Husqvarna entrusted us with its revamped 701 for the first of our "thousand kilometres" tests (actually we did 1600...) and we took it first to the Amiata and Val d'Orcia, then for a fascinating descent of the Apennines ridge through Emilia, Romagna, Marche, Umbria and Lazio, then for a tour combining the Trasimeno, Bolsena, Vico and Bracciano lakes, and finally back across the Apennines to our editorial office, in a huge variety of situations and conditions. The result? She coped far better than we did....

I was impressed, it's a really fascinating bike with which I did 1600 kilometres in just a few days, and in the end they had to work hard to take it back and eradicate my fingers from the handlebars...

There are several extraordinary aspects of this bike, for a start, compared to the previous version, this one is Euro 4 homologated, a fact that usually leads to a decay in performance, well, no way: the new 2017 version has something like 6 hp of power and 3 Nm of torque more than the previous one. As if to say that the Husqvarna engineers have done a great job.

Well, 6 hp more, but compared to what? Compared to the already astounding 68 previously: This bike has something like 74 hp at 8,000 rpm and 71.0 Nm at 6,750 rpm: frankly incredible figures!
To give you an idea, 74 horsepower means that a 450 motocrosser is sluggish in comparison, and not by a long shot!

Yes, OK, an avalanche of horsepower, but they will be practically impossible to use... Again, not at all! The 701 has a very smooth and progressive delivery that almost makes you forget its sci-fi power. And you have to be careful then, because the shafts at the sides flow very very fast indeed...

There are no different mappings (which I personally have never been too fond of), but only one, but programmed to the state of the art: very sweet and exploitable at the low end, the engine continues an imperious and absolutely thrilling crescendo up to revs you would not believe possible for a big (692.7 cm³) single-cylinder. That's it: the engine behaviour is very reminiscent of that of a twin-cylinder (and quite powerful too), and once I got out I went to count the cylinders and I can assure you that they are only one!

But who knows how much such an engine will consume? And here, too, the results were astounding: in the 1,599 km of our test, the 701 went from a maximum of 18.7 km/litre in totally unrestricted use to 23, averaging around 21, while riding the bike with absolutely no restriction.

Before we get into the test, I would like to point out another astonishing fact: this bike has service intervals at 10,000 km, like say automotive cadences just a few years ago.

This fantastic engine is set in a trellis frame that is very reminiscent of those of the bikes that have dominated the Dakar for decades: quite a guarantee to keep such a volcano at bay.

The riding position is very reminiscent of the enduro bikes of a few years ago, not only because of the height, but especially because of the width of the seat and the 'tank' (the real one is actually at the rear), especially the seat rails and the seat ramifications that reach far forward. It's not a problem for those who are tall, but I think it can inhibit in no small way all those who are 5'7" and under, and there are quite a few of them.
Personally I would prefer a slightly higher handlebar, especially for standing, and if the bike were mine I would definitely adopt raisers of a couple of centimetres.
The saddle is very flat and hard, like on a race enduro bike, it has anti-slip cords and is made of a plastic material that does not include the classic sponge and a coloured cover: here it is all in one piece, so there is no possibility of cuts or discolouration. Under aggressive riding conditions, or even simply very varied riding, the saddle is fine, but when riding in a fixed position, such as on the motorway, its hardness makes itself felt after not so many kilometres, and so do the vibrations.

The vibrations are a rather typical aspect of this bike and can be said to designate its character: when riding off-road or on mixed routes one can almost say that they are not noticeable, but on road routes and even more so on motorways they are very noticeable, to the point of numbing the hands after just fifty kilometres. It seems that the situation has already improved considerably compared to its progenitors, but it is indeed a bit limiting. Perhaps the problem could be alleviated with silent blocks on the handlebars or the adoption of sponge grips.

Not only the set-up, but also the entire chassis (wheels, suspension and so on) are worthy of a race enduro, and therefore of very high quality, so this bike is particularly suitable for those who come from the professional enduro scene, so to speak, who will therefore not pay too much attention to the saddle or vibrations, but will be hopelessly captivated by the absolute practicality of the 701.

Concreteness is a fundamental character of the motorbike: there is (and how!) everything that is needed, but nothing more or redundant, and this is fascinating, not least because it allows the 701 a truly low weight of 145 kilos, which for a non-specialist motorbike that has to keep 74 horsepower at bay is very little indeed.

In road driving the fun is absolute, you enjoy every metre and, if you want, you go really fast. Just ask the supersport riders who have passed us on some Apennine pass just off some mule track and dressed up in full off-road gear: not only was there no comparison in cornering, thanks to the motocross set-up that allows you to perfectly dominate the bike, but also when opening the throttle they saw us escape like Bip Bip from Wyle Coyote (naturally on roads closed to traffic, of course!).

Thanks to the original Continental TCK 80s, everything is a joy on asphalt, grip losses are very progressive and even in the wet the grip is more than secure.

It goes without saying that the flip side of the coin is that in real off-road terrain more specific tyres would be needed. Mind you, you can go anywhere, but certainly the bike's limit remains far.

Leaving asphalt for dirt, once the fork setting has been adjusted with a few clicks, the 701 proves to be a true empress, child of the desert and wide open spaces. The frame can be described in one word: perfect.

It has fantastic tightness and grip, combined with excellent handling that is not excessive, as if to remind you that you are not riding just any bike, but an empress.

There is no roughness in fast off-road terrain that can in the slightest trouble the 701, let alone put it in crisis: in any situation, even and especially at speeds that far exceed common sense, the chassis does its job in an, as mentioned, perfect manner.

In the most demanding off-road terrain the 701 goes very well, with the only limitations being its size and tyres. The second point can easily be resolved, the first unfortunately not: either you're a nice little beast, or you're a bit of a problem, because the bike is undoubtedly big.

The suspension is also very good, the WP closed-cartridge fork progressively improved over the course of the test, a sign that it needed a bit of breaking in, but it feels the adjustments well and is perfectly suited to the bike, as is the mono, also WP and equipped with really well-designed progressive linkages. The wheel travel is 275 mm, exactly adequate.

The braking system is no less impressive, strong with two Brembo systems with 300 and 240 discs at the front and rear respectively, and also the ABS, which wisely can be totally excluded, as you should remember to do whenever you leave the tarmac. Power and modulability in the case of braking are also benchmarks and you really can't even imagine anything better.

To further assist the ride, the 701 also has a slipper clutch. I had to go and check the data sheet to find this out: I thought there might be a traction control, but I thought it was electronic. In fact there is a control on the transmission, but it is mechanical and it must also be said that it works very well.

So far we've been talking about sporty use, but the 701 is also perfectly suited for trotting, thanks to a truly perfect delivery thanks to the Kehin electronic fuel injection with a 50 mm throttle body and a ride-by-wire throttle control that is excellently tuned and assisted by an intake resonator that has been adopted precisely to make the first part of the delivery smoother and more fluid. The good thing is that you can certainly go for a ride, but to unleash the engine you only have to turn the throttle and nothing more, except occasionally remembering to put the front wheel on the ground...

It has already been mentioned that the fuel tank is not in its usual position, but is instead practically the rear frame, i.e. a plastic structure that also supports the saddle and holds 13 litres of petrol, which thanks to its low consumption allows a respectable autonomy and the reserve light that comes on when there are still 2.5 litres left, as if to say about fifty kilometres. There are motorbikes with a total range of almost 50 kilometres...

The central-rear position of the tank means that you can hardly feel the difference between when it is full and when it is empty, which is another no small advantage.

On the other hand, I didn't really like the refuelling cap at the top, behind the saddle: in my opinion, if it had been on the side, it would have allowed some luggage to be fitted, for which it has to be said that there isn't even the slightest grip for a strap or elastic net. A small stain, certainly not enough to spoil an excellent overall picture. It must also be said that a small luggage rack is provided, but as an optional extra.

While we're on the subject of faults, but perhaps they can more accurately be defined as features, there's the absence of a minimum aerodynamic shelter: Husqvarna is probably already planning a 'Rally' version equipped with a fairing that would solve the lack. For now, however, it is difficult to go for long periods of time on the motorway above a constant 120 Km/h (better still 110): perhaps it will be because of some agreement not to exceed the legal limits, given that even the vibrations in those situations advise against this use, or perhaps it will be a reminder that the realm of the 701 is certainly not the motorway, but all the rest of the earth's world, almost literally: all the rest of the planet emerged from the oceans!

Also among the features in the above sense is the instrumentation, which is the same as on the Husqvarna enduro race bikes and is therefore a bit down to earth. This is frankly fine with me, but perhaps someone might want something a little more specific, articulate and satisfying.

The flashing button is also missing, but at this point they are really fleecing themselves!

To summarise, the Husqvarna 701 is a marvellous beast with the unbridled character of an empress, it can't be tamed by just anyone and it's certainly not a bike for riding around town (where on hot days it warms the ankles to the point of burning), but rather a wonderful conqueror of all that lies beyond, driven by an engine that's impossible not to fall in love with and a magnificent chassis that is its worthy companion.

Man, don't make me think I had to give it back....