GasGas SM 700 and ES 700 – an enduro and a supermoto to release your inner hooligan

Rich in Spanish competition heritage, the new SM 700 gives the rider a commanding upright riding position which places you closer to the handlebars and allows for a lot of front wheel control while sitting on the saddle. The enduro, the ES 700, is on the other hand meant to be ridden with the rider standing on the pegs and excels at dismissing trail roads while still being competent on the street.

The ES comes from a long line of off-road bikes from GasGas, which has been winning off-road competitions since the brand was relaunched a little over two years ago. What the company now wants to do is to re-establish itself on the street and the SM700 is hoped to be the route back.

First up is the bikes’ refreshingly light package. Both are housed in a chromium-molybdenum steel trellis frame which is complimented by a die-cast aluminium swingarm. As well as saving weight, they provide the basis for one sharp handling machine.

Cleverly, the subframe houses the fuel tank which does a great job of keeping the bikes’ centre of gravity nice and low. The front forks are WP units and are fully adjustable, as is the single shock on the back end.

With all the basics sorted, the package that comes as standard with the two bikes is impressive. The clutch is a slipper affair made by PASC. Moving up and down the gear box is made even easier thanks to the bikes’ quickshifter. Stopping is facilitated by its Bosch ABS system and the exhaust system is fully compliant with all of the Euro 5 regulations.

Both bikes are powered by a relatively straightforward twin spark single cylinder engine. This unit acquits itself very well indeed, putting out 74hp. The electronic fuel injection is set up for instant power delivery. This, combined with 73.5Nm of torque, may see the new 700 being one of the easiest-to-wheelie machines on the road.

On the SM there are two ride modes to choose from. One is called Street. This has full ABS and even has cornering traction control. The second one is called Supermoto. With this, the rear ABS is disengaged and the traction control is a lot less intrusive. This one is, obviously, the one that the bike was made for.

As with all European brands, there is a huge range of accessories to choose from. Crash bars, carbon clutch lever protectors, factory racing footpegs, an Akrapovic end can as well as a full range of clothing are all available.

Either one will set you back €12,100 and if you want to find out more, call any of the team at CCM racing on 01 4526170. If you ask nicely, you might even get a test ride…

Torque 73.5 Nm

Transmission 6-speed

Cooling Liquid cooled

Power 74 BHP

Tank Capacity 13.5 litres

ABS Two-channel Bosch 9.1 MP ABS (incl. Cornering ABS and Supermoto mode Disengegable)