Kiwi Rider March Vol.2 2023 | Page 44

towards Rangiwahia and a couple of gravel roads I ’ d heard of but , nobody I knew had ridden . From Apiti , Ridge Road and Zig-Zag Road run for almost 100km of tight , twisty gravel and hidden tar-seal – perfect for the nimble GasGas . Rolling into Feilding some 430km later , I was glad to be getting off the seat , but I wasn ’ t hating myself . I reckon the mix of standing and sitting kept the weight off my sit bones . You might not expect it , but the ES700 will do some big days in the saddle . We ’ ll be getting the official GasGas Comfort Seat soon , so it ’ ll be interesting to see how much of a difference it makes .

FEILDING TO NELSON . 325KM . Next morning was a dash to the ferry before the heavens opened . Rocking up at The Interislander , I was greeted by dozens of riders heading south for the Burt . If I ’ d not been on a deadline , I ’ d have liked to carry on south to Invercargill – although I reckon the Canterbury Plains would be quite a test on the GasGas seat – but , to be fair , that ’ s completely outside of the bike ’ s design parameters . Rolling off the ferry in Picton , the heavens finally opened . Riding in the pitch black in torrential rain and high wind over the Whangamoa Range is something I don ’ t want to do again any time soon . The bike ’ s lack of mass was a negative here because I had to keep up a high speed to stop it being blown all over the road . Another thing I noticed is the screen is very bright at night , too bright for me , especially in the rain . I ’ m surprised at how the headlight is pretty reasonable for what is essentially a dirt bike .

OUR PLANS FOR THE ES700 In the coming issues I ’ ll be fitting some of the GasGas accessories including a Remus exhaust , bash plate , heated grips and luggage rack . I ’ ve already got tentative plans for a camping trip taking in a Molesworth - St James Valley - Rainbow Road loop ; check the next April Vol . 2 issue for that . If you want to know anything about the bike , fire me an email at editor @ kiwirider . co . nz and I ’ ll endeavour to find out for you .

SPECIFICATIONS GASGAS ES700 ENDURO

ENGINE

Type : 692.7cc , liquid-cooled , 4V ,

OHC , four-stroke single Bore x stroke : 105 x 80mm Compression : 12.8:1 Power : 55kW ( 75hp ) @ 8000rpm Torque : 73.5Nm @ 6500rpm Starting : Electric Fuel system : Keihin EFI , 50mm throttle body , twin plugs Clutch : Wet , multi-plate , antihopping slipper Transmission : Six-speed , manual , chain drive

CHASSIS

Type : Rake / trail : Suspension :

Brakes :

Steel trellis frame 27.7 °/ 120mm WP XPLOR 48mm inverted telescopic fork , adjustable rebound / compression damping front , 250mm travel front ; WP XPLOR fully adjustable rear , 250mm travel rear 300mm disc , two-piston Brembo caliper front ; single 240mm disc , onepiston Brembo caliper rear ; Bosch 9.1MP ABS ( cornering , disengageable )

Traction control : MTC ( two modes , disengageable )

Wheels : Aluminium D . I . D rims , tube-type ; 1.85x21 front ; 2.50x18 rear

Tyres : 90 / 90R-21 front ; 140 / 80R-18 rear

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