I REALLY like the concept of a supermoto bike and I think they look absolutely SICK, but there is no way I could ever get the gnads to ride it like it should be ridden. I'm 37 years old and ever-aware of my mortality so yes, I'm too afraid of hurting\killing myself.
That said, I have thought repeatedly about picking up an old CRF450 and doing a conversion. I already have all the street-legal stuff as I took them off my newer CRF when I bought it. I use my current CRF for off-road craziness where I'm not as afraid of hurting myself although is reality I always do anyway. Its not a good candidate for a s-moto swap.
Should I even both with this if I'm just going to putt around on it like a Goldwing 90% of the time or just do it anyway for the heck of it??
It depends. I just got rid of my KTM supermoto because I didn't have anywhere to ride it. I live in a small town and it's pretty much all dirt roads besides the highway. Supermoto's suck on the highway. The only way I could justify having one is if I lived in the city where you do low speed hooliginaism. It's alot of money to justify on an extra toy just to cruise around on like the 919.
If you do it. I recommend getting a KTM EXC in the 02 to 06 trim. They have a longer 6th gear stainless valves and pretty much come with street trim. Perfect for supermoto. You can get the supermoto stuff cheap too. Or buy one already done. I just sold my street legal 03 525EXC with the a complete 06 450 supermoto roller for 3K. That would be your best bet.
Thats kind of where I'm at here. I'd like to have one as I do have places to ride it. I even have two large parking lots a block away too complete with curbs and large speedbumps and some nice twisty country roads, but even then, I know I'd only ride it like maybe 30 to 60 minutes at a time as it wouldn't be much fun to ride around on as a mode of transportation,... at least I don't think a convered CRF would be.
Awww,... thats a deal thats too good to be true around here. Wish I'd been a part of that honestly. For $3000 I'd buy in in a heartbeat.
Yeah, I like the CRF-X for that reason,...longer gears.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowpoke
If you do it. I recommend getting a KTM EXC in the 02 to 06 trim. They have a longer 6th gear stainless valves and pretty much come with street trim. Perfect for supermoto. You can get the supermoto stuff cheap too. Or buy one already done. I just sold my street legal 03 525EXC with the a complete 06 450 supermoto roller for 3K. That would be your best bet.
as much fun as a CRF450 to street legal supermoto conversion would be... its just not practical... with less than a quart of oil in the engine side and its VERY high strung motor, you will (and should) be changing oil ~ every 150 miles if that if you dont want it to blow up... Id look into converting an older XR650R ... R VERSION.... L is a joke. and go from there... the older XR motors are much more reliable and ment for long haul stuff.
Yep agreed. I change my 250x oil every 10 hours. Only issue is I HATE kickstarting without my boots on. Bruised shins from the recoil and turned ankles and sore feet from the mashing gets old fast. Maybe I'm just not the s-moto type afterall Haha!
Quote:
Originally Posted by nd4spdbh
as much fun as a CRF450 to street legal supermoto conversion would be... its just not practical... with less than a quart of oil in the engine side and its VERY high strung motor, you will (and should) be changing oil ~ every 150 miles if that if you dont want it to blow up... Id look into converting an older XR650R ... R VERSION.... L is a joke. and go from there... the older XR motors are much more reliable and ment for long haul stuff.
as much fun as a CRF450 to street legal supermoto conversion would be... its just not practical... with less than a quart of oil in the engine side and its VERY high strung motor, you will (and should) be changing oil ~ every 150 miles if that if you dont want it to blow up... Id look into converting an older XR650R ... R VERSION.... L is a joke. and go from there... the older XR motors are much more reliable and ment for long haul stuff.
So you're saying I need to 'supermotard' my '95 piggy? (xr600r)...
I want to rebuild the engine this summer, perhaps bore her out to 630...
Yep agreed. I change my 250x oil every 10 hours. Only issue is I HATE kickstarting without my boots on. Bruised shins from the recoil and turned ankles and sore feet from the mashing gets old fast. Maybe I'm just not the s-moto type afterall Haha!
Im not saying dont go supermoto... theres NOTHING like the hooligan fun that can be had on a dirbike on the street believe me! But a CRF250/450 motor of anykind (x or R they are so similar) is so far from optimal to do any type of longer than a few miles on the street miles. I change the oil in my 04 crf250x every time i go to the track (~ 50 mi worth of riding) or ~ every 100 mi of trail riding... its always burned a lil oil and even on such short oil change intervals the oil just gets completely worked... simply because its such a high strung motor with such little oil to play with. A crf450 on the street would be insane fun, i have seen a few, but they are guys who live REAL close to the twisties and have tons of money to dump into the maintenance.
Id look into a DRZ400 or other less high strung type of motor like an xr650r
Quote:
Originally Posted by g00gl3it
So you're saying I need to 'supermotard' my '95 piggy? (xr600r)...
I want to rebuild the engine this summer, perhaps bore her out to 630...
That would be fun... is that a liquid cooled version? guy was out on his 650R super motard yesterday on the snake having stupid fun.
Supermotards are awesome, but they really suck at highway speeds. My sportbike and HD buddies were amazed on what I can do on my DR on the mountain roads with just 50/50 tires. I was thinking of converting my DR650 (The Pig), but the rims alone were $1500+. I figured I would just dump money towards another bike, thats how I ended up with a 919.
I would just buy a supermotto, don't convert anything. You'll just be spending more then it would be worth.
Stay away from Wrap9 wheels, they don't have cush drive.
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In my humble opinion Supermoto's are more hype than actuality, roughly the equivalent of 15 tooth countershaft sprockets on the 919 -- lots of fun at first, but the novelty quickly wears off.
Based as they are on motocrossers, they have woefully inadequate seats, w-i-d-e bars, waaaay too much suspension travel for the street, and maintenance intensive motors. Even regeared for the street they are a torture rack if you have to go more than a few miles at high speed.
The earlier "dual purpose" types, however, make wonderful cafe bikes if you know what you are doing. Case in point: my 1976 Yamaha XT500 which was purchased with the express intent of making a cafe racer. It was my primary transportation and 80 mile a day 6 days a week commuter for 3 years and has an estimated 100,000 + miles on it. That's an excellent example of a good use for a reliable engine and decent chassis.
If you want to get / make one for the heck of it by all means go forth, but don't expect to be riding it very often after the first couple of months.
Infinitely adjustable, made of the finest materials available, and completely sourced from local suppliers -- gotta support the local economy! Order today and know handlebar Nirvana.
There are a lot of good points here, and taking them all into account, it does looks like a factory motard would be better all-around atleast from looking at Honda off-roaders. I've had XRs in the past and loved them, but they were awfully heavy compared to todays CRF. I'm not sure a DRZ is really in crazy motard range I was looking at.
I'd consider selling all my bikes for the Duc hypermotard, but I think I have a better chance of a Ferrari falling in my lap before that would happen.
I'll have a look around to see if something falls in my range.
Point taken. I hate to say it, but I have a bad habit of doing stuff like that too. I think you are my wifes new best friend.
To top it all off, I'd be a "poser" to the real supermoto crowd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by robtharalson
In my humble opinion Supermoto's are more hype than actuality, roughly the equivalent of 15 tooth countershaft sprockets on the 919 -- lots of fun at first, but the novelty quickly wears off.
Based as they are on motocrossers, they have woefully inadequate seats, w-i-d-e bars, waaaay too much suspension travel for the street, and maintenance intensive motors. Even regeared for the street they are a torture rack if you have to go more than a few miles at high speed.
The earlier "dual purpose" types, however, make wonderful cafe bikes if you know what you are doing. Case in point: my 1976 Yamaha XT500 which was purchased with the express intent of making a cafe racer. It was my primary transportation and 80 mile a day 6 days a week commuter for 3 years and has an estimated 100,000 + miles on it. That's an excellent example of a good use for a reliable engine and decent chassis.
If you want to get / make one for the heck of it by all means go forth, but don't expect to be riding it very often after the first couple of months.
"ride it like its supposed to be ridden?" , "poser to the real sumo crowd?!" ...c'mon! If you hot the spare cash, get one! Its good fun however way you ride them.
I disagree with rob on certain points though, my drz is a much better city commuter than my hornet. I can hop the curb, weave through heavy traffic easier and it gives me much better mileage. No "hype" there. As long as hiway riding isnt part of the picture. Its a great 2nd bike/beater for me (and its cheap to crash at the track too) But having said that, i wouldnt trade it for the hornet as an only bike. The drz is not the hyper bike the crf's are but its more than enough for my skill level in terms of riding, maintenance and budget.
Haha, yeah, I'd definitely have some fun with it. I drift my dirt CRF regularly but I just can't get myself to try it on the road and it would probably be even more difficult with moto tires.
I actually have been looking at supermotojunkie and there are tons of XR650r and DRZ supers over there. I'm still thinking about it. There are lots of good points made so I am glad I asked, but there is one small issue. Its not $, but my wife is being a tough sell on me needing a 4th bike. That said, she'd let me buy it (its my $ afterall, I get an allowance every paycheck), but I'd have to find a way to repay her too. No telling what that would be!! Excuses excuses.
I'll check more in the XR650R route.
Quote:
Originally Posted by honda ng gingsa
"ride it like its supposed to be ridden?" , "poser to the resl sumo crowd?!" ...c'mon! If you hot the spare cash, get one! Its good fun however way you ride them.
I disagree with rob on certain points though, my drz is a much better city commuter than my hornet. I can hop the curb, weave through heavy traffic and gives me better mileage. No "hype" there. As long as hiway riding isnt part of the picture. Its a great 2nd bike/beater for me (and its cheap to crash at the track too) But having said that, i wouldnt trade it for the hornet as an only bike. The drz is not the hyper bike the crf's are but its more than enough for my skill level in terms of riding maintenance and budget.
Haha, yeah, I'd definitely have some fun with it. I drift my dirt CRF regularly but I just can't get myself to try it on the road and it would probably be even more difficult with moto tires.
I actually have been looking at supermotojunkie and there are tons of XR650r and DRZ supers over there. I'm still thinking about it. There are lots of good points made so I am glad I asked, but there is one small issue. Its not $, but my wife is being a tough sell on me needing a 4th bike. That said, she'd let me buy it (its my $ afterall, I get an allowance every paycheck), but I'd have to find a way to repay her too. No telling what that would be!! Excuses excuses.
I'll check more in the XR650R route.
Itl be a 4th bike, and im trying to sell you on "practical"?! Haha. What was i thinking...
In your defense, it is a 919 forum and you really can't get anymore practical then that. Its still my fav and probably always will be. I also have a "sport cruiser" that sounds practical too, yet really isn't. Isn't all that sporty, nor cruises very well compared to the 919.
You should be able to find some earlier model KTM sumo's for a decent price. I see alot of 01-03 620's (LC4) for around 2K. You might also want to check on some Husqvarna's. You can find them cheap too.
Looked at the 650 honda and suzuki..im 6/2 and had to tip toe on those beast...think id enjoy one in the future
ya they are tall bikes but thats how all dirbike type things are.... i rode and still ride a just as tall crf250x since i was 14.... had to sit on the bike with the seat at one knee leaning off to put a foot on the ground... but once your moving you aint gotta put a foot down. Just plan your stops.
A motard is probably one of the best bikes you can get.
A super high strung racy one on could be a bit of a drag though. Especially if you only plant to putt about. The DRZ is a nice one for that, but a big heavy. If you want something that is somewhat do it all then the 600cc ones let you haul down the Hwy and still have fun in the twisties. The 400cc range would be pretty well tapped out over 60 but tons of fun in the twisties.
Easy to work on, cheap on tires and brakes, pretty crash proof. If you get on one and don't feel it you may be dead.
Yeah, I'm kind of finding that there is no perfect combo in the SM category. The DRZ400SM seems to be the best out of the box compromise that I can find without getting "exotic".
I'd love a DR650 but again, they seems to be highly prized by their owners and nobody wants to sell theirs.
get drz400, budget for $1500 in upgrades (big bore, cams,carb,exhaust) and you will have a blast. I would advise against ktm or husquarna unless you are liking working on the bikes and wait for parts. Those 2 need some very tight maintenance schedule, unlike drz or xr
The 400 Huskys & Katooms are pretty short fuse/intensive service schedule. The bigger 600ccish versions are all day rides that don't need an oil change every 4 hours.
The 400 Huskys & Katooms are pretty short fuse/intensive service schedule. The bigger 600ccish versions are all day rides that don't need an oil change every 4 hours.
agreed.... the high strung race 4 stroke motors are NOT MENT for street use... their service intervals are way to often (i change my oil in my crf250x every 100mi of trail riding) but stuff like the ktm 690 smc and drz400 are good.
And LOL at this vid.... KABOOM this is why i ride honda hahahha.
Well I finally found a DR650 close enough to me (in the same state) so I'm going to pick it up this weekend. Its in great shape, and has all kind of add-ons that I could sell to make some $ back, plus it was a steal. Its not motard'd yet and actually its set up as an adventure bike, which I just might enjoy it as it is for a while before the tard'ing begins. I live in the Southern tip of Indiana where two large rivers meet. I have HUNDREDS of miles of river bottoms to explore and enjoy. Kind of pumped, and the wife didn't make me get rid of anything to be able to buy this one.
Well I finally found a DR650 close enough to me (in the same state) so I'm going to pick it up this weekend. Its in great shape, and has all kind of add-ons that I could sell to make some $ back, plus it was a steal. Its not motard'd yet and actually its set up as an adventure bike, which I just might enjoy it as it is for a while before the tard'ing begins. I live in the Southern tip of Indiana where two large rivers meet. I have HUNDREDS of miles of river bottoms to explore and enjoy. Kind of pumped, and the wife didn't make me get rid of anything to be able to buy this one.
I'd say you won!
I'd say have fun with it as an adventure bike until you start collecting enough parts to get it fully tarded
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