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Best Supermoto or Motard for the Highway

Lots of good suggestions.

Remember the OP is a new rider looking for his first bike.
 
edzx6 said:
While not a true motard, my Hypermotard is great on the freeway and has plenty of power. The problem is it is a big motard. Really big motard, but it does a lot of things really well. It has the ground clearance and is light compared to an average street bike but compared to a true motard like a SXV 550 it is a huge bike. It handles fantastically.

I have taken it to the Streets of Willow and to Spring Mountain and run track days which it was about as much fun as you can have while wearing a dead cow, but on a super tight supermoto track it would start to feel bulky.
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hypermotard is no where near a supermoto. I owned one for 6 months it would wheelie in almost every gear... but as far as being able to do any stairs or dirt or anything like that... NO WAY!
 
DogBoy said:
Lots of good suggestions.

Remember the OP is a new rider looking for his first bike.
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First bike: Ninja 250 or 300

First SuperMoto: DRZ400SM

Both will do just fine on the highway, maybe not as good as others, but at 70mph they will both do just fine.
 
i say first bike and last bike wr250x... best all around bike you can get.
 
ABC said:
hypermotard is no where near a supermoto. I owned one for 6 months it would wheelie in almost every gear... but as far as being able to do any stairs or dirt or anything like that... NO WAY!
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He's got the new 821 Hyper. It's a lot lighter now! 386lb dry and 110 hp. Sounds like a lot of fun.
 
I vote for Dorsoduro 750 :)
Plenty of power for highway, fun to ride on twisties.
 
Hybridchemistry said:
That's a deal breaker. What's the point of a motard if you can't run over/up/on shit?
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  • To be faster than sportbikes in the mountains
  • To have awesome ergonomics
  • To ride supermoto posture
  • To be able to do jumps and slam wheelies without worry of blowing out forks
  • To be able to back it into a corner
  • To have a great torque-to-weight ratio

Basically everything. I never had the balls to do stairs on my 690 when I had it. And those I know who have supermotos now, don't that a whole lot either.

I'm sure you're different though.
 
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+1 690 SMC being the most enjoyable bike i've ever had. i commuted on it daily for 2 years / 22k miles. excellent compromise of jumping off of things downtown, slabbing 280, annihilating squids.

the compromises:
no more than 45 min one way commute, preferably < 30 min. especially for me, as i often rode the bike 7 days a week with 1.5 hrs avg per day on sat and sun. though mild, the vibes are still there, and it accumulates throughout your body.

150 miles range is 2x, maybe 3x the range of a "real" sumo. let that sink in - does filling up twice a day suit you?

faster, open-er turns are not the long suit of the front fork, as per sumo.

normal-ish street bike intervals. oil change more frequent than most street bikes, but it does only hold 1.7q in the case.

the raddest bike i have owned to date. if i didn't have such long travel distances out here in NM, i woulda kept it. when i get back to the bay, it will be another 690 (or maybe a wr250x)
 
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I ride my XR650R supermoto all over the place. With a 15-45 gearing it will out-accelerate most street bikes to 60 and comfortably cruise at 80. I have no problem out-running Hypermotards and Ninjas etc. on thetwisties on Redwood Road in the Oakland hills for example. DRZ400's don't even try to keep up.

I ride it 1 hour to down to Carnegie SVRA every once in awhile and beat the crap out of it on the ATV track and on the trails for a few hours (I bring some extra fuel for the trip back). And yes, with 17 inch street tires.

I currently also have a 2013 796 Monster and a 2011 CRF450R supermoto, but my XR650R SM is by far the most versatile and fun bike I have ever had. Also, it was the first supermoto I ever had.

I do a quick oil change every 800 miles and check the valuves every other 1500 miles or so.

Some people confuse the XR650R with the XR650L. The XR650L is a slow, heavy piece of shit and should NOT be confused with the water cooled, 60 (or so) hp, 300 (or so) lb XR650R!

The XR650R as built for desert racing and is a brute force supermoto when converted; kick start only, no silly windscreen, I don't even have a speedo on mine (I use an app on my phone). Also spare parts are plentiful and pretty inexpensive and you can get a street legal bike for $3-5K.

Maybe a 690SM is faster and prettier but for the price I cant think of a better street legal SM in CA.

Just my 2c...
 
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Most if not all of the bikes mentioned are not supermotos, I own a 07 ktm525 and have done several days of 300 miles plus no problem and riding on the freeway at 75 is not a problem. Bike will top out around 110. Currently have 28k miles on said bike , man up fellas.
 
Long story short, I wanted a Supermotar, my research lead me to the Dorsoduro after many test rides and deciding factors of what else is out there, it's the best decision I could've ever made.

Triple
 
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stoppie said:
Most if not all of the bikes mentioned are not supermotos, I own a 07 ktm525 and have done several days of 300 miles plus no problem and riding on the freeway at 75 is not a problem. Bike will top out around 110. Currently have 28k miles on said bike , man up fellas.
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you sound really attractive. you should be my girlfriend!
 
jumph4x said:
690 SMC. Nothing else comes close, especially if you have a proper Renazco seat. The late LC4 motors are as good as street thumpers get to this day. Look at the torque versus power output and compare to any street single, that gives away why, largely. Then crossreference maintenance schedules, then ride one and pay attention to the vibrations. Then realize a lot of motards don't even have a 6th gear.
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How does 690 SM compare with 690 SMC? Big difference?
 
yeah, the SM and SMC arent even close to the same bike. The SMC is a much more fun bike, whereas the SM feels sedated and relaxed.
 
Got it. It appears that SM was only sold in 2007 and it's SMC and SMCR after that, right? It's confusing and wikipedia doesn't seem to have a page that lists out all the differences and the evolution of the 690 series. :(
 
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