XPLOR components . 48mm USD forks grace the front end and a fully adjustable rising rate linkage mounted shock at the rear . Action at both ends is firm without being harsh and no excessive front-end dive is noticeable under brakes . Both the fork and shock damping can be easily adjusted , the forks especially so with finger clickers on top of the forks for rebound and compression . While not always the most plush suspension , the ES700 is still extremely capable over a very wide range of conditions which means it must be in the running for the best trail bike on the market . The brakes are great with a decent-sized 300mm single front disc and 240mm rear . ABS is standard and switchable . While the single front disc is quite strong and effective , riders used to twin front disc setups will notice a little less stopping power on road . However , because the 700 is a least 50kg lighter than most twin front disc machines stopping is not compromised and on dirt and gravel and tarmac braking feel is excellent . Overall , along with its half-brother stable mates , the GasGas is possibly the last big single trail bike to be made , and the 700 certainly has the lead in the looks department . Whether the extra seat height is a step forward will come down to length of rider leg and personal preference , but either way there is a simple fix . If you are looking for a glorious-looking hoon machine that has a huge range of capability from road to real dirt exploring the GasGas ES700 is a mustride option .
LONG TERM TEST
Kiwi Rider contributors love an adventure bike , and amongst our team we have a Yamaha Tenere 700 , Honda CRF250L Rally , BMW R80GS , Honda Africa Twin and BMW R1250GS Rallye to name a few . With the big trail bike market effectively reduced to one machine , we ’ re keen to see what makes the excitable Spanish machine tick . Thanks to GasGas New Zealand , we ’ re keeping hold of this particular ES700 for the next six months to see how it fares as a trail bike and lightweight adventure machine . We ’ ve plans for big adventure rides , trail rides , luggage , more comfort , wind protection and more . In the March Vol . 2 issue we ’ re riding it 900km from Auckland to Nelson with some trail riding along the way . Stay tuned for more .
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