lower your husqvarna 701 

'23 701 owner here, these are my opinions on the design of these big thumpers and the advantages and disadvantages they create. These bikes already have marginal ground clearance for real off road riding as the engine is carried low and forward in the chassis. Lowering the bike exacerbates this issue. I run my forks all the way out to line 1 as the bike has a bit "stink bug" stance with a tall rear and low front. I may go with 1 step stiffer fork springs to try to balance it out better. I am an experienced dirt rider, weight about 195, and ride at a pretty good clip. Lowering the rear via linkage swap would help with seat height and the "stinkbug" issue, but swapping the linkage generally messes up the linkage ratio and therefore the rear suspension action. A better approach might be to have a suspension tuner internally shim the rear shock to slightly shorten the rear travel. Ya, you lose travel, but that is probably better than screwing up the linkage ratio. The low and forward engine placement keeps the center of gravity low and puts a lot of weight on the front end, which helps steering on the street and hard packed dirt. This trait is not so great in mud and soft sand, and despite the prodigious power the engine puts out, the bike doesn't wheelie as easily as I would expect. I was a wheelie king back in the day" on my XL 600. Can still wheelie on my 701 (with the TC turned off of course) but nothing like the old XL. The seat ergos are "flat" and modern, the rider sits on the bike and not "in" it. This makes it easy to get forward on the bike, but the seat height is tall as a result. The XPLOR suspension is also no fooling around sprung and damped firmly and nothing like your typical slushy dual sport. This is great, but the firm suspension doesn't squash down halfway into it's travel to make the bike sit lower under the rider's weight. The seat is wide, which is good for support on the street, but stiff as Hell too, so no help there! I happily deal with it - these bikes handle, and their 693cc engine is like nothing else in production, and thank goodness for my 33 inch inseam 😆

I would highly recommend a torque wrench on all those vital screws and bolts, values can be found in the instruction manual!

I put the seat concepts low seat that's a little wider and it's very comfortable and the lowering link then I added 7/16 to the soul of my boots

Paint can tool hack is handy!

Ive got a 2017 701 Enduro. Instant follow. Great content.

I mounted the koubalink 701-1(0,75inch), the back is 15mm down, i lowered also the fork 13mm down, seat hight is now 0.6 inch lower (15mm). By the way i’m 1.83m tall, still not flat footed but it’s a bit better now :) (I have the ergo seat on the bike, it may change the high, but îm not sure)

Thanks for the video. I just lowered mine and your video helped out!

I did that but it wasn’t quite enough, so I had a suspension shop lower it another inch. Mine is a 2017, one of the tallest 701s.

Thanks for the informative videos! I just bought a used 2017 Enduro and I will make some changes for sure. I know Kouba has been making lowering links for years and lots of people like these but have you noticed any negative side effects at all? Tire rubbing fenders? Handling any different?

why is this a issue I'm 5'7" (1.7m for EU) I've never had a problem with my 701. in fact I think it could use more ground clearance my black dog skid plate is gonging all the time when I'm banging through single track . I mean do what you want its your bike but at lest rock it a bit before you start changing things up.

Of those comfort seats you have there, how comfortable are they for a passenger? They seem wider and cushier in the front but I can’t see that much more padding in the back.

Great video. Very clear. I have a 690. The only time I've laid the bike down it's because I'm on my tippy toes on the bike. I really need to lower the bike. It would be nice to see the before and after picture of the bike. Can you tell it's been lowered?

Thanks for the video. Do you have torque spec for the 2 10mm bolts that needs to be held both side? (The one on the round hole in the frame with the 2 washers).

Great video, thanks. What brand is the shorterned kickstand?

I have a 2020 701 and I too am looking to lower it some. I ordered a Kouba KTM8-1 (1.25”) lowering link. I can’t raise my forks that much without hitting the handlebars. (There is about 5/8” clearance) I am looking for an internal kit to lower the forks. Do you have any suggestions for that?

Nice video. But it would have been REALLY helpful to know how to loosen the bolts on either side holding the brake and gear pedals (and the swingarm). Most of my time was spent cursing trying to loosen and tightening them. Is there a trick to it? I couldn't find anything to help me out in the shop or owner's manuals, or Google.

Bro. BIG 👍👍!

Great video. I was wondering if you found or had to fabricate a Warp 9 SM kickstand foot pad or are you doing something different? Using your video, I did the same thing with mine and dropped it 1". I find the lean on the SM kickstand a bit nerve wracking at times. I haven't found a foot pad specifically made for this kickstand. Suggestions?

In the video you mentioned a "kickstand foot" to make up for the short Warp 9 kickstand...is there a specific kickstand foot or did you fabricate it yourself?

how much lower did it get? and does it work on ktm 690 enduro R (just got my first bike)

❤

Will this change rear suspension travel?

Bought a used 2020 Husq 701 that has the Kubalink ktm8-1 lowering link and the bottom of the spring hits the swing arm when on the side stand. Anyone else check for that?

What is you leg length to almost flat foot?

I have a lowering link for my 2019 701 that I don't need anymore - send me a message if anyone is looking for one!

What year is your husqvarna?

Did my Subscription just make it 1000 subs???