Pierer Mobility has dominated the large-displacement supermoto segment for years with the KTM 690 SMC R and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto. Now the GasGas SM 700 (also under the company’s umbrella) has joined the party and is powered by the same 693cc thumper. All three bikes are nearly identical; they utilize the same engine, frame, suspension, and braking components. The biggest differences are the brand color and graphics. Over the years, KTM’s large single-cylinder engine (LC4) has benefited from cross-platform sharing in models other than supermotos. The KTM 690 Duke and 690 Enduro R as well as the Husqvarna Svartpilen 701, Vitpilen 701, and 701 Enduro all utilize the LC4 engine.The 693cc SOHC liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine has 105mm x 80mm bore and stroke dimensions. A 50mm Keihin throttle body delivers the air and fuel mixture. Rider aids include lean-sensitive traction control and ABS. Two ride modes are present (mode 1: Street; mode 2: Supermoto). Street mode provides smooth throttle response with the safety nets of traction control and ABS. Supermoto mode is more aggressive with direct throttle response and Supermoto traction control that allows the rider to drift, slide, and lift the front wheel. Both traction control and ABS can be fully disabled in either mode.

Increasing the SM’s functionality are a slipper clutch and bidirectional quickshifter. The chassis consist of a chromium-molybdenum steel-trellis frame with a self-supporting polyamide subframe housing a 3.6-gallon fuel tank. Damping is achieved via a 48mm WP Apex fork with compression and rebound adjustment. A WP Apex shock with compression, rebound, and preload adjustment is fitted at the rear. The braking system utilizes Brembo calipers at both ends. Up front is a single four-piston CNC-machined Brembo caliper with a 320mm floating front rotor. Wheel sizes are pretty standard for a supermoto with 17s at each end and mounted with Continental ContiAttack SM EVO tires as standard.

Before hitting our Dynojet 250i dynamometer, we put the big-bore supermoto on our automotive scales, which registered 349 pounds with a full tank of fuel. On the Cycle World dyno, the 2023 GasGas SM 700 produced 66.4 hp at 7,600 rpm and 48.7 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 6,600 rpm. For reference, the 2019 KTM 690 Enduro R (with a similar engine) produced 59.2 hp at 8,250 rpm and 43.4 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 6,800 rpm on the Cycle World dyno. The LC4 engine is one of the most entertaining in motorcycling. Its acceleration and torque from the midrange to its roughly 9,000 rpm redline are awesome. We’d love a little bit more performance from the bottom-end, but the engine’s large displacement and dual counterbalancers give it the legs to run comfortably at highway speeds.Will Ducati’s all-new Hypermotard 698 steal the spotlight and become the new benchmark for big-bore supermotos? At least on paper, The Italian contender seems up to the task, but we will need to conduct an official comparison test before any titles are granted.