusk rear rack that just gives a slightly bigger platform area to mount my Giant Loop bags for those longer trips.

Tusk Rack

Another item that I am sure to add to all my bikes is the Seat Concepts replacement seat. If you’re going to be spending days on end on your motorcycle on a trip, one of the biggest comfort points is a good seat. The folks at Seat Concepts, in my opinion, make the best seats out there.

Seat Concepts

Far as tires go, I have found that as a ride mostly offroad I’m not too concerned about how my bike does on windy asphalt. Although they don’t last as long as I traditional adventure bike tires (3000+ miles) I have found that the aggressive Shinko tires 520 rear and 216 MX front have been a great combination offroad, and I know I could probably get a couple of 750 mile offroad trips out of a set.

Shinko Tires

Inside our Shinko tires we have a set of the harder version of Nitro Mousses. We have over 1500 hard offroad miles on this set, and no issues so far.

NitroMousse

To top off the look of the bike we went to our friends at Decal Works who make the best quality graphics in the industry. My friend Randy Commans (@my1090R) made the design for me and I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

Decal Works

All in all I’m very happy with my 701. For me I feel like it the perfect bike for my adventure trips, and I’ve become a convert to the Giant Loop motto “Go light. Go fast. Go far.”

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