Kiwi Rider June Vol.2 2023 | Page 52

Husqvarnas are very fashionable right now . In fact , this Husqvarna 701 Enduro test bike was not brand new . It had come to KR via the ‘ Pines Peak Husky Trek ’. While still low hours and in excellent shape , it was sporting the odd minor battle scar - piloted on the event by none other than Kevin Archer . Kevin is a true HARD charger , a well-known offroad legend in New Zealand , and the father of Rachel Archer – rapidly becoming a legend herself in the off-road racing scene in the good old US of A . I ’ d also heard that Sean Clarke had thrown a leg over it during the Husky Trek and was suitably impressed . Is there a higher recommendation for an off-road bike in NZ ? Probably not . The last Husky 701 we tested was the Long Range model and I found it was an extremely good bike for our typical NZ conditions . It offered twin tanks , 12 litres of gas up front and 13 litres at the rear that only mildly affected ergonomics , but offered huge potential range with strong off-road ability , the LR ticked the boxes for the long distance Adventure rider . Arguably it was not the best-looking machine , but I particularly liked that for shorter trips you

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