Husqvarna 701 Enduro Trek

The inaugural Husqvarna Motorcycles 701 Enduro Trek was staged in Victoria’s High Country between 28 April to 2 May, the pioneering event of Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia playing host to 40 riders with significant success in exploring the region. Open only to Husqvarna Motorcycles 701 Enduro riders, there were 15 support staff in attendance and a selection of extremely special guests including Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia General Manager Jeff Leisk, Husqvarna Enduro Racing Team’s National Off-Road Champion Daniel Sanders and Bright’s very own hard Enduro Specialist Mitch Harper.

Consisting of four days on the bike that traversed 950 kilometres of adventure riding in total, day one saw the group take off from The Sebel Pinnacle Valley to complete the Merrijig Loop. Riders were met with dirt roads just three kilometres from the beginning and they never looked back, treated to beautiful sunshine and a visit to the iconic Craigs Hut along the way.
Day two from Merrijig to Dinner Plain lived up to the Husqvarna Motorcycles 701’s Enduro model name, as some of the most memorable tracks were combined with classic high country terrain and scenery before arriving at the historic village of Dinner Plain for the overnight stay.

The penultimate third day of riding included a trip from Dinner Plain to Beechworth, in which everybody experienced the volatile high country weather in all of its glory, causing the final bunch of riders to arrive at the George Kerferd Hotel – a converted historical mental institution – after dark, but still buzzing with spectacular stories from a lengthy day behind the handlebars. Finally, it was the trek from Beechworth to Bright that capped off the first-ever Husqvarna Motorcycles 701 Enduro Trek experience. Another brilliant ride was followed by an outstanding final dinner venue in the Buckland Valley, where participants were able to reflect upon their week together and cement newfound friendships that were established as a result.

Mitch Harper – Special Guest, Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia: “To be a part of the Husqvarna 701 Enduro Trek was unreal, pretty special with a good bunch of people and the location was great. There were all different types of terrain that we encountered, which was a lot of fun and made for awesome riding with crazy views along the way – it was a big eye-opener for some of the guests! I’ve spent a fair amount of time on the Husqvarna 701 Enduro and it’s so versatile – you can ride it on the road comfortably and then head off-road, pretty much anywhere a dirt bike would go. It’s definitely an enjoyable bike that gives you a heap of options depending on where you want to ride!”

Jeff Leisk – General Manager, Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia: “Feedback from everybody on the ride was really, really positive and the ride that we developed with Nick Selleck was well-suited to the Husqvarna 701 Enduro model. It was more challenging than what you might see on other Adventure Events, to suit the capability of these bikes, with some great terrain through the Victorian High Country. There were some pretty long days, so everyone was challenged by that, including a bit of rain on the third day, which made it even more challenging! It was really good to see the following that we have with the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand, it was a good turnout and a good time was had by all. We had 40 customers on the ride, all on the same bikes, so it was pleasing to see them perform really well. It was a great success and this is something that we want to build upon to offer our customers unique experiences and the opportunity to spend time with like-minded people.”

Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia is thankful of the support staff who made the 2019 Husqvarna 701 Enduro Trek possible, including Kyle Blunden and Lewie Landrigan in tech support, back-up supporters Dave Donaldson and Gord Lalonde, the Racesafe Medical Team, Route Coordinator Nick Selleck, Lead Rider Mitch Harper, Videographer Jorden Bethune and Photographer Danny Wilkinson. The full photo gallery of stunning photography and video capturing the epic highlights of the event will soon be released. Further information on Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia can be found online at www.husqvarna-motorcycles.com/au.