Any SM riders here?

[thump]

Hi BARFers.

I've just been here a couple of days and been looking around through the threads.

Do any of you ride singles around the smaller roads like Page Mill, Alpine, Pescadero, Stage, Tinitas, Kings, Portola, Arastradero?

Just asking.

Andrew

[airansun]

We all do! At least most of us.

Pescadero is a squid favorite. Most people like Stage (I love it). Alpine is fun but I'm not a fan of one lane roads with lots of blind curves. Tunitas requires the right mind set. Kings Mountain is the BEST way to get up to Skyline. Arastradero is just okay, for the obvious reasons.

SOME people on sport bikes whine about Stage and Alpine because a hard suspension will beat you up on those roads. I've only seen one sport bike on Tunitas for the same (but more so) reason.

[PowderdToastMan]

My Dad and I both have supermoto's , mine is an xr400 and my Dad's is an xr650 . Alpine is my favorite as well as Tinitas creek.But unfortunatel you won't find too many Supermotard's here. Sad really.

[MackeyStingray]

i dun have a motard. :|

but i like backside of 9 if it makes any diff. :rolleyes not that i ride up there much regardless :rolleyes

[ro-monster]

Me! Me!

Ok, ok. It's only a stock dualsport. But if I had any money I would have a motard too!

[thump]

hey Ro-Monster!

Get a used set of 17s a small sprocket, spare chain and street tires and set your damping way hard and you've got a supermoto as well as a dual sport :-)

I'm looking at the opposite- a set of dirt wheels so I can have a DS as well as a SM.

Andrew

[afmotorsports]

Yep - even won an AFM Formula Singles on the beast. One of these days I'll get it street registered, but for now www.supermotousa.com is lots more fun and no tickets, no guardrails and no distracted minivan mommies to spoil the good time.

[kblade]

had an xr650r sold it and plan to build another next year. what make don't know yet. maybe a ktm.

[APpy]

Originally posted by andrewlesslie

What are sport bikes like to ride, anyway?

You might want to as DrZ. After riding and racing dirt bikes for many yesrs, he bought an F4i last September.

[PowderdToastMan]

Andrew,

I have both a sport bike and a supermoto (F4 and XR400) , I had the F4 first and when I got the 400 it felt really weird. YOu sit up straight on the 400 and the bars are really wide, but after awhile I got used to it and I actually like sitting high and having the wide bars . They just make counter steering so effortless and you just push the bike where you want to go. On a sportbike you have to be much more technical and careful with your inputs.One of the main things you'll notice is the lack of suspension travel and also how bumpy the roads really are !! I hope I don't sound like I'm talking to you like you don't know anything, it's just that when you go back and fourth on both it's amazing how DIFFERENT they , and you just don't realize how BIG these differenes are, well at least I didn't ! I still say the FUN FACTOR AWARD goes to the Supermoto !!!

[PowderdToastMan]

Yeah I know..... BLAH BLAH BLAH , ramblings of an idiot !!!

[JoeBar]

It would be interesting to compare sportbike, supermoto and streetfighter. Being mainly a naked sportbike with clip-ons replaced by a dirtbike handlebar, I expect the streetfighter to be kind of in between... :angel :teeth

[ro-monster]

Originally posted by andrewlesslie
hey Ro-Monster!
Get a used set of 17s a small sprocket, spare chain and street tires and set your damping way hard and you've got a supermoto as well as a dual sport :-)
I don't think that would be very practical for me. I have neither the facilities nor the patience to be swapping wheels, so I'd very likely just have someone do the work and leave it that way. And I would like to have a spare bike anyway, since the DR is my only transportation.

[hooliganrider]

Originally posted by ro-monster
I don't think that would be very practical for me. I have neither the facilities nor the patience to be swapping wheels, so I'd very likely just have someone do the work and leave it that way. And I would like to have a spare bike anyway, since the DR is my only transportation.

hey ro

remember i do. if you ever get the wheels and tires.
i will be glad to help you.

Rich

[JoeBar]

ro-monster
Actually if you ride only on the street, the 17 in. wheels will allow you to put much better street tires on your bike and you won't have to switch back to the original wheels/tires unless you decide to ride off-road. And your bike will look MUCH better :teeth ;)

:infrandom

[thump]

If you want to ride on and off road and not swap wheels or tires you'll need to go with dual sport tires, unless you want to squirm around on knobs.

Check out Pirelli's MT60, 80 & 90 series.

These come in a variety of sizes, are competent on tarmac and work moderately well offroad too.

The MT60R and MT60RS are made from intermediate compound and are as sticky as a dual tire will ever get. They also don't last long even with only 40hp at the back wheel.

Guys- are we in the wrong Forum? Should we be in DirtyBarfers?

thanks
Andrew

[JoeBar]

Originally posted by andrewlesslie

Guys- are we in the wrong Forum? Should we be in DirtyBarfers?

yep... lemme ask one of our supermods to fix that ;) :teeth

[GXXRDRVR]

Question for you SM guys and gals...What makes a thumper a supermotard? Does a dual purpose count as a motard? Where is the line drawn?

[JoeBar]

A Supermotard is basically a dirt bike with high performance street wheels/brakes/tires. A Dual purpose is... a compromise ;)

[hooliganrider]

Originally posted by JoeBar
yep... lemme ask one of our supermods to fix that ;) :teeth

Pierre
i think this thread should be in dirty barfing.

[Max Smiley]

ok ok! :teeth

[hooliganrider]

Originally posted by Max Smiley
ok ok! :teeth

thanks Max:teeth

[ro-monster]

Originally posted by JoeBar
ro-monster
Actually if you ride only on the street, the 17 in. wheels will allow you to put much better street tires on your bike and you won't have to switch back to the original wheels/tires unless you decide to ride off-road. And your bike will look MUCH better :teeth ;)
:infrandom
But what does dropping the size of the front wheel from 21" to 17" do to the steering geometry? Intuition says it would take a bike that is already a little twitchy and make it that much more unstable. Does that not actually happen?

Also, what's the purpose of swapping the rear wheel, which is already a 17" rim? It was my understanding that you couldn't increase the width of the rim much without having the tire scrape on the swingarm. So what do you gain by replacing it?

Bike already has street tires on it, by the way. I wonder if it would even make sense for me to use super-sticky tires, since I am a very unagreesive rider. And I can't afford to be replacing my tires every couple thousand miles.

[hooliganrider]

Originally posted by ro-monster
But what does dropping the size of the front wheel from 21" to 17" do to the steering geometry? Intuition says it would take a bike that is already a little twitchy and make it that much more unstable. Does that not actually happen?

Also, what's the purpose of swapping the rear wheel, which is already a 17" rim? It was my understanding that you couldn't increase the width of the rim much without having the tire scrape on the swingarm. So what do you gain by replacing it?

Bike already has street tires on it, by the way. I wonder if it would even make sense for me to use super-sticky tires, since I am a very unagreesive rider. And I can't afford to be replacing my tires every couple thousand miles.

ro
with 17's on your bike, it will handle much better, then with the
21" on the street. your rear wheel should be 18".

[ro-monster]

The rear wheel on my DR really is 17", not 18". It's supposed to wear a 120/70 17 tire, but the tire I have now is 130/80.