Ross is riding one right now!

The 701 engine is more powerful and has a built in quickshifter which is more than just an add-on to the original engine. The comparison with the LC4 is just a comparison, i.e old and new big singles from the same manufacturer - and how different new big singles are to those made a few years ago. Read a full article on thebikeshed.cc, published tomorrow.

Love the styling and low weight of the bike but $12K in the U.S seems too high. A 765 STR or Z900RS is cheaper here in the U.S. Not sure what the pricing on the 701 is in other parts of the world.

Moto Nirvana agreed

yes its expensive. but this is meant as a premium bike like ducati, only should be way cheaper to maintain.

Love it. It is pricey though. But I guess it's what an extra $1,200 over the KTM 690 Duke that it is clearly based on.... it's more my style day in day out than the Duke. All KTM bikes are kinda "sporty all the time." On the road bikes this gets old to me. BTW I ride an MTS 1000 S.

The Local crew has another sound channel open, combined them on the final video file, and messed up our sound. Nothing we could do to fix it. We hope the content makes up for it.

It's an unfortunate incident.... that is not making me lose any sleep whatsoever. I am losing sleep trying to figure out how to make another $12K appear in my bank account LOL.

I don't get the hipster label that this bike gets, it's not trying to look retro like a Ducati Scrambler or make your barista think you've come back from the desert like a GS. It's just a stylish looking bike in a the world of nakeds trying way too hard to look futuristic (looking at you KTM and Yamaha)

L4RK me neither, god forbid a company actually goes out of a limb and builds a handsome motorcycle.

Joe Mann they already did.✌️

Not sure it’s a touring bike... hopefully your planning shorter trips.

401?

RobertGoulet298 nooooo 701. They showed prototype of it last year

It’s all in the article at thebikeshed.cc

Or wait for the 701 Svartpilen

Rev'It! Mohawks

I'd suggest the KTM Centre in Hemel Hempstead. Speak to Jason and tell them Dutch sent you.

oh thanks gov. There is a KTM centre fairly close to me ( i wont name names) who weren't very helpful or friendly - thanks ill look these guys up! Loving the channel BTW! and completely agree on the flat bars. wonder if you could retro fit them?

Bike Shed Motorcycle Club They are a very good dealer (unlike many.) There was a rumour that KTM might rent some space from you guys for a small showroom Husky franchise. Clearly your location and clientele would be ideal for their road bike range. Would that ever happen do you think?

It's not bad considering the Euro4 regs, and sounds good from behind. But like all new bike, it need pipes that breathe.

701 Svartpilen comes next year.

£8899

Thanks for reply, not sure it will be able to compete at that price point, unless you specifically want a single or stand out from the crowd.

It's not cheap, but when you look at the WP components and compare it to the quality and parts of other bikes, it doesn't seem over the top. I think it's ok to directly compare this bike to some twins and triples for the quality of build and overall performance. Forget the fact that the engine is a single cylinder. Firstly, it performs like a torquey twin, and second, being a single doesn't make it a simple engine set-up with two balancers and in-built quickshift, and high RPM tolerance. Just our view of course. As you say, it's not cheap.

To be fair to them, this is new territory for a brand that used to be all off-road based, and isn't sure how to enter this new roadbike market. They are also trying hard to "not be KTM" which leaves them struggling for a voice of their own. They'll get there eventually... We think the bike speaks for itself, and the best promotional tool is to let people rest ride the bike. We genuinely like it, and it does look and feel very different from their 701SM or the KTM 690.

Bike Shed Motorcycle Club I'm still going to give it a test ride when I'm ready to buy. It's just the cringey hipster vibe they keep trying to put out. Spec wise it isn't something the audience they are trying to reach is going to be able to afford or even want. I really hope they get their act together on it since I do like my 501 and would like to see them succeed.

LOL. Shall we amend the title?

My thoughts exactly!! And these people, the journos, are the ones that should be exposing the manufacturers, so that we, the customers, could get much better products instead of getting ripped off constantly.

You think? I've owned six KTMs, from the 625 SMC and 950MS to the Superduke R and a few others. No problems with any of them over many years, in my personal experience of course. If anything the build quality seems better than most other bikes.

does anybody actually think its a different bike? I like the 401 because i think the 390 looks overly aggressive for its displacement. 701 over 690 as well, just because it looks better in my eyes. If the price is excessive, then obviously ill hold off, but if its comparably priced i think its a good business model.

You're entitled to your view, but it'll be more credible after you ridden one. With the Vitpilens chassis set up and clip-ons this bike feels very different to the KTMs and I've ridden an/or owned most models since the LC4 through t my 625SMC 950SM, SuperdukeR, RC8R onwards... and I've ridden the 701SM. To me this is different in handling and styling and concept. - as for being in Husky's pocket, that sound lovely, as I'd like a free bike, but it's sadly not the case. Meanwhile, hopefully as a customer you will do your research and test bikes before you make a purchasing decision. [DUTCH]

Bike Shed Motorcycle Club Nice! That's the most polite "F u too!"

anyone whos done even a tiny bit of research already knows where the engine is from. its not exactly a big secret. was anyone complaining about the nuda using bmw parts? nope. who cares.

whatever sells, I would buy one