2022 GasGas SM 700 & ES 700 | First Ride

2022 GasGas SM 700 and ES 700 models may look familiar, but they’re still a blast in their new colors. Arriving in US markets next year, will these big singles be able to compete with their more established siblings? Since the group that owns KTM and Husqvarna purchased GasGas, the Spanish brand has undergone a full relaunch with a clear message: GasGas bikes are all about having fun. That fun now extends to street models with the new SM 700 supermoto and ES 700 dual sport. For those in the US, you’ll have to wait until 2023 for that fun as the 2022 model is only available in markets outside of the States. Yes, these new GasGas models look suspiciously like the orange 690 and the white 701. They are, of course, based on the same 690 platform, with small spec and color changes. In fact, the enduro model is purely a matter of giving the bodywork a different plastic pigment. The GasGas SM 700 gets a set of cast 17-inch wheels in place of the spoked hoops on the Husky and KTM. These cast wheels save 1.1 pounds of rotating weight, but they also carry their weight closer to the center of the wheel, reducing inertia. Essentially this makes the wheels easier to rotate, benefiting both acceleration and braking, while reduced centrifugal forces help the bike when changing direction. Cards on the table here; the benefits versus the spoked wheel setup on the KTM weren’t obvious enough to notice on an isolated ride. A back-to-back test on the same day would be the way to see that. On the other hand, the cast wheels look absolutely stunning, so that’s a win already. Aside from the wheels on the supermoto version and a few tins of red paint, these two bikes are pretty much on par with the KTM 690, and that’s not a bad thing. Remember, GasGas has only been in its current guise for a couple of years; that’s not enough time to design and develop distinct new models. At the bikes’ launch, the GasGas staff explained that there would be more differentiation from the other two brands in the future, and right now the bikes are about getting the name out there. With the GasGas policy being more about fun than race wins, although they’ll certainly take the trophies when they can—see Dakar 2022—these two bikes have arguably found their true home. SM 700: The Hooligan Streetbike The SM 700 is the kind of bike that makes good behavior impossible, a proper bad influence on everyone. With a claimed 74 hp in a sub-330-pound bike, it feels more alive and more playful than any other streetbike that comes to mind. Supermoto purists may find it a little heavy, but the payback is a bike that can be ridden daily without spending every other evening changing the oil and filter. For riders coming from anywhere else in the motorcycle circus, it’s light, flickable, and a whole ton of fun. The test kicked off with one of the craziest street rides in a long time. Led by a crazy Austrian supermoto racer, it started out with a nice sedate bit of city cruising. From the saddle, we enjoyed some sightseeing in Barcelona, one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Then a short highway stint, where our only complaint was a fair whack of windblast at highway speeds, no surprise on a bike like this. But a lack of vibration, thanks to twin balancer shafts, made it more comfortable than any single-cylinder supermoto should be. And just when it seemed like one of those pleasant, sensible chill-out rides, a mountain pass appeared and the world exploded. Our racer guide stamped down three gears, hustled up a wheelie, and proceeded to attack the next 50 miles of road like he’d left the gas on at home. Every corner entry got painted with a fresh telltale line from rear tires, every apex saw impossible lean angles, and every straight was a blur of gearshifts and wheelies. Ridden like this, the SM 700 is one of the most rewarding experiences on the road. The harder you ride it, the more it comes alive; it feels totally at home sliding into a turn, dragging a peg midcorner, and then hovering the front wheel out onto the next straight. It’s mental. Just plain bonkers. It’s crazy, crazy, we tells ya. There’s an old, old discussion about riding middleweight 600cc sportbikes versus their 1,000cc open-class counterparts, how the lighter ride lets you really work the bike hard and use its capabilities to their limits. The SM 700 takes that principle a step further. Full story here: https://www.cycleworld.com/story/motorcycle-reviews/gasgas-sm-700-es-700-first-ride-2022/ Subscribe to Cycle World Youtube: /c/cycleworld Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/ Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld

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