? for CBRjunkie

[crash]

I talked to Barry the other day about supermoto bikes. Anyway he said to ask your opinion on motards. Are they as fun as I hear or is it just BS? I will also be riding it on the street some to. Maybe some races but not more than 5 or 6 races a year.
What brands are worth while and size? I read that the Suzuki DRZ400SM is a good choice, is it or just keep looking?

[Mike]

I put about 1000 miles on a rented DRZ. It was a blast up to about 80/90mph. As long as you don't mind keeping it below that, you'll probably love the bike.

I rode, then bought, a KTM Duke II. Nice bike, but a little heavy, considering. The DRZ would've been a better choice.

Just a few days ago I picked up a KTM 560 SMR from the Yamaha shop, and... I've had a damn good time riding it at 25% of what it's probably capable of :smilebig:

KTM. saw kenny flip one over in turn 8 at jennings came back with a minor chip in the plastic. so there built tough!

[CBRjunkie]

Their fun but its nothing like a sportbike. Would be one of my first choices for a streetbike though.

I think Adam at East Coast Suzuki has a DRZ? Champion just picked up Husquavarna at the Honda store and they have a lot of options for street legal and race only supermoto bikes of all sizes. They would be worth looking into if you can find a dealer in your area.

[DK]

Hey crash,

Register here to find some answers.....

http://www.supermotojunkie.com/index.php

The Suzuki DRZ SM makes the most sensible choice for the street oriented rider looking to play around on some track days..... It will be the most reliable of any for street use..... It will not be the lightest or the fastest thing to lap the circuit when compared to other motard choices ......

Mike K's machine will be a good test mule to see how long a purpose built Race Motard will do on the street.....

Many of the outright race machines are very hard to start when hot and do not lend themselves to city traffic riding..... They were never really intended to run at those temps...... Stall the thing in traffic and you will most likely add a 10 minute break for your travels as you will have to wait until the thing cools off in order to start it up again.....

The CRF 450, YZ450F and similar machines are still finely tuned race bikes..... The Yamaha requires piston ring replacement every 600 miles.....
This bike is still a motocross machine and requires all the same maintenance as the 2 stroke bikes only at a greater expense due to the amount of components that need regular replacement......

If it is simply a toy you are looking for to accessorize your stable without putting a whole lot of street miles on it than the Motocross/Pure bread motard machines make sense...... You would be much happier with their performance on the racetrack....... They will not make a real prctical streetbike without a lot of expensive modifications.......

Go with the DRZ for the reliability and access to parts ...... KTM offers a lot of Street going motards, just keep in mind that when they need repair or you toss the thing down the road you will be waiting a long time to get your parts.......

Check out the Supermotojunkies site.......

:wave:

[crash]

Thanks for the info DK. I already joined but they are like most being biased toward supermoto. So I figured I would get a more reliable answer here from people I know.
I talked to Matt today and got some good info just really need to borrow someones motard and ride it myself for my own assessment.