Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

currently have a gixxer 750 but have an urge to buy a new toy. I recently saw a 400/450cc honda supermoto on another forum i use and it set me thinking. I quite fancy something cheaper and that i can learn to wheelie on

However i know NOTHING about supermotos!

I dont even know where to start or what the hell to look for.

When you buy a supermoto are they usually set for offroad tyres then you convert or can you specify road wheels/tyres instead?

What make should i be looking at?! i guess 400cc ish is already fast enough and will wheelie on the power?

KTM, suzuki, honda, what modela are available and worth a look?

What should i look to pay? Or what could i get up to £2000-2500?

What like are the KTM 550 odd cc bikes? A friend of a friend was selling one recently for £2500 with everything to convert back to offroad use. I didnt pay much attention to exactly what it was because i didnt know i wanted one then

Are they comfortable enough to commute on or do distance or are they crap at speed due to wind?

Anything to watch for engine rebuilds etc? or are they ok as they are 4 stroke?

Any help or advice welcome


chop

Farmer Giles

Comfortable ?... no
good for distance ? ... no

If you go for a Honda, Suzuki, later KTM or one of the main manufacturers anyway the engines will be fine but if you start looking at earlier KTM, CCM, Husaberg et al then they are race engines and need to be maintained as such, regular rebuilds etc.

Personally I would only have one as a second bike as people I know have PX'd their 'normal' bikes for one but they soon get pissed off with the crap tank range, comfort, speed etc.. If you ride regularly with a group on the road I would not bother....

but you can't beat them for the grin factor hooning round town at relatively low speeds but you will end up getting pulled over at some point by the police for riding like a twat.

thats my 2p.

Martyn

S1rst

I was going to get one before i got my first gixer. Coming from motocross it appealed to me as there more or less what i was racing before so knew how to ride one well, although obviously on the road would be totally different.

The main thing that put me off was the fact that i just wouldnt be able to keep up with my mates and they'd have to hang around waiting for me. The other reason was the fact that we go out for the day and can do 200 miles easily enough and i wouldnt want to go that far on one having to rev the knackers off it to even have a chance of keeping up.

As said above, for a second bike for local-ish blasts then yes id think one would be fine, and im still considering one myself, although id have the enduro wheels on with intermediates so i can take it off road in derbyshire.

My first choice would be a WR 250 (if doing mainly off road) or WR 400/426/450 (if doing mainly on-road). You could get a nice one for £2000-£2500 grand depending on age and condition maybe 00'-04' depending on what bits they have also. Expect them to have a few scuffs and scratches at this price though, as most will have been used off road at some stage. Most of these bikes would have come with off road/enduro wheels and then maybe had supermoto wheels fitted,most being excel rims with talon hubs. They cost alot of money though so expect to pay a premium for one with them on, especially if it comes with the enduro wheels too.

How fast would you want to go? Most will struggle at 80-100 depending on the engine and you certainly wouldnt want to hold it at that speed for long.

Reliability is a bit hit and miss with these. They can go at any minute really, although if looked after and not abused that much, they should last a while. Oil changes between rides is a must really, especially if youll be giving it some stick.

Dont expect the mileages to be correct either and just base it on condition as most around that age will have had them disconnected or may have been re-newed or just used off road without one, then had one put on at a later date.

Got me thinking about one myself all over again now.