SERVICE
REV-ELATION
Q: From information I have gleaned during reading an article written by Sean MacDonald, the Husqvarna 701 does not have a tachometer. Sean wrote that the “bike pulls hard until just before the rev limiter kicks in.” Is it safe to run the motor up to the rev limiter repeatedly? How are you supposed to know when you are approaching the rev limiter without a tachometer?
My experience with rev limiters comes from a GM pushrod engine that blew a rod through the block when the limiter kicked in. Based on my experience, since the 701 does not have a tachometer, I would want to short-shift and miss some of the available power.
JOHN KNOX
A:If you’ve wondered whether that poseur dude at bike night, the guy who sat there with his Ducati wailing away, popping and snorting on the limiter, was really doing harm, the answer is yes. The lessons you learned from that GM pushrod engine will serve you well. Your Husky engine (a retuned KTM 690) is quite tough, but running any engine on the