the gravel was very wet and hard-packed
which aids traction, but, even so, the 701 was
extremely quick and stable. However, in a real
fishtail situation the rear fuel load is quite
noticeable, especially if the front tank is empty.
Off-road handling is where the 701 Long
Range shines especially brightly when
compared to any other bike with this sort
of fuel range and power output. Suspension
travel is down to 250mm at each end from
the 300mm plus number of the full dirt model
and correspondingly ground clearance is
down to 270mm. This is a good thing because
the last thing you need adventure exploring is
a very tall bike with the weight of a lot of high
mounted fuel. The Yamaha Tenere 660 and
Africa Twin Adventure Sports models spring
to mind as being challenging for these
particular reasons.
The WP suspension is a class act. It’s
adjustable for preload (rear only),
compression and rebound damping at both
ends and the shock adds separate high- and
low-speed compression adjustment too. The
action of the WP suspension at both ends is
terrific. On road it is mostly compliant and
controlled, riding very comfortably. It remains
well composed under heavy braking, which is
normally an issue with long-ish travel bikes
and large full loads. Off road it handles most
terrain very well, being surprisingly
comfortable to ride considering its decent
bottoming resistance and it even jumps
pretty well given it’s still a lot of motorcycle
when fully fuelled.
The main feeling is of a fairly plush wellcontrolled
machine. On gravel when fullyfuelled
it does sit down in the rear shock
KIWI RIDER 45