Meet Kiwi Rider ’ s new long term test bike . We ’ ll be putting GasGas ’ first road-legal thumper through its paces in the coming months . Starting with a ride from Auckland to Nelson .
In the February Vol . 2 issue of Kiwi Rider I put forward the idea that GasGas ’ ES700 Enduro could well be the last of its kind . By this I mean the big capacity , road-legal , single cylinder trail bike . New Zealand ’ s current legislation requires all road-registered bikes to have ABS , even dual-sport and enduro machines . This has seen the withdrawal of these bikes from our market – Suzuki ’ s long running DR models , including our perennial favourite the DR650SE , and Yamaha ’ s popular WR models ( or Honda ’ s XR650L which is still sold in the USA ) This current legislation is a mess and has effectively forced all these bikes out of our showrooms .
GASGAS ES700 ENDURO If you want a new road-legal trail bike , as opposed to a secondhand machine that ’ s already registered for the road , there aren ’ t many options . GasGas has one , the ES700 Enduro ( which we tested in the last dirt issue ), as do KTM and Husqvarna ( for now at least , but I have a feeling this might change in the next year ). The ES700 Enduro and SM700 Supermoto are the Spanish firm ’ s first foray into road-legal machines , both utilising the same LC4 engine platform as the KTM and Husqvarna offerings ( 690 Enduro R and 701 Enduro ). The ES700 is a significantly different proposition than our old favourite , the DR650SE , in all aspects of engine and chassis performance , as well as comfort and ergonomics . It ’ s a thoroughly modern machine that ’ s more of a big enduro when compared to big trail bikes of old . Having lived with a modified DR650SE in 2014 – a bike which has been at , or near the top , of NZ ’ s best selling bike list for a decade
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