2026 Husqvarna 701 Enduro First Ride Test & Review

Compromise, perfected in the real world

There are motorcycles that make sense on a spec sheet and motorcycles that make sense on a mountain. The 2026 Husqvarna 701 Enduro somehow manages to be both—and, for the first few hours, that’s exactly what makes it slightly confusing. On paper it’s the ultimate in-betweener: more power, more suspension travel, smarter electronics, and a promise that one bike can bridge the gap between hardcore dual sport and midsize ADV. Three days in Portugal’s Serra da Estrela proved that the 701’s compromises are not weaknesses; they’re exactly what make it work.

2026 Husqvarna 701 Enduro (11)

Updated Features / What’s New

For 2026, Husqvarna didn’t just dust off the 701; it went deep. The LC4 single gets revised valve timing, updated crankcases for less friction, a higher-pressure fuel system, and a new exhaust layout that tucks the catalytic converter into the header. The result is a Euro 5+ compliant thumper that now claims around 78 hp and 53.8 lb.-ft. of torque, with that torque arriving lower in the rev range than before. In simple terms, it hits harder earlier and hangs on longer up top.

Service intervals have also taken a big step forward: oil changes stretched to roughly 9,300 miles and valve checks out near 18,600 miles, which puts the 701 much closer to ADV territory than typical plated enduro maintenance. Add a 4.2-inch TFT display, new ride modes with optional Rally functionality, and lean-sensitive ABS and traction control, and the 701 finally has the electronics to match its price tag and performance. Bodywork has been reshaped with a longer seat that runs up the tank shrouds, and suspension travel has been increased at both ends using updated WP Xplor hardware.

Engine & Electronics Breakdown

The 693cc LC4 remains the star of the show. It’s still very much a big single—lumpy at idle, mechanical in the best way—but the revised fueling and timing give it a more polished edge. Crack the ride-by-wire throttle and the motor responds immediately, spinning up with that familiar LC4 bark yet feeling smoother and more willing to lug than older versions. The extra 4-ish horsepower is noticeable when you wring it out on a fast dirt road, but the real benefit is the thicker, more accessible torque down low.

Standard equipment now includes a bi-directional quickshifter, which feels almost decadent on a dirt-capable single. At moderate loads it lets you fire through the six-speed box without touching the clutch, and once your foot adapts to the slightly firmer feel, it becomes second nature on fast paved sections or when standing in the dirt with boots caked in dust. The gearbox ratios themselves still skew toward short final gearing; first and second are eager enough to loft the front wheel out of tight corners, while top gear is relaxed enough for long transfer sections without the engine sounding like it’s running a sprint.

Electronics are where the 701 really steps into 2026. Two ride modes—Road and Enduro—come standard, altering throttle response, traction control, and ABS behavior. Optional Rally mode unlocks a nine-step slip control system (plus off), Dynamic Slip Control, and Motor Slip Regulation. Slip Control lets you dial in how much spin you want from the rear tire, from rain-level safety to loose-surface roost. Dynamic Slip Control goes one step further, momentarily easing traction control when the bike senses you need more drive—like on a greasy climb—then quietly restoring your original setting once grip returns. MSR works like reverse traction control, easing engine braking to keep the rear from chattering under aggressive downshifts on low-traction surfaces.

Both ABS and traction control are cornering-aware, with Road, Off-road, and Off modes for ABS. The dedicated ABS button on the bar lets you toggle quickly, though the system will step back up from “Off” to “Off-road” after a key cycle, so you need to stay on top of it during long dirt days. It’s a small price to pay for having street-legal safety and off-road control in one package.

Chassis, Suspension, Brakes

Underneath the white-and-blue bodywork is a chromium-molybdenum trellis frame that has been stiffened for better feedback. The rear tank/subframe remains a self-supporting plastic unit carrying 3.6 gallons of fuel, which keeps the center of mass low and leaves room for a downdraft intake and centrally located airbox. The trade-off is that a full tank has some pendulum effect when the back of the bike starts to move around, something that becomes very obvious in loose rock and ruts.

Up front, a 48mm WP Xplor open-cartridge fork now offers about 10.4 inches of travel, with separate compression and rebound adjusters—30 clicks each—controlled by large, glove-friendly knobs on the fork caps. Out back, a fully adjustable WP Xplor shock manages 9.8 inches of wheel travel. Stock settings are squarely in the “do everything” camp: firm enough for spirited road riding, but on the firmer side for slow, rocky climbs unless your weight and pace happen to line up with the factory target.

Braking hardware is classic dual-sport: a single Brembo twin-piston caliper and 300mm floating disc up front, with a single-piston Brembo on a 240mm disc out back. On tarmac, front brake feel is excellent—plenty of initial bite, easy modulation, and enough outright power that you never wish for a second disc. The rear is intentionally softer and longer in stroke, allowing fine control in the dirt without becoming too grabby, though aggressive riders may still find it a touch vague on the street. Cornering ABS ties it all together and does a good job of staying quietly in the background until you really need it.

Multi-Day Ride Impression: Street, Dirt, and Head Games

Husqvarna’s Trek event in Portugal gave the 701 Enduro exactly the sort of test it’s built for: three days in the Serra da Estrela, with everything from smooth blacktop and fast gravel to awkward rock steps and dusty switchbacks. Instead of a guided press parade, riders were set loose with GPS routes and left to find their own pace. That freedom exposed both the bike’s strengths and its quirks right away.

Day one started with pavement—a ribbon of fresh asphalt that folded back on itself as it dropped toward the valley. Despite the 21/18-inch wheel combo and Continental TKC80 knobbies, the 701 turned in crisply and held a line with more precision than a tall dual sport has any right to. The longer seat invites you to slide forward, hugging the tank and loading the front tire. The engine’s new low-end punch made corner exits addictive; you roll in, clip the apex, stand it up and the LC4 yanks the bike out of the bend with a short, urgent shove that feels more supermoto than soft-roader.

Once the route dove off the pavement and up into the mountains, the narrative changed. On loose, rocky climbs and choppy two-track, the front end chattered and the rear kicked hard off square edges. The extra fuel mass in the rear tank started to feel like it had its own agenda, swinging side to side when the shock blew through its stroke. One moment the bike felt like a willing enduro; the next it felt weirdly hesitant and unsettled. By the end of the day, the thought crept in: is this trying to be too many things at once?

What Needed Adjustment / Setup Changes

The honest answer is: the bike didn’t need to change—its setup did. At roughly 240 pounds in gear, it was obvious the stock suspension settings were going to be out of their element. Back at the hotel, a few minutes with the Xplor adjusters transformed the 701’s behavior. Dialing in more preload and rebound at the rear, along with a click or two of added compression, lifted the back of the bike and slowed down its tendency to pogo off hits. At the front, taking a few clicks out of compression made the fork more willing to absorb sharp edges instead of deflecting.

Electronics needed similar tailoring. On technical climbs, the Off-road ABS setting still stepped in earlier than desired at the front, so switching ABS fully off became the default for any steep, loose descent or long dirt run. Slip Control settled around the middle of the range for most of the day—enough intervention to keep things tidy when your brain was a step behind the terrain, but still willing to let the rear smear and spin when you asked for it. Rally mode’s fine-grained adjustability meant those tweaks could be made on the fly, gloves on, brain busy, without digging through menus.

It’s worth stressing this: the 701 Enduro is extremely sensitive to setup. A few clicks and a couple of turns transform it from slightly skittish compromise to planted, trustworthy all-rounder. Riders who are willing to spend one evening with a shock spanner and screwdriver will unlock a very different motorcycle than the one they rolled out of the crate.

Final Day Clarity – Where It Shines, Who It’s For

By day three, the 701’s mission had clicked. On rough climbs, it walked past heavier adventure bikes that were wrestling with momentum and mass, yet it remained markedly more relaxed and stable on fast tarmac than any 500-class dual sport. The gap between a Husqvarna FE 501s and a Norden 901 suddenly felt like exactly the space this thing was built to inhabit.

In wide-open sections, the 78-hp single delivers more thrust than most riders will consistently use off-road. It will happily surf long gravel straights at silly speeds, float the front over rain ruts, and light the rear tire with a quick twist of the throttle. Yet when the track tightens or you hit a village full of cobblestones and roundabouts, it calms down, idles along, and feels almost civilized. Back on pavement, the same bike that just clawed up a loose hill will carve corners with supermoto swagger, backing in gently on corner entry and wheelying away if you let it.

So who is it for? Not the rider who wants a race-plate enduro with a token license plate—you’ll always wish for less weight and more travel. Not the rider who lives for highway miles and two-up touring—that’s Norden territory. The 701 Enduro is for the rider who wants one bike in the garage that can:

Ride to the mountains on the highway without feeling punished.
Spend all day on mixed gravel, rocky climbs, and forest two-track.
Hit a backroad on the way home and genuinely enjoy attacking the corners.

If you split your time fairly evenly between dirt and pavement, and you’re willing to learn what a clicker does, this is your bike.

Conclusion – Balanced Takeaway

The 2026 Husqvarna 701 Enduro is not the purest tool for any single job—and that’s exactly why it works. It asks for a little effort from the rider in terms of setup and electronic understanding, but it pays that back with an unusually broad performance envelope. Once dialed in, it gives you roughly 95 percent of a hardcore dual-sport’s capability in the dirt and a full 100 percent of what you want from a playful, long-legged road bike.

At $13,399, it isn’t cheap, and there are lighter enduros, comfier adventure bikes, and simpler singles out there. But very few machines blend long service intervals, serious electronics, big-single character, and real off-road ability this well. If your ideal weekend includes a two-hour slab ride, a full day of mixed terrain, and a twisty detour back into town, the 701 Enduro’s “compromise” starts to feel a lot like the right answer.