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Jarrett said:
What kind of area makes this bike interesting? Do you have to live in a big city or in NW Arkansas for a Supermoto be fun?
If I was going to travel with bike, where would I go to find interesting roads for it?
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To me, a Sumo is a bike I'd want stripped down, naked, ready to throw into corners. This bike's got but a few purposes - the big one is to thrill you out of your mundane mind.
If I lived in DFW or Houston, I would have a VERY hard time justifying a sumo b/c I'd have to ride at least an hr just to get out of metro area, to get to some twisties.

BUt, since I'm in austin, I'm only 5 minutes away from scraping my peg feelers & removing chicken strips - for a full day - 6 hrs worth of tight twisties w/ almost no stop lights, no stop signs to put up with. Between N. Austin and Burnet, & S. Austin & Wimberly....this' SUMO COUNTRY!
 
Jarrett said:
What kind of area makes this type of bike interesting?

Do you have to live in a big city or in NW Arkansas for a Supermoto to be fun?

If I was going to travel with bike, where would I go to find interesting roads for it?
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Highway 27 or 123 in Arkansas
MO 125 in Missouri
US 129 (Deals Gap / The Dragon) in TN
Million Dollar Highway in Colorado
Blackbear Pass in Wyoming
Old Spiral Highway in Idaho
Muholland Road in California
Motorsports Ranch Cresson in Texas (track)

Basically TIGHT twisty turns that you can run at speed.

Or...you can ride it like a hooligan on city streets, sidewalks, parking garages and handicapped ramps and have a blast too.....but then you risk a secondary ride in the back of a police cruiser.
 
Jarrett said:
Hmm, there's got to be more to it than that, I'd think.

I think I'm going to have to learn this one the hard way.
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You seem to have the money to burn. I just fail to see how a SuMo will be better around Waxahachie than your VFR.

Maybe you'll love it, but I expect you'll sell it when the new wears off.
 
2WheelNut said:
You seem to have the money to burn. I just fail to see how a SuMo will be better around Waxahachie than your VFR.

Maybe you'll love it, but I expect you'll sell it when the new wears off.
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Shhhh, I might want to buy it. Lol
 
Here's a good rule of thumb for what will be fun on a super moto, the highest posted caution sign on the road should be 30mph with few straight sections between those corners. If the corners aren't at least tight enough to warrant a 30mph sign, you'd be better off on your VFR1200, AT1000, or the 700 whatever it is...

MOST of the roads in Arkansas would be fun on a super moto, but they are just as fun on most any other bike. There are some spots that are better than others, like AR 123 between AR 7 and Mt Judea (on the NE side of AR 7/16 junction). There are some sections of AR 27 and 23 that would be fun, but short lived. AR 23/MO 86 North of Eureka Springs up into Missouri is a serious hoot. MO 90 between Washburn and Noel in the far SW Corner of Missouri is fantastic. MO 76 between Cassville and Cape Fair through the Mark Twain NF along the North side of Table Rock Lake. MO H from US 160 up to MO 125 on the East side of Branson. Almost ANY paved road within a 30 mile radius of Ava, MO!! MO 125 all the day down across the Ferry to AR 125 into Yellville. AR 341 South of Mountain Home, also known as Push Mountain Road or Arkansas's Deals Gap (an exaggeration in my view). AR 14 South of US 62 all the way AR 9, just North of Mountain View, then over to Melbourne. AR 87 just outside Mountain View. Any paved road between Mountain View and Marshall (on US 65 East of Mountain View). Well, pretty much every paved road in the Ozark NF...

The thing that makes a super moto fun is the flicking back and forth with LOTS of hard acceleration and braking. In my opinion, some of the best riding for this is in the Smoky Mountains. Everyone thinks of Deals Gap, but there are TONS of roads out there as good or better that are virtually empty in comparison. I find these roads far more enjoyable! It is possible to go miles and miles with nary a straight section. After a while, you can start to actually want a straight section just so you can rest!
 
They can also be fun on go-kart tracks if you can find one that will let you ride on it.
 
On a DRZ 400 SM is it hard to convert to dual sport if you have rims and tires then back to super moto? Is the SM suspention the same travel etc. as dirt model S ? Just curious from an owner. I love the way SM's look but still like a little dirt but only want one bike instead of the three I sold in 2018.
 
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This bike is for sale on the forums now, how does this compare to a supermoto or just 2 different animals. Just wondering how much fun these small bores can be our just too underpowered.
 
woodsguy said:
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This bike is for sale on the forums now, how does this compare to a supermoto or just 2 different animals. Just wondering how much fun these small bores can be our just too underpowered.
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I've got a Grom and a KTM Duke 390. Both are really fun even though they aren't "fast" when compared to most of my other bikes.

Even so, I like riding them more than I liked my WR450 in SuMo mode. (Which is why I sold the SuMo kit.) However I have both of those bikes (Grom and 390) for my boys at college and will likely sell them after they graduate as I just don't ride them enough to keep them. That is likely because if I'm going more than 5 or 10 miles, the Super Duke is way more practical and fun.

Small bikes are great college commuters or to run errands in town but not what I find myself riding on a weekend ride.
 
woodsguy said:
Which bikes mentioned do you consider "real" supermoto? I have not ridden one or really know much about them but in my mind I tend to lean towards a 450 type bike with guessing 17 inch wheels and wide bars. The bigger bikes to me are the naked sport bikes.
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Nailed it.

Don't be afraid of the clutch. My wife was afraid of the clutch and wanted me to get her something in an automatic. I refused to get her anything with a recluse or any kind of auto and made her learn the clutch. After 20 minutes of riding around the beginner track she told he she didn't see what the big deal was and what she was worried about. Several sessions later she had a brain fart and decided to start out in third gear in deep soft sand on an incline and stalled it and went over and cursed me very much, but she learned.

That sport bike is very different from a supermoto. Completely different feel and attitude. Supermotos can be fun in the city if you are a hooligan, but I suspect you, like me, would enjoy them in the twisty mountains. Just remember, a supermoto like the DRZ400SM gets great gas mileage while putt putting around in the city, but when you start romping on it in the mountains, it sucks gas down fast. Gas stations can be few and far between in the mountains so make sure you stop when you see one or you'll be like me riding like a sissy through three towns trying to find one with a gas station!

Supermoto in heaven.

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Some supermotos are smaller than you'd imagine, and for us short folks, as you can barely see me, the seat height is a tad tall.

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Who am I kidding, even the small one was too tall.

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The only thing more fun than giving the sporties a run for their money...

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Is ripping it up with a good friend.

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Plain old good fun is had with a supermoto.

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A BIG difference between a small sport bike and super moto is seating position and handle bar width. You are far more upright on the sumo and the wide bars give you more leverage for fast transitions from side to side. Also, thumpers tend to make a bit more low end grunt compared to a small bore sport bikes which usually have to spin up faster to make their torque. So where top speed is not the concern but rather acceleration out of corners, a sumo is just loads of fun! For more skilled riders, sliding the back end through corners is also part of the fun. I would not be one of those riders.
 
Jarrett said:
Doug, when/where do you ride yours?

Still trying to determine if I'd have enough fun with it to keep one.
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I ride mine all over the place. Pretty much any road within 30-50 miles of Glen Rose and beyond. There are so many. I am on a twisty road at the end of the driveway. I also have a membership at MSR in Cresson. I am addicted to the Sumo. I also had a Tuono, a 990 Super Duke and Super Duke 1290R. So even the FZ1 is almost like those. But there is not a ride comparable to a Sumo. I love the track because you can maintain speed through corners and pass lots of folks on the brakes. They may eat you up in the straights, but it is fun cornering fast. I would say pretty much Supermotard=Great Fun. But! The seats are uncomfortable and the DR-Z's need a little breathing on to get them in the fun zone. That said, I bought the S to have a dirt version and have enjoyed it with a stock motor, only jetting and an exhaust.
 
Jarret, try north of Walnut Springs, west of 144, up to Paluxy. Has the most curves in this area. Google maps does not show these roads well, as they wash out the best roads, when you try to get a wide view.
 
Jarrett said:
I think like Doug said, the reality of a Supermoto for me is riding roads 30-50 miles from my house.

Unless I put it in the back of the truck or trailer it somewhere, which I actually might do out to Glen Rose just because I like the roads out there so much. I don't know if the track is realistic for me at this point. Maybe, but not sure.

And there is the second use case I'd use this bike for. To throw in the back of the truck for RV trips and ride at other locations when I get there. I'm headed to Kerrville with the RV in a couple of months it would be a blast to have that bike down there. We do an annual trip to stay on River Road in New Braunfels and I know it would be fun there. We're also planning an RV trip to Arkansas this year and it would be fun to have it there as well.

At 293 lbs, that shouldn't be a problem. It's a pain getting the 500lb bikes in and out of the back of the truck. The CRF250L weighed 327 lbs. and it was fairly easy to handle in the back of the truck, so I assume a bike that's 34 lbs. lighter would be even easier yet.
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Lol...just buy the thing already. :)

You seem to have made up your mind and that's what matters. You don't really have to convince a bunch of people on a forum that you need one.

I've never even asked anyone on a forum if a bike was a good idea, I just buy them and decide afterwards. Then again....I have to convince my wife so that's my check box. Maybe you feel obligated to convince someone. If so, I'm convinced. I definitely think you should buy one.
 
Jarrett said:
I don't know if the track is realistic for me at this point. Maybe, but not sure.
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Why not? Money certainly doesn't seem to be the deterrent here. Sign up for one of the Level 1 track days this year. They aren't necessarily for racers, just motorcyclists looking to have fun and improve your skills. All bikes are welcome and they usually have classes for the Level 1 folks. Great way to learn, and you will learn a lot, in a safe, fun, and predictable environment.

Then, after you do your first one, you'll be addicted and will be bringing your supermoto out as often as you can. But if you don't have a supermoto yet, just remember, even big piggies can come out to the track and you can learn a lot about your bike and you out there.

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http://www.ridesmart.info/
 
gixxerjasen said:
Why not? Money certainly doesn't seem to be the deterrent here. Sign up for one of the Level 1 track days this year. They aren't necessarily for racers, just motorcyclists looking to have fun and improve your skills. All bikes are welcome and they usually have classes for the Level 1 folks. Great way to learn, and you will learn a lot, in a safe, fun, and predictable environment.

Then, after you do your first one, you'll be addicted and will be bringing your supermoto out as often as you can. But if you don't have a supermoto yet, just remember, even big piggies can come out to the track and you can learn a lot about your bike and you out there.

View attachment 52453

http://www.ridesmart.info/
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That's a funny looking track bike!
 
gixxerjasen said:
Why not? Money certainly doesn't seem to be the deterrent here. Sign up for one of the Level 1 track days this year. They aren't necessarily for racers, just motorcyclists looking to have fun and improve your skills. All bikes are welcome and they usually have classes for the Level 1 folks. Great way to learn, and you will learn a lot, in a safe, fun, and predictable environment.

Then, after you do your first one, you'll be addicted and will be bringing your supermoto out as often as you can. But if you don't have a supermoto yet, just remember, even big piggies can come out to the track and you can learn a lot about your bike and you out there.

View attachment 52453

http://www.ridesmart.info/
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Careful though. Once you learn how to corner fast, you'll be addicted to corner speed. I thought going fast in a straight line was fun until I learned to go fast in a corner. It's an entirely new way to ride. Good news is that it's much more legal on a public road.
 
One of the things I have been eyeing a SM for recently is the garbage condition of the fun roads I have immediately around me. I enjoy riding small bikes around them but they are SOOOO bad condition wise that is it painful and jarring and sometimes sketchy to try and roll firm/track suspension on them. I have always wanted to try and see how a SM handles it.
 
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