Supermoto: dirtbike or not dirtbike?

K-man wrote:

Discuss.:woohoo:

Looks like they took the bait!

Fossil wrote:

K-man wrote:

Discuss.:woohoo:

Looks like they took the bait!

Someone needs a life...:whistle:

caffcruiser wrote:

Fossil wrote:

K-man wrote:

Discuss.:woohoo:

Looks like they took the bait!

Someone needs a life...:whistle:

Went right over your head

Dance monkey, dance.

Bottom line, take your kz/gs/gsxr sportbike and jump it 20 feet in the air. Youll see the difference..

violentvintagecycles wrote:

Bottom line, take your kz/gs/gsxr sportbike and jump it 20 feet in the air. Youll see the difference..

At least someone sees the obvious.

Or try to run your dirtbike over 150mph in a 45* lean.

Since nobody has replied in a while - here's a bit of a thread hi-jack...

I bought back my first KZ from a friend recently, 20 years after I originally sold it. It was beaten up with a hammet (long story) but still runs great. It will be my next project, but I'm not sure what direction to go with it. The bike is a 1978 KZ650 SR.

I am considering turning it into a supermoto! Any thought or ideas on how to make it happen? I can buy big shocks for the rear, but the front forks have me worried. I would also strip it down and probably replace only the bare essentials including plastic fenders. Enduro-style tires and maybe a custom exhaust for clearance and I'm good to go, right?? :whistle:

Post edited by: 79MKII, at: 2007/12/01 15:35

79MKII wrote:

Since nobody has replied in a while - here's a bit of a thread hi-jack...

I bought back my first KZ from a friend recently, 20 years after I originally sold it. It was beaten up with a hammet (long story) but still runs great. It will be my next project, but I'm not sure what direction to go with it. The bike is a 1978 KZ650 SR.

I am considering turning it into a supermoto! Any thought or ideas on how to make it happen? I can buy big shocks for the rear, but the front forks have me worried. I would also strip it down and probably replace only the bare essentials including plastic fenders. Enduro-style tires and maybe a custom exhaust for clearance and I'm good to go, right?? :whistle:<br><br>Post edited by: 79MKII, at: 2007/12/01 15:35

I think it'd be a mistake. It's just too heavy.

I always rode big thumpers in the past. My KZ650 is my first street bike. The first thing that struck me about it is how heavy it feels. It weighs more than 100 lbs more than even a bigger dual sport, like a KLR 650. That difference in weight makes a huge difference in the way a bike handles, not just in extreme, "racetrack" situations, but, in everyday, around town driving as well.

The whole super motard thing is nothing new. In 1981, I bought a TT500 Yamaha. I had two sets of wheels, tires and sprockets for it; knobbies on one, street tires on the other. That bike was incredible around town. On the weekends, I'd spend an hour switching wheels and sprockets and go tear up the dirt.

I can tell you, in street trim, it was worthless on the dirt. Even on dirt roads, if you hit the slightest bit off loose dust on top of the road, and you could easily lose it.

In my opinion, Super Motards are not meant to be dual pupose bikes at all, regardless of how they're marketed. The front fenders alone make it a lot harder to have a separate set of knobbies to run off road. I think they're meant to be urban bikes, and, I think they're pretty good at it.

gpzrox wrote:

DasTeufel wrote:

A motard is a streetable dirtbike with street tires. It's an awesome bike for hauling ass through the twisties and the occasional dirt romp. The DRZ is popular with many people in SoCal, but I wouldn't want to take one on a long trip.

Closest explanation I have seen.

Right now, on the street, in the mountains of the east coast, and especially at the Dragon, they are ruling the twisties.

At the track, got a report of one passing a rider on the outside line in a curve, quite the accomplishment I guess.

My independent mechanic is averaging about one bike a month I'd say, installing $1K worth of black fat wire excel rims and super stickies. And reporting back big smiles.

Like the bikes of old, change the tires and change your venue: dirt, street, track. Best idea I have heard of in years. Only problem I see is IIRC a $6K new bike sticker.

The Suzuki is the cheapest of the SM bikes. $6k is not bad for what you are getting. Im actually thinking about getting one for city use, running errands and such. Other manufactorers have SM's from $9k to $15k.

Post edited by: love2ride, at: 2007/12/23 12:20

One of the guys I ride with has a bevy of bikes (and, apparently, a lot of money). He's got an R6 when he wants to go fast, an old Magna for nostalgia purposes (it was his late father's) a new Bourget when he rides with me and other guys from work (mostly HD's and just about all cruisers), dirt bikes an old mini trail (CT70) and he got a KTM SuperMoto this season. Which does he ride to work most often? The KTM. By far his favorite feeling of the stable.

HiJack!

Got a chance at a 2004 MZ which comes with a 660 CC Yamaha engine. Looks pretty sharp! SuperMoto or dirt? Looks like both to me.

KZCSI

Post edited by: KZCSI, at: 2007/12/24 00:05

I bought my KZ650 in July. I still haven't gotten it to run right. I was out riding it the other night to see if my latest efforts to straighten out it's problems had worked.

We recently had a massive ice storm here, so the street lights were out, and there was a lot of small, loose tree debris left over from where they picked all the downed branches up.

edit: There was no ice on the road when this happened. The roads were dry.

I was going very slowly, but, the rear stepped out while i was going around a corner. I instinctively put my left foot down and countersteered, bringing it back around, but, it kept going around and tried to high-side me. I stuck my right foot down, countersteered again, and saved it, but, I just hated how heavy it felt. I've always ridden big thumpers in the past, and miss the lightness of their handling.

Even with on/off road tires, my TT500 handled better than my KZ650, and would have been a lot easier to handle in a situation like what I ran into the other night.

If I ever get this thing running right, and I can ever come close to getting somewhere near what I have in it back out, Ive decided I'm going to go with a thumper. There's nothing wrong with my KZ (other than the fact that I can't get it running right), but, for the kind of riding I do, a super motard is a better choice.

Post edited by: seanof30306, at: 2007/12/24 01:05