2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro T-Rex skid plate and crash bars install

After searching the internet for the options on skid plate and crash bars for my 2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro I decided to go with the T-Rex kit (Part Number: N167-16EG + N167-16SP). This kit did not claim to fit my bike exactly but rather KTM 690 Enduro/Supermoto and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto of years prior to mine.  I contacted the company and asked about it fitting my bike.  I worked out a deal to try it out.  

Before installing it I weighed the components so I could later compare to what I removed.

• Skid plate - 53.5oz
• Left crash bar - 32.5oz
• Right crash bar - 34.7oz
• Attaching hardware - 22.2oz

142.9oz or 8.93lbs.  I also weighed the factory plastic skid plate assembly and it came in at 25.4oz and 8.7oz of removed mounting hardware for a net weight gain of 6.8lbs.  The added weight is fairly low on the bike, the skid plate being the heaviest single component and also the lowest. 

The install was very easy and straightforward.  It took less than 20 minutes I would guess.  Here is a video of the install.

It fit the bike well and offers the protection I was looking for. The crash bars are simple and don't go as high as others but will likely take most of the hit if I drop the bike on either side, protecting the radiators. 

The skid plate has extensions on both sides that help protect the side cases from objects from the front.  They even offer some protection from dropping the bike on the side depending on the surface.

While it would have been convenient to use the original sockets to catch the back of the skid plate, the T-Rex design is much more robust.

Between the skip plate and crash bars, the water pump looks well protected now.

I like the lower position of the crash bars, both to keep the weight down low, and since this is a much stronger design than other bars.

I like the design of these crash bars compared to many others I have seen.  The cross bar is positioned well to prevent branches and other things from getting captured by the bars when riding.  It will tend to deflect them away.  

Off-road Trails in Southern Nevada

 

I ride electric mountain bikes and a dual sport motorcycle in southern Nevada. Luckily, over 85% of Nevada is public lands, and there is lots of off road riding available for both motorized and non-motorized machines. I wanted to create this blog post to make others aware of some great resources to find all these available trails.  While many of these resources claim to have maps for both, coverage of motorized versus non motorized varies quite a bit within each of the apps/websites. Some have free access levels and others support both subscriptions free access levels.  I will say that none of these mapping tools has complete coverage.  Most are less than half the actual trails in most areas.  

I also use an old smartphone for navigation for both mountain biking and motorcycling. It is very important to keep your eyes on the trails to avoid an accident, like this one: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/oops.html .  Stop to view the navigation.

Apps & Websites

Trailforks - This is my go to app for Electric Mountain biking, and any mountain biking. While it also supports motorized off road trails, it is not particularly good at that. For mountain biking, it is great because crowdsourced trails are available. I have found the coverage in my area to be better than any other apps I have found for mountain biking. It supports offline maps for navigation when out of cellular range.  Part of Outside+.

GAIA - This is a pretty decent app in general for finding trails. I have used it for both motorcycling and electric mountain biking, but I tend to find other apps a bit better and so it is not my go to app.  GAIA is more of a mapping utility and navigation tool than a way to find existing trails. It supports offline maps for navigation when out of cellular range.   Part of Outside+.

onX - There are several variants of onX. I use the off road version. It seems to be the best in my area for motorcycling. It is a subscription only app and website and has no access without a subscription. It supports offline maps for navigation when out of cellular range.  

AllTrails - The AllTrails app and website claim to support all kinds of off road trails and activities. It does but I have found the coverage to be not as good as trail forks for biking or for onX for motorcycling, at least in my area. It supports offline maps for navigation when out of cellular range.  

Kamoot - Supports hiking and biking.

Strava - This is more of a social networking app for bicyclers, but you can look up other people's ride segments and find some routes this way.

Garmin Explore - Garmin explore is an application used with many Garmin products. Garmin has other similar apps to Garmin Explore as well, depending on the product that you are using. It supports offline maps, navigation, and integration with several Garmin products such as InReach satellite messenger.  

Google Maps - Google Maps actually has features for navigating off-road too.  Well, somewhat anyway.  It has biking and walking modes that include trails.  While it is not a main feature it can work surprisingly well at times.  Often you will need to put it in biking or walking mode and also add some stops along the way to enforce your desired route.  Here is an example taking a Jeep trail over Wheeler Pass.

Google Earth - Google Earth has some great tools for searching the Earth for all kinds of detail. It also includes some great measurement tools that will show you the elevation profile. Another great feature is tilting the map to see a perspective from ground level or anywhere in between.  You can also import GPS data from Garmin Connect and other trip trackers. The satellite imagery is good enough to spot many trails that may not yet be mapped.  

RideWithGPS - created as a bicycle route planner it is generally a pretty good route planner.  

Local and national government sites

Each local area likely has its own resources for specific parks and places where there are trails. things like the U. S Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management cover many parks across the United States. Below are just a few that I use around Southern Nevada.

US Forest Service mapping 

Bureau of Land Management and BLM maps landing page

USGS mapping store

Off-Road Nevada

Related Resources

Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR). Back country discovery routes are specific routes that have been created by the BDR community. They connect multiple trails together to make a long route, generally through part of or an entire state.

Once you find places to ride on the map, the next thing you wonder is how challenging and fun will it be. I generally search the trail name in YouTube where many people have posted some great videos of their rides/drives so you can actually ride the trail before you get there.  I contribute many ride segments on my YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@jimroal .

2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro 1,000 mile review

 

In Goodsprings, NV at the Pioneer Saloon around the time the bike hit 1,000 miles

I bought this bike just 3 months ago and now I have passed 1,000 miles.  Being a dual sport, there are many highway miles in that but I ride mostly off-road.  Over 85% of Nevada is public land and this is one of the most open states for motorized off-road trails.  Now that it is winter, the weather is perfect for motorcycling too.  

My last motorcycle was a 1989 KTM 500MX that I sold back in 1997.  That bike had 65HP and weighed 227lbs.  I have not owned a motorcycle since, until now.  This Husky is the heaviest and most powerful bike I have owned, weighing 325lbs and having 74HP.  It also has the most electronics with ABS, traction control, EFI with electronic throttle, etc.  It is the only electric start bike I ever had.  I did get into electric mountain bike riding over the last couple years so I have been on 2 wheelers quit a bit.  However, those electric mountain bikes are light as a feather compared to a motorcycle.  It has taken me that 3 months, dropping it several times, and 1,000 miles to get acquainted with this bike.  Now I am at the point I really like it.  For comparison I tried a friends KTM 890 and another friends CRF 450 (in the photo above) and I think I made the right choice with this 701 for my riding style and where I want to ride.  This 701 is very light for an adventure/travel bike but heavier than an enduro or motocross bike. I love having a street legal bike I can just ride from home.  It also opens up many roads and Jeep trails that require a street licensed vehicle.  This bike has great road manners in my opinion, but I have ridden very few street bikes.

The 2023 Husqvarna 701 Endure, the KTM 690 Enduro, and the Gasgas 700 Enduro are all KTM motorcycles now.  They are almost identical except for some bodywork.  These bikes were designed and built in Austria for model year 2023 (and since 2016).  PRIERER Mobility Ag owns all these companies.

    

I made the following modifications so far:

• Rear luggage rack
• Rear bag which I bolted in place.  I also have Velcro straps bolted inside to keep the load from moving around. I carry a small 12V compressor and flat sealer in there.  
• Front bag which I bolted in place
• Hand guards with mounts
• Doubletake mirrors
• Upgraded to an LED headlamp bulb
• Small windshield
• Radio mount (home made) and mounted push to talk button
• Non-locking gas cap
• USB charger with both USB-C and USB-A Quick Charge
• 1.3 gallon gas can with center mount.  I custom made a bracket to mount this on the side. I also installed bolts through the mount the can came with since the mount is really weak.  

During my first 3 months of ownership, I have crossed several mountain passes on Jeep trails, often with steep and very rocky sections like the Rocky Gap Road Rock Garden and Wheeler Pass.  I have also ridden many loamy washes with loose sand and gravel which can be a handful at times.  

I have tracked the fuel consumption along the way.  I have averaged about 47mpg so far.  This includes a considerable amount of low gear off-road riding which seems pretty good to me.  I have never had to use my spare gas can yet so I generally don't even carry it.  The most I have had to add to the tank on any fill-up so far has been 1.6 gallons and the bike has a 3.4 gallon tank.  If I do plan a longer trip I can bring the 1.3 gallon can and have 4.7 gallons available.  That would give me a 220 mile range.  Actually it would likely be longer since my average mileage calculation includes a bunch of 1st gear off-road riding and a longer ride would likely include more higher gear riding where the mileage improves.  Also as the bike breaks in more the fuel economy improves.  There is no fuel level indicator on this bike except for a low fuel light.  The rear mounted tank does not let you even look in to see the level.  However, it puts the fuel weight on the back which helps in loamy conditions.  

The bike has many electronic features including ABS, 2-mode traction control, electronic throttle and EFI.  Mode 1 is for pavement and mode 2 is for off-road. You can also disable traction control all together but I have not found the need to do that. Once you select a traction control mode, it will retain it through key cycles. I do turn OFF the ABS off-road as it  actually stops faster with it disabled when on loose terrain.  One minor complaint I have with the ABS is in order to disable it after starting the bike you have to first ride fast enough to pass the pre-checks and the ABS light will then go out.  It is only then that you can stop and disable the ABS.  It will turn back ON every time you key back ON.  You can buy a dongle that will keep it disabled.  The EFI is great.  The bike starts very fast even after you drop it and even stone cold. It also have a much longer maintenance schedule than most enduro bikes.  It goes 6,200 miles between oil changes.  

This bike is tall and large compared to a typical enduro bike.  It also has a higher speed first gear.  This, along with the added weight, makes really challenging technical stuff harder than an enduro (500cc or smaller) or motocross bike.  

On Lovell Summit Road

At the Charcoal Kilns

Wheeler Pass

Up the North side of Wheeler Pass

Top of Rocky Gap Road

View from the seat

Top of Harris Mountain Road

At Little Red Rock

5L gas can mounted 

Gas can mount I made

Rider to Rider Communication

 I bought an adventure bike to explore off-road.  I also bought a helmet intercom system from Sena (actually mine if branded HJC but it made by Sena, it is an HJC 10B).  I rode with some friends that also have helmet intercoms.  This is really grate, pretty much a necessity once you have had it.  There is no going back.  You can hold a conversation while riding.  The front person can also warn the people behind of upcoming obstacles, vehicles, hazards, etc.  

The two leading helmet communications makers are Sena and Cardo.  These 2 both have mesh systems which allows the communications to use multiple riders to relay messages across the group.  This also allows for larger groups of riders to all communicate at the same time.  These 2 mesh systems are not compatible though (although Cardo now offers a bridge feature).  This mesh approach is great for street riders who ride close together.  However, off-road the mesh approach has some issues.  Off-road we have things like dust, gravel, and rocks getting kicked up by the tires, narrow trails, and other issues that make us ride much farther apart.  We also have hills, canyons, mountains, and other obstacles that interrupt the communications.  If the person in the back drops their bike, communication is lost pretty fast as the other riders increase the distance.  Just when you need it most you lose communications.  

I did some investigation into options.  I found this great YouTube video going over this same issue and several solutions. 

I looked into these options and decided to go with the BTech GMRS-Pro and the push to talk (PTT) button.  This works slick with my HJC/Sena helmet system (and likely most others).  It pairs to the helmet intercom as a second phone.  This way you can still use the intercom via Bluetooth as normal until you are too far away and the intercom drops.  Then you simply use the PTT button to contact the other riders.  If and when you get back in intercom range you can switch back.  Switching back and forth is automatic really.  The intercom is much preferred as it allows continuous 2-way communication and is lower power (less radiation). I prefer to use the radio only when needed (which happens on many rides).  This BTech is really the only GMRS radio with Bluetooth profiles to support this configuration.  I found others that support Bluetooth for app integration but this device also supports profiles for hands free communication and the PTT remote. This radio is also waterproof making it a good choice.

This radio is a 5 Watt unit which is not something you want too close to electronics or your body really.  I don't really need to see or touch the radio when riding since I have the PYY button and the mic and speakers use the helmet intercom system.  I set the channel and volume and forget it.  I decided to clip it into my rear pack, as far from me as I can.  I zip the pack on the clip which retains it very well.  The radio is waterproof so no worries there.   

That all seemed like a great idea until we tried it while riding.  The PTT button would only work sometimes, maybe half the time.  I suspect the EMI from the motorcycles ignition system interfered with the Bluetooth signal from the PTT button.  I decided it was time to mount the radio on the handlebars.  I made a mount on the left side which is also only a few inches between the PTT button and the radio.

I found that having the PTT button on the grip was a problem since it would sometimes get in the way of the clutch level.  I moved it to the mirror mount using a strip of Velcro tape and the strap it came with to keep it in position.

This worked OK but you have to reach for it and it can slide along the strap a bit.  I finally moved it to the clutch lever.

Look closely and you can see one zip tie on each side of the clutch adjuster so it can't move at all.

I used 2 small zip ties to retain it in place. Now I can use my index finger to press the button while riding without having to reach.  It is also in a place where I would never hit it by accident and it does not move at all.

The GMRS radio can also communicate with FRS and Ham radios.  This means others can have an array of different radios and they can all work together.  You just have to chose the same channel.  FRS channels 1 - 7 appear to be the best choice for compatibility with both FRS and GMRS at 5W.  Channels 8 - 14 are limited to 0.5W so not great for our purposes.  Channels 15 - 22 would also be good as GMRS can go to 50W here but because of that high power capability you might pick of many other radios that are very far away.  

Here is how I setup my system.

1. Pair the BTech radio to your phone via Bluetooth.  This is used to simplify configuration, not communication really. The Btech app uses this connection to communicate with the radio so the app can be used.  Follow the instructions in the app.  
2. Pair the BTech radio to the push to talk (PTT) button.  Follow the directions that come with the radio and PTT button.
3. Pair the BTech radio to your helmet intercom via Bluetooth setting it as a second phone.  Follow the instructions for putting the radio in paring mode.  Then put the helmet intercom in pairing mode to pair to a phone.  Treat the radio as a 2nd phone in this case. With HJC/Sena you enter the configuration menu using the helmet intercom buttons until you hear "pair second phone".  

I bought a Husqvarna 701 Enduro

 I really enjoy riding my electric mountain bike off-road around here.  I go every weekend.  However, there are more places I would like to explore that are too far to go on it.  I do have a rack to carry it with my SUV but that takes work and still the riding range is limited (by me).  I started riding with a friend who is also into dual sport motorcycles.  He convinced me to get a dual sport bike.

Back in the 80's and 90's I had dirt bikes.  My first was a 1982 Honda XR250.  It was not very powerful so I upgraded to the XR500, then a 1986 XR600.  My last dirt bike was a 1989 KTM 500MX and that was the best bike I owned to that point.  Fast forward more than 25 years and now I bought this 2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro.  

At 325lbs it is the heaviest bike I have owned by almost 60lbs.  It is also the most powerful at 74HP, 10HP more than my KTM.  I wanted a dual sport so I would not have to haul it and because I wanted to explore some roads that require licensed vehicles.  I like the idea of just riding from my house.