Where are all the supermotos going?

[WARRIORPRINCEJJ]

Here was my DR650...





The fellas, in the DR650 thread, told me that I would regret getting rid of it. And, they were absolutely correct. I absolutely do.

I don't regret most of the bikes that I've sold. I had them, enjoyed them, and then passed-them-on, for someone else to enjoy. But, for some reason, the loss of the DR650 still resonates.

As far as supermotos, in general, this is exactly how I feel...

Originally Posted by LittleRedToyota

...they are probably the most practical city motorcycles made.

In my humble opinion, nothing tempts grown men, into acting like jackasses, like a supermoto. Most can't resist the draw...


.

[Ned1]

^^ to the point of dicing car door handles at 80mph on 40mph roads around a software factory that was typically full of clueless n00b drivers from overseas.... I sold my road wheels because I wanted to live long enough to teach my kids how to ride... well, they can ride now and I did just land a crisp '07 525 and it's begging for some road hoops

[victor441]

Originally Posted by GODSPEED

I'm right here. I just picked up this beauty about 2 months ago. 2003 625 SXC converted to supermoto. I forgot how much much I love the LC4's. Funny, this vibrates WAY less than my 640 adventures. I still have my 96 DR650 with dirt and supermoto setup. I put the supermoto set on my DR 2 years ago and have had my dirt setup on once since then. I recently did a 1500 mile, 4 day trip on my DR with the Supermoto setup and did about 150 miles of dirt with no issues. If I had to have one bike it would be a 650 class single.


My DR650 halfway through the Rattlesnake in SE Washington/NE Oregon.



On a side not check out the Michelin Pilot Road 3 for long life supermot tires. Great for the wet PNW.

good to hear that the SM wheels have worked well for long distance dirt riding....I bought my DR650 this summer already set up for supermoto and considered buying a set of dirt wheels but for the few dirt road rides I have done so far the SM wheels with Avon Roadrunners have been working fine....

[Fast1]

Mounted up my new sumo wheel set last weekend with some Distantzias.. Surely transforms the TE630 for hardpack/tarmac use.

[thisflatearth]

Fast1 that is beautiful details on the wheelsets?

[The Walrus]

I totally admit to missing my XR650R Sumo.....gone but not forgotten.......still scheming on which Sumo with an e-start should replace it.......





It even looked great next to the classic GS.......and he didn't come close to keeping up........

[Fast1]

Originally Posted by thisflatearth

Fast1 that is beautiful details on the wheelsets?

Don't think I'd use them for strictly racing purposes however they do sport some nice cosmetic styling. Made by Warp 9

[dirtydeeds]

Originally Posted by Fast1

Mounted up my new sumo wheel set last weekend with some Distantzias.. Surely transforms the TE630 for hardpack/tarmac use.

That's pretty!

I scored a nice deal on an older KTM 640E. It's now got 17's and Distanzias.

[Fast1]

Those are sweet.. excel rims too.

Right now I could use what you have stacked second from the top of the tire pile behind your bike.

[dirtydeeds]

They'll be going on something, soon.

[JTucker]

[Adv Grifter]

When I had more income and extra money for bikes I had a Sumo bike. Two actually. A KTM Duke ll, then a KTM Sumo (2002)

Great fun for hooligan antics and great on the twisty's. But totally useless for most of the riding I now do. I actually GO PLACES ... for days or weeks at a time. I rarely see SUMO's set up for touring. I struggled to strap a duffel on the back, so two to three days max and never two up.

And what do they do when the pavement ends? On my DR650 I just down shift and keep going. I'm an X flat tracker ... so I know how to slide around ... but get going too quick on dirt on a SUMO and you're going over the edge.

In the City for Hooligan fun they can't be beat. ... but thieves love them ... so watch out.
The fad is over ... has been for a while now. It's over in Europe too. DONE.
I still love the racing we have on our local Kart Track!


My old KTM Duke ll. Good but not great.

[jesusgatos]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

My old KTM Duke ll. Good but not great.

What are those wheels?

[Adv Grifter]

Stock .... BBS I believe ... soft like butter. Bent them twice just doing normal road riding on our bumpy Nor Cal roads.

[speedmaster]

Originally Posted by Adv Grifter

When I had more income and extra money for bikes I had a Sumo bike. Two actually. A KTM Duke ll, then a KTM Sumo (2002)

Great fun for hooligan antics and great on the twisty's. But totally useless for most of the riding I now do. I actually GO PLACES ... for days or weeks at a time. I rarely see SUMO's set up for touring. I struggled to strap a duffel on the back, so two to three days max and never two up.

And what do they do when the pavement ends? On my DR650 I just down shift and keep going. I'm an X flat tracker ... so I know how to slide around ... but get going too quick on dirt on a SUMO and you're going over the edge.

In the City for Hooligan fun they can't be beat. ... but thieves love them ... so watch out.
The fad is over ... has been for a while now. It's over in Europe too. DONE.
I still love the racing we have on our local Kart Track!


My old KTM Duke ll. Good but not great.

Wouldn’t a KTM Adventurer or BMW GS be better for long distance touring?
I ride my DR650 with 17” wheels more than any other bike I’ve owned. Usage of a particular motorcycle depends on geographical location and rider preference more than anything else. I wouldn’t trade my current set up for anything else (except maybe a sumo’ed KTM 690) . I think there will always be a place for supermoto type bikes, but I’ll agree it will never be a huge part of the overall motorcycle market.
As far as the fad goes there still seems to be a lot of ex-sportbike riders switching to supermoto, maybe a sign of the economy?