~Josh

whats up cycle corner?

at the end of last summer i traded off my cbr f4i, and now im lookin to purchase a new(used) bike. i really like the style of the supermoto bikes and have always been interested in trying one out. i've been told its very similar to riding a dirt bike, which i never have. would that present to much of a problem? also can this style bike be used as a daily with out to many problems, ie. interstate speeds for long periods of time? and is there a local(757) shop i can go to that specalizes in this type of bike?

thanks- josh

sprayedcivic

for the most part the bikes are pretty road worthy all though some require valve adjustment and minor tune ups after so many hours i believe the ktm's were famous for this give shane a call at EMC 825-9006 or give vodoo a call his number can be found on here pretty easily they would be your best bet to talk to

Zack

If you want a bike that is going to be better for a daily shredder then you need to stay away from the MX bikes and get an enduro. Worry about making it look cool later. You will thank yourself in the long run. I went from this:

06 KTM 450


to this...

94 Xr610R



And im loving every minute of it. I have no more payment, it doesnt overheat in traffic (which the ktm wouldnt have either but had to add a fan), its wayyy more comfortable since i started with a bike thats meant to be ridden while sitting down and not standing up, its faster, i can scratch it and not give 2 shits, I dont have to do anything but put gas in it and change the oil and glance at the valves every 5k miles or so (at which time they wont need adjustment), etc etc etc

I made the mistake of buying one of the most bad ass 450 4 stroke bikes out and then realized its not meant to do anything im trying to do with it. I then sold it and got the honda which is a little more at home being a supermoto thats ridden on the street and not just at the track. Just do your research and you will come up with something that suits you best.

Oh and hurry up and get one, im trying to ride.

~Josh

see i really really like the look of that bottom bike. what aftermarket parts have you put into it to get it how you want? and how does it feel around town, as far as the power band goes? also is the bike "street legal"?

im google-ing away right now lol

btw this was the bike that made want to run out and find one this style

yamaha XT660X

skr00zloose

I've had 2 SM's. A KTM 620 and a suzuki 400. Both were great bikes, fun as hell, and had thier ups and downs. My particular KTM started life as a first gen Duke, which was designed for the street more than the track. As such, I didn't have nearly the streetabliity issues that alot of the newer KTM SM's had to deal with. The DRZ400 was great, but in all honetly, on the street, especially if you have to do any interstate time, it could have used more power. I've put seat time on both a KTM 450 SMR and a 560 SMR, and while both were REDICULOUSLY fun, they weren't something I'd want to ride daily on the street. They just weren't made for that. Well, it's hard to get them legal on the street anyway. Also put some time in on a Honda XR650R that was street legal. That bike was a perfect street SM. Enough power to do higher speeds for lengths of time, light enough to be able to throw around easy, and liquid cooled so it was less likely to overheat. Too bad they're so hard to get titled/registered for the street, or I'd be building one as an SM.

I'm kind of in the SM market myself. Been looking seriously at the KTM 690 duke, and have been looking around for a good deal on a Honda XR650L to convert to SM. I used to ride an XR650L back in high school, and it was a great bike. Would be a lil on the heavy side for a track-ready SM, but for a daily driver street SM, they'd make a great bike, and the aftermarket support for them is awesome. The stock plastic on them is ugly as sin, but after looking at Zach's 600R, I'm kind of leaning towards the Honda, just have to make some more modern bodywork fit, such as he's done.

All in all, if you have any seat time on a "normal" street bike, you may not be happy with a 250 or 400. I'm not normally one to try to get people on a bigger bike, but even a 650cc single cylinder SM doesn't make that much power. We're not talking about putting you on a 'busa here. If you're trying to do any interstate time more than 10 miles, I think you'd be happier with a 600cc plus SM.

~Josh

thanks for the great responses so far guys, this is exactly what i need to hear.

the cbr i learned to ride on was a 600, and i know most of the SM bikes wont have the power of the street bikes; but im more interested in the styling and trying something different for a while than in "straight line performance" so to speak.

so far ive gathered that i'll deffinetly need a liquid cooled bike with more of a sit-down riding positon. i dont do a lot of interstate travel, mostly 10-15 miles if that. im mainly looking for something to get around town on, and i like how nimble the supermoto bikes seem to be. but it would have to be street legal as thats what im going to be using it for.

does anybody have any sugestions as to some bikes i can look into? and this may seem stupid but im having a hard time telling the difference between some of the "supermoto" and "enduro" bikes

right now im going to do some research on the KTMs, ive heard to many different opinions on them so far to make up my mind just yet. ill have to look into the hondas too.

skr00zloose

well, alot of it going to come down to whether you want an out-the-box SM or are willing to convert a dual sport to an SM.

oh, btw, as far as terminology:

supermoto : dirt styled bike with suspension and rims/tires designed for the street/track
enduro: off road only bike with lighting. usually used for trails, not street legal
dual sport: street legal dirt bike, basically. has all lighting and a legit title. usually a majopr compromise between steet and dirt use.

that the "technical" terms though. alot of people don't know the difference, so they call it whatever they're used to calling it.

Assuming you want something in already-SM trim, and just going by what you said you'll be using it for, the DRZ400SM is a cool bike, the KTM duke is a nice one too (though, I'm a huge KTM fan, so my opinion is a bit biased) That 660 yamaha you posted looks to be a nice bike, and it's got basically a raptor motor in it. I can only imagine that it's be all sorts of fun.

the SM market is getting bigger and bigger. I'm not even sure what all is out at the moment. I know that europe gets much cooler shit than we do though!! lol.

~Josh

so from what ive been able to find out through my google search i cant get that yamaha in the us. i do really like the sound of the KTM Duke and DukeII like 96-98 from the specs ive found. the 50hp does seem a little on the weak side(even tho i dont have any seat time on this kind of bike to compare it to).

from the defs. you gave im looking for a out of the box street-able supermoto.

also in my searching i feel in lovei think its that lower bodywork.... if only i had the cash.

i think im going to start looking for a 98ish duke tho, but more research is needed for sure

pasty

Check out craigslist as much as you can.

Here's something you may want to inquire about.

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/mcy/989751427.html

skr00zloose

I don't have any experience with the 2nd gen dukes, but like I said, I had an LC4 620 duke (1st gen) with nothing but an aftermarket exhaust, and ( I probabably shouldn't be saying this here) I used to pull the front end up on the interstate at 60-65 mph. 50hp doesn't sound like much, but when you factor in the light wieght of most SM's, the power/weight ratio is pretty friggin good.

Power isn't everything. I embarrass people all the time on my 50hp chop, only b/c it doesn't weigh much at all.

Besides, getting more power is easy.