Im trying to decide if Supermoto is for me....

Currently I have this

And this

And this

And this


Im considering freshening up my stable and am considering adding a supermoto while subtracting the first two bikes. You'd have to pry the last two bikes from my cold dead gloves.
The cruiser is boring and horrible at everything except taking me to school and work. The street CBR is an AWESOME motorcycle but it sucks taking me to school and work and just riding around town. 170+ horsepower is useless in town. I have begun riding it less and less and now it seems I only ride it on Sunday rides up the mountain or bike night (which I rarely go to). The track bike is a CBR identical to the street bike (except the track bits of course) and is absolutely AWESOME since it has literbike power and the weight of a heavy 600cc class machine. The CRF250 is a hell of a lot of fun and has really opened my eyes to a different type of bike (even though I'm horrible on it since its my first dirt bike and I just got it a few months ago).
The first two bikes are for sale and Im trying to decide if a supermoto is what I need in place of them. Can I get my kicks from an SM after riding a 1000cc sportbike? My buddy has suggested a DRZ-SM but I just cant see riding something with a weight to power ratio of 10:1 after riding something with 3:1.
Ive been looking into a KTM 450/510/525/610/625 etc but Im still unsure. The maintenance on the CRF250 is rediculous and the motor must be made of paper mache because the valves already went out on me after 40 hours so I dont want something like that if Im going to be riding it almost every day. Can I still outrun the boys up the mountain on an SM? My commute to college is only about 5 miles through town and only 2 miles to work.

Im being longwinded so Ill just stop.

Edited by flattopwill, 30 August 2010 - 06:08 AM.

Yeh don't get a DRZ400 man those things are gutless (owned one & ridden a heavily modified one) , i've got a CRF250 & thats got more snap than those.

I've got a CRF450 for supermoto & thats freakin awesome but i'd get a KTM690SMC for road duties, tons of grunt, low maintenance & doesn't feel much bigger than my CRF.

I've owned big bore sports bikes but prefer the supermoto everywhere except on long high speed runs, 80mph+ is just way more comfortable on a sports bike if you're at that speed for a while.

nice rides!!!!

i think if i were in your shoes id only get rid of the street CBR. even though the cruiser is so called usless its still probably more comfy then anything else you have in the garage, and after riding it for your commute it will make you love your other bikes even more and thus more fun. i own a drz SM and yes its slower then the big bikes and yes it needs a few mods to spruce things up but for the price and fun it provides you. my SM just turned 15,000 miles and all it has needed is the basics......oil, tyres, and tender loving care;).   for the price of a nice full exhaust and a jet kit it turns the bike into a completly different bike.plus cheap parts and very very low maint.

You should quit riding and buy a smart car

timdogwr said:

gtfo...

xr1200x?

Given the other bikes and the racing or track days, I doubt seriously you'd be satisfied with anything short of a big bore two stroke.  They're just too pokey for anyone that enjoys an acceleration rush.
  Personally, I love them. It's perfect for me as I'm a pokey (speed) but sporty (handling) guy.  I like nice handling, small displacement bikes and cars.
I sold a VTR 1000 (SuperHawk) last summer. LOVED it, but I was just going too damn fast more and more often. ANd hitting higher and higher speeds.
Too dangerous in these cell phone, texting, stupid people days. IMO........
I have fun on the motard below 50mph. Crazy fun at low speeds that won't (likely) kill me if I screw up.  

A friend traded one of his track R6's for a DRZSM, he sold it after 2 months. Just not enough power for him.

If you want a SM that feels "fast"

1. Be prepared to do extra maintenance and replace parts frequently compared to more street oriented bikes. Even a "low maintenance" KTM RFS engine is considered about used up at 10K miles.  Pistons and valves at 200-400 hrs (or less)
2. Any factory street legal SM will feel underpowered compared to the liter bike (or even a 600)
3. Be prepared for to do engine work. You can turn a KTM 450-525 into a 612cc 250lb 70+hp 50+tq sumo but it's not cheap.

There are many people who have done just what you're saying and never look back.  What people have said above is true, even a high performance SM is slow compared to a literbike or 600.   But for around town the performance of a literbike is completely unusable so I think a SM makes a great choice for what you.   Sounds like you're not talking about putting a ton of miles on your street bike.  In that case, seriously consider a Husqvarna SMR450 or 510.  It's like a race SM with lights and a plate.  Or if you also want to put on more miles, the KTM690SMC is a much better street bike.  DRZs are also much better street bikes (than the Husky SMR) but mods are a must-do to get even reasonable power output.

Find or build a cr500 super moto. Sportbikes will seem lame afterwards.

Hmmm...
You'll see that folks are all over the issue of HP vs. Reliability. This is a decision only you can make. I love my DRZ 400 SM for street duty. The horsepower of the thouroughbreds is nice, but I chose to go the suspension route with Ohlins front and rear. And the Aprilla's, Huskys, and KTM's struggle to keep with it in the twistys, cause those guys are focused exclusively on horsepower. Too bad they can't get it to the ground. (Shhh...don't tell 'em my secret. They think I'm an awesome rider )
I have a KTM 525 that is macked-out for the track. I also have 9 other bikes of all different types. So I'm sure that you, as a multiple-bike owner can understand: a low-maintenance street bike has it's value. When I get home with the DRZ, I turn the key off and grab a beer. The exotic guys are scheduling oil changes, valve adjustments and subtracting hours until a top-end is due. I allready have bikes like that...don't need another one. Especially a street bike that can rack-up 20 hours in a weekend no problem.

Do you live near the Ozarks? If so ( an awesome riding area I might add..) a Supermoto is ideal for that area. I don't think you'd be wishing for 150 hp once you see how fast a SM takes the corners. When I was a Sporty-bike guy...I'd see a fire trail or something and wonder, where does that go?
Now I know.

I'd say give it a try.

have you given any thought to a aprilia SXV? my buddy got one last summer and hasn't looked back... he also has a 07 R1 and he hasn't put 100 miles on it since he got the SM... so hes selling his R1 and going SM only .. he says its way more comfortable and way funner to ride and just cheaper all around

690smc, gear it down, better pipe and re-map and I doubt you'll ever need more power. It is heavy, some prefer power, some prefer lightness and if you want latter then 525/530/560 ktm, husqvarna or anything will do better. Personally I take the latter because lack of power is something you can manage, but weight is not. CR500 is overrated, it can not keep up with those bored ktm's.

The only problem with supermotos is the constant need to wheelie and pass others

Oh and if you want power and light weight, then sxv is your choice.

Chase55 said:

Yes I do live near the ozarks and in fact I just got back from riding the "Arkansas Gap" yesterday. That road is amazing! (Hwy 123) I can see how a supermoto would be great for those tight sections there but on the otherhand I was loving my 150hp when passing the cagers and the Harleys.

How does a supermoto handle 70mph+ riding? I only ask cause I noticed yesterday that while not in the really tight sections we pretty much kept it at around 75mph through the straights and corners; never really let off the gas or got on the brakes. Also, how do they do on long rides? We did almost 400 miles yesterday and Im sore today but Id still like to be able to do long rides like these.

I think a 610sm or 625/640/690smc would be great for me. Seems like the problem so far is finding one for sale. I am not ignorant to the fact that weight is the big factor in supermoto and not power. Im looking for something that has a good power to weight ratio and reasonable maintenance schedule and durability. Something around 300lbs and atleast 40hp sounds about right. Maintenance something like my sportbike would great. Oh and also I'm thinkin of a budget <$4000.

Edited by flattopwill, 07 September 2010 - 01:36 PM.

flattopwill said:

Here's my 2 cents...

I'm a total dirt bike geek not really a street bike guy.  I once owned a 2001 XR650R setup supermoto and a 2007 FZ1.  It was very difficult to find a road twisty enough to justify riding the XR over the FZ.  70+ mph on a supermoto bike is not a lot of fun.  The wind blast on your chest gets old quickly and the light bike is too twitchy on the highway with cars, trucks, head winds, and cross winds.  400 miles of asphalt will always be more fun on a street bike.  Unless it's 400 miles of parking lot asphalt.

A supermoto bike is most fun on surface streets or insanely twisty roads at speeds rarely exceeding 60-70 mph.

I think I get it...I'll turn my track bike street legal and get a supermoto for the daily grind so I can do the long hwy rides and have fun on the way go work.

There are sections of that road that even Mat Mladin wouldn't exceed 35mph on but the road that gets you there is a 60mph+ highway (speed limit 55mph).

I started off riding a GPz550. I love that bike.
Over time though, I've learned that it's a lot more fun to ride a small bike at 100% of it's ability than it is to ride a big bike at 1/2 it's ability. And a GPz550 is only 60-ish hp, so legally, I could ride it at about 1/3 of it's ability.
Cruisers? Yeah, no. I'd rather eat a Harley than ride one. I mean it, piece by piece, I'd start off with a quart of $10 oil to get everything well lubed, then bite off a chunk of the seat....
Give it a shot, borrow someone's SM'd bike and see what you think. Actually, I've been commuting on my XT with knobbies and all. Just make sure you get DOT knobbies if you do that. The corners feel tighter because the bike is taller, the brakes suck (you shouldn't have this problem with anything modern) and kickin' it to start it makes it feel so old-school.

I can't wait to get my street bike back on the road, but I've got very few complaints about riding my XT. The added benefit of feeling like you're breaking the rules when you're not is even more appealing.

I went Dual sport route after some serious consideration having owned many bikes before.   base bike is Husky TE 510 with dirt and SUMO wheels.  1 hour conversion time.

it's definitely not a bike for long rides...Husky SM motor has counter ballancer shaft, TE does not.  lot of maintenance and crap... but it's a racebike with lights.  it weights 250lbs and can do it all.  (other than long rides on hwy)

I had a chance to ride a KTM 990 suoerduke. I think this bike fits all of your criteria, except the price range. It's been a year since I rode it. I still smile thinking of it. I've had Gixxers 750's, a street legal yz450sm, and XR650rsm as well. Nothing compared to the Katoom. Someone mentioned a XR1200x. Those look nice too. My .02 worth. Your in a position right now that a lot of dudes would love to be in! Take your time, and enjoy this.