Super Motards

[swanman]

OK I am shortly going to be selling the R1 and after a lot of deliberation I think I have settled on a Super Motard as the way to go for the next bike.

Does anyone own one of these as a daily bike, or have special inside knowledge about the ones to go for or not? Budget is max $7000. I quite like the look of motard xr650's. ANy advice welcome.

I attach a picture of one I have just seen in trademe. Any comments?

[k14]

All I can say is wheelies.

Go for it man, i would love to have one.

[Ghost Lemur]

Yeah that one on TradeMe looks pretty damn sweet.

If you go for it, we're going to expect a full write up with pics.

EDIT: Oh and send a pm to Andy, he was building himself a Motard last I heard. So should have some good advice (not to mention the inside scoop on what's coming out of Japan).

[Mr Skid]

So did my blathering about motards at Paeroa swing ya?

My research into motards has turned up a few things to consider:

Fuel capacity - some of the factory motards have very small tanks compared to a road bike. I think Husqvarna motards have some of the smallest, and I think the KTM LC4 640 SM has one of the largest.

Power - You'll get more out of a water cooled mill than a air cooled one. Most/all factory 'tards are water cooled and the XR650R is as well. Current specs on it put it at 60hp peak, which is similar to a 400cc multi.

Servicing - I understand 'tards with MX derived engines, such as a Gas Gas 400 would need more regular servicing, and rebuilds etc, as they are more stressed than a trail derived engine, such as the KTM motard, or the XR650.

Crashability - motards often crash better than sports bikes, as they have less plastic to root. Usual precautions are the fitting of axle sliders (and it looks like the one on trademe has then) and hand guards to protect levers, handlebars and hands. Also you can buy radiator braces for some bikes to stop the radiator being bent in a fall.

Lights - Single headlight, with a small reflector, compared to what the R1 has. I can't comment about how good they are, but I wouldn't probably want to do much open road riding at night with one, but then again, it may be adequate.

The XR you're looking at seems like a good bike, though the things I'd consider are how stressed the engine is with a high compression piston, and whether they've done any work on the suspension. If not, it might be a wee bit too soft for the road. Most motard conversions involve fitting stiffer fork springs, and revalving.

Have you been over the thumpertalk.com? There's some good info on there about motard conversions.

[swanman]

Paparazzi for a man who has only been riding for a short time you are the font of all knowledge.

Yes I think it was our talk at Paeroa that swung it in the end. I am just looking for more sensible speed, more practicality, and more fun, oh and a lot cheaper. Something I can commute on, wheelie on and just live with without breaking the bank.

I'll check your link out. Cheers

[Sensei]

Back in 1990 broughta new TT600 & road kitted it . Pepole thought I was Mad {which I am but thats another story } Put a 680 kit into it Flatside carbs & cam was around 70hp . XT600 gearing modified airbox lowed suspension .Was good for just over 200k. But got there quick & was Mint through the twisty's . Have fun I did !
SENSEI

[betti]

just bought meself this 97 ktm duke, rode it back from christchurch to Palmerston last week, and grinned like a maniac all the way back!!.
It has a tank range of about 80km maybe a little more, wheelies like an insane creature, handles like a sportsbike and is bloody fantastic.
It has had a high compression piston, race carb and race exhaust fitted, and is a bit of a pain in the ass round town, but as soon as you find a twisty bit the grin returns!.
I reckon tards are a sensible way of enjoyin the great roads in Nz without losin your license for insanely ridiculous speeds, you dont want to be tourin on em tho :2thumbsup

[Mr Skid]

just bought meself this 97 ktm duke, rode it back from christchurch to Palmerston last week, and grinned like a maniac all the way back!!.
It has a tank range of about 80km maybe a little more, wheelies like an insane creature, handles like a sportsbike and is bloody fantastic.
It has had a high compression piston, race carb and race exhaust fitted, and is a bit of a pain in the ass round town, but as soon as you find a twisty bit the grin returns!.
I reckon tards are a sensible way of enjoyin the great roads in Nz without losin your license for insanely ridiculous speeds, you dont want to be tourin on em tho :2thumbsup
A pain in the arse around town? I'm interested to know why you found that.

All the feedback I've had are that they are well suited to commuting. I would imagine the relatively low weight, seating position, narrowness and torque would be very useful.

Was it a bit too high geared for around town? Or did the racey bits make it a bit of a liability for trying to potter on?

I'd be keen to hear more about you're experiences commuting ( as well as everywhere else)

[Jackrat]

KTM or Husaburg,
Anything else is just pretending.

[betti]

the race bits just make the engine a little too lumpy for pottering about
town,as far as other riding experiences go, I've not had too much time to take it out too far, but on any roads that arent super straight it is the most fun I've had on two wheels bar none!.
I used to have a dr600 , but the suspension and ride on the ktm are in a different league, I reckon you could happily do some light offroad stuff with it, if you chucked on a set of offroad wheels.
The suspension isnt as offroad dedicated as the lc4, but is still fairly long travel so effectively two bikes for the price of one!.
Apparently there is an 18litre tank available for the duke as an aftermarket extra , which would make the trips between well-spaced gas stations a little less worrying, but that much gas would effect the handling I reckon.
So no real gripes really apart from the sidestand is placed so far under the bike that Ive taken to leaning it against walls as well as putting the stand down to stop the bugger falling over!.
You only have to check out the component list to see these things are well put together, WP front and rear fully adjustable suspension, brembo brakes front and rear,magura bars.
All top end stuff, the snag is there doesnt seem to be that many of them in Nz, there are a lot of LC-4'S around which are more enduro based, but any of the ktm 4 stroke bikes would make a fairly killer moto.
On the whole, if ya buy one, you'll wonder why you bought it on long straight runs, but get a little off the beaten track and you will love it.
Hope this helps :niceone:

[Sensei]

KTM or Husaburg,
Anything else is just pretending.


Have you own one or both of these ? There are some excellent Motard's whick aren't these brand's > Put together a 1980 TT500 into a Motard back in 81 was & would be still an excellent bike for road use maybe not to the spec of the new stuff back pretty kool all depend's if you are going to use it for racing. Abit of waste of money to just Putt round town on a race bike .
SENSEI

[NordieBoy]

The XR650 has all the aftermarket tanks etc available.
About the only downside is it's a kicker only.

Commuting in general on a tard is no problem (and a lot of fun).
Long distance is a bit more problematic (hard seats/vibration/tank size).

Go for it.

That XR on TradeMe has got USD's which put more stress through the steering head so that would be something to check regularly but nice bike.

And I say again - Go for it :) :cool:

I'm off down to Wipara from Nelson on mine over Easter so I'll be able to tell you more about the long distance bit then :confused:

[andy1]

Hi,
I have a CRF450 supermotard which i raced last year in Japan, awesome fun...
All u need is a bigger fuel tank on em for tha road...

Peace.

[Mr Skid]

The XR650 has all the aftermarket tanks etc available.
About the only downside is it's a kicker only.

I know the XR600 is kick start only, but I understood the XR650 was electric start.. Where's Motu when you need him?? :confused:

[moko]

Dont you get these in N.Z? XTX660 Yamaha,this one`s modded,standard ones have black wire wheels with Excel rims.Not a balls-out Motard but wont require the same input as a converted Enduro bike either,highly rated by the mags

http://www.motoblog.blogger.com.br/xtrider_1089373862_xtx660.jpg

This is Honda`s answer,due out very soon in Britain and more of a budget option than the Yam .Suzuki also have an S/M version of the DR400 out about the same time.There`s also S/M options on Yamaha`s very popular DT125R (great fun machine) and DT50.

http://www.moto-station.com/ttesimages/motodivers/nouveautes2005/Honda_FMX_650_stpz.jpg

[DEATH_INC.]

All I can say on the subject is :spudwave: licence if you ride in the city much.....that's why I don't own one....

[Jackrat]

Dont you get these in N.Z? XTX660 Yamaha,this one`s modded,standard ones have black wire wheels with Excel rims.Not a balls-out Motard but wont require the same input as a converted Enduro bike either,highly rated by the mags

http://www.motoblog.blogger.com.br/xtrider_1089373862_xtx660.jpg

This is Honda`s answer,due out very soon in Britain and more of a budget option than the Yam .Suzuki also have an S/M version of the DR400 out about the same time.There`s also S/M options on Yamaha`s very popular DT125R (great fun machine) and DT50.

http://www.moto-station.com/ttesimages/motodivers/nouveautes2005/Honda_FMX_650_stpz.jpg

The XTX is available here but the low pipes were bagged out a bit in the one Mag articule I've read on them.
Other than that they got a very good write up.
Hav'nt seen any on the road but.

[2_SL0]

Im actually going to look closely at the Yamaha XTX660 when i upgrade, but that wont be for a yr. Bascially it will come down to either moving to a R6 or XTX660. My riding style will be suited to the XTX 660, but I love R6's. Im going to have to take both for a good ride and see what I like the most. The Two Wheels Aus mag has a review of the XtX660. :2thumbsup

[Coyote]

I love supermotard, and I wanna try supermoto. Get involved with the Bucket racers as they have a motard class. I got into junior motard last year with the KX80 and only half a years experience of riding bikes. Even though I've out grown the 80, I still wanna ride it this year, it was great fun. You can lean a bit further than normal road bikes

I now leave you with some pics

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8441
http://motard.concode.com/images/motard/vor/VOR.jpg

Not sure if I should trade in the CBR for a motard, leave it for now

[bugjuice]

so Swanny, off the idea of a hog then? some of those cruisers you were looking at were nice, but i wondered how long it'd be before that'd go and you moved on..!!

These look like fun tho! Wheelie city for one..
Can you throw off-road tyres on these and hit the dirt too? Or is there something that has made them 'road-only' bikes?

[Wolf]

Looks like shit-loads of fun!

NordieBoy - Great lookin' bike, dude.

Reading all this got me all misty-eyed about my old TS125 Road/Trail (not quite the same league as these full-on 'tards, but great fun) - I've been reading the posts and wondering what sort of fun I would've had if I'd put road tyres on the bitch instead of the semi-knobblys.

I used to ride the TS everywhere - commute to work within Hamilton, ride to Tokoroa from Hamilton 2-up, muck about off-road. Found it was a great commuter - quick, responsive and just the ticket for pulling evasive manoeuvres when cagers did stupid things. Bit of a bone shaker on long full-on journeys - just like every other single banger I've ever ridden, LS400 included. The semi-knobbly tyres made for some arse-clenching moments in wet weather and I had a few near misses, but proper road tyres would have corrected that.

I reckon a Motard would be great fun - and yes, we do want pics and anecdotes.

I want one for myself, now.

[inlinefour]

I'd have a go at it if I had the money...

[Motu]

As someone who's been riding dirt bikes on the road for nearly 35 yrs....motards are not before time I reckon.The XR650 is kick only alright,sales would double if it had an electric leg.

A real motard will have shorter travel harder suspn,no huge bumps to absorb....but for backroad NZ use I reckon standard dirt suspn firmed up would be better than road race setups...those humps and bumps slips road works and road kill wouldn't be any concern at all then.I like my 21in front wheels - you ride these things through the rear wheel,unsettled or brake slide into the corner and then on the gas ASAP...so long as that rear wheel is fighting for traction,the front won't be,the motard guys on street circuits have a hard time getting enough heat into the front tyre.I usualy run full knobs on the front with no worries,but some of the dual purpose tyres have impressive grip.

[Coldkiwi]

mmm Motards. I'll almost certainly be going down that route once I find one for the right price... but therein lies the problem- theres a very small market for them in this country.

That XTX just looks to fat and heavy for a motard. Compared to the Euro 400 and 600's from husky/husaberg and KTM it looks like a rhino. and speaking of ugly- although its nice to see Honda and suzuki bringing out motards, boy do they look RANK! The DRZ400 motard coming out this year from suzuki look like a bleeding farm bike, not a street weapon. I think i'll be sticking with the europeans.

[Fryin Finn]

I had an XR 650 (00 model) for a coupla years. Didn't spend much time on the road but it was a real hoot when I did. But. The seat was an arse killer and had real weak brakes. It is kick only but not a bad starter none the less.

[Motoracer]

As someone who's been riding dirt bikes on the road for nearly 35 yrs....motards are not before time I reckon.The XR650 is kick only alright,sales would double if it had an electric leg.

A real motard will have shorter travel harder suspn,no huge bumps to absorb....but for backroad NZ use I reckon standard dirt suspn firmed up would be better than road race setups...those humps and bumps slips road works and road kill wouldn't be any concern at all then.I like my 21in front wheels - you ride these things through the rear wheel,unsettled or brake slide into the corner and then on the gas ASAP...so long as that rear wheel is fighting for traction,the front won't be,the motard guys on street circuits have a hard time getting enough heat into the front tyre.I usualy run full knobs on the front with no worries,but some of the dual purpose tyres have impressive grip.

I fully agree and can relate.

Every time I had to get ready to go, kick starting a big 600 is not the easiest thing, specially when it's hot.

I don't know what it's like riding with the smaller front wheel with road racing tires but I love riding the standard XR600 with the knobblies on the road. Just like you said, it is fine just as long as you "gas it" through the corner. It is fucken fun!!!

Swanman, I'd say go for it. I would if I was you!

[betti]

surely the whole kick startin thing is part of the experience aint it?
My Dr 600 was a proper monster to start, but the ktm duke with high comp. piston is worse!.There is something hugely satisfying about gettin the knack right without it tryin to break your ankle :niceone:
becomes a bit of a ball-ache if ya stall it at lights tho :angry2:
I love big singles(and silly jap fours too) :2thumbsup

[NordieBoy]

I've never had kick back from the Nordie (even started it barefoot) and if it's a bad day it takes 2 kicks hot or cold.

[sAsLEX]

I've never had kick back from the Nordie (even started it barefoot) and if it's a bad day it takes 2 kicks hot or cold.

ask enigma how he broke both his feet!!! wasn't a nordie but some thumper

[2_SL0]

surely the whole kick startin thing is part of the experience aint it?
My Dr 600 was a proper monster to start, but the ktm duke with high comp. piston is worse!.There is something hugely satisfying about gettin the knack right without it tryin to break your ankle :niceone:
becomes a bit of a ball-ache if ya stall it at lights tho :angry2:
I love big singles(and silly jap fours too) :2thumbsup


Lets just say the fun of kick starting doesnt last long. (been there done that on many a DR.)

[Hitcher]

Technical question: What's the difference between a motard and a retard?

[swanman]

Interesting it looks as if there are quite a few of us who like the motard concept. I agree with comments that the factory motards as a rule look a bit well, crap. The KTM's pretty much look the part apart from that angular edge styling. What that means is that many motards are custom made at home which also begs the question how well are they put together. But the idea of that grunt, wheelying, lightness, quick steering and jeez change the tyres and have a crack off road! ALso where many bikes are looking a wee bit samey samey, the motards stick out well. I believe the scene in Europe is pretty big too, though here in NZ it is still in its infancy. Certainly I see this as a market segment which is going to grow.

So when I sell the R1 a motard it will (probably) be, unless a bargain pops out of nowhere for something else.

[sAsLEX]

I believe the scene in Europe is pretty big too, though here in NZ it is still in its infancy. Certainly I see this as a market segment which is going to grow.
.

there was a taste of the motard champs on sports cafe on wed!!! aaron slight apparently came second

[k14]

Yeah he finished up 2nd in the NZ champs which were at taupo yesterday. Apparantly the first round (of a 3 round series) was the first time he had rode a bike for 4 years.

If I had the $$ i would grab one of these: http://www.vor.it/images/prod_4_0.jpg

[Coldkiwi]

Technical question: What's the difference between a motard and a retard?


a retard is one who rides a motard.... or a squid that is thinking of selling his/her squidmobile to by a motard (so it is insinuated around me anyway!). :wari:

Once a retard has ridden his motard for so long that he won't go to anything else, he upgrades his motard to make it a super motard - and in the process becomes a super RETARD because he know thinks he can out corner anyone. :banana:

[Sensei]

[QUOTE=k14]Yeah he finished up 2nd in the NZ champs which were at taupo yesterday. Apparantly the first round (of a 3 round series) was the first time he had rode a bike for 4 years.

Still cann't get that No1 plate . Will be runing out of room on the front number plate on his bike soon LOL :shake: {PT}

SENSEI

[avgas]

Technical question: What's the difference between a motard and a retard?
one has 2 wheels, the other stops the spark comming in time....silly hitcher :niceone:

[Coyote]

Husabergs look awesome. Saw one at TSS a while back. The enigine looked so simple, almost nothing was above the cylinder
http://www.ktm-infosystem.com/incontent/medien/ma_54/1208ma.jpg http://www.ktm-infosystem.com/incontent/medien/ma_54/1206ma.jpg http://www.ktm-infosystem.com/incontent/medien/ma_54/1198ma.jpg

[NordieBoy]

I've got some motard pics on my site.
But don't look unless you really mean it as there's 481 thumbnails coming at ya :niceone:

Go here (http://fran.nelson.geek.nz/motorbikes/motard/)

[NordieBoy]

ask enigma how he broke both his feet!!! wasn't a nordie but some thumper

What?
Both feet?
"Oh fcuk it kicked back and broke my foot, I'll have to try with the other"?
:confused:

[sAsLEX]

What?
Both feet?
"Oh fcuk it kicked back and broke my foot, I'll have to try with the other"?
:confused:

he was a bit younger than present and the bars broke his feet as he went past them!!

[Coyote]

I've got some motard pics on my site.
But don't look unless you really mean it as there's 481 thumbnails coming at ya :niceone:

Go here (http://fran.nelson.geek.nz/motorbikes/motard/)
Whoa, awesome. Lucky I have broadband now

[NordieBoy]

so Swanny, off the idea of a hog then? some of those cruisers you were looking at were nice, but i wondered how long it'd be before that'd go and you moved on..!!

These look like fun tho! Wheelie city for one..
Can you throw off-road tyres on these and hit the dirt too? Or is there something that has made them 'road-only' bikes?

Road wheels and generally bigger front brakes.
Bung the dirt ones on for the off road stuff or maybe not...

http://fran.nelson.geek.nz/motorbikes/motard/pict1397.jpg

[Coyote]

http://fran.nelson.geek.nz/motorbikes/motard/03-S440cannondale.jpg

Poor Cannondale, gone bust now

[moko]

Can you throw off-road tyres on these and hit the dirt too? Or is there something that has made them 'road-only' bikes?

Not sure what`s happening with them right now as the factory`s in the shit but some of the CCM models came with 2 sets of wheels so you could use them for both.

[Wolf]

he was a bit younger than present and the bars broke his feet as he went past them!!
OUCH! poor enigma!

[slob]

Coming from someone who has a motard project (XR600R) sitting in the garage for the last 8 months - don't try to do it yourself unless you have HEAPS of spare time and motivation. Having said that - I'm still planning on completing it - someday! Actually, just to get it going all I need to do is swap the swingarm for an NSR250 one I have handy, bung the wheels on and hook up the VFR400 master cylinder to the NSR250 brakes! The full exhaust system, big bore kit and dyno tuning come later!

Re: choosing a bike to convert or ready-made motard: There is a world of difference in the performance between the following:
1. Race Supermoto (not "motard" that means "rider" in french) (e.g. KTM 525SMR)
2. Street Supermoto (e.g. KTM 640SM)
3. Motocross bike (e.g. CRF450),
4. Trail/Enduro bike (e.g. XR650R) and
5. street-oriented dual purpose bike (e.g. XR650L)

Race supermotos, motocross and enduros bikes (generally) have less concessions to civility e.g. light flywheels, sharp throttle response, noisy exhausts and kickstarts. They are best left at race tracks or offroad. Their engines tend to be highly-tuned and therefore higher maintenance. Exception to the tuning would be "older" generation trail/enduros bikes like my XR600R or TT600s that run on a modest state of tune.

Street-oriented/dual purpose are comfier, but less exciting. My mate's XT600E, for instance was significantly heavier than my XR, comfier and less snappy (read: less wheelie-prone). I think getting a motard based on this sort of bike is kind of missing the point.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to get across is that the further towards the race/motox end of supermotoing you get, the more thrills and discomfort and expense you will endure. IMHO, go for the XR650R. They are (relatively) low maintenance and very tuneable (if you need more pep). They are used for all sorts of purposes from enduros to adventure riding to paris-dakar to commuting and there's a shit load of resources on the web and accessories available for them.

As far as the kickstart discussion goes, it boils down to this - the first day I took my XR out for a ride, it took me 20mins to get it going. After a couple of weeks, I was down to 1st or 2nd kick. You just get used to it I guess - and figuring out where TDC is.

[Coldkiwi]

yeah, i've been warned of the pitfalls of converting jappa enduro bikes to motards. Not as easy to do or get certification for road use as might be hoped. (will still look like a stumpy enduro model too for the most part rather than a lithe euro motard)

the SMS 610 Husky at colemans looks like my idea of a great street motard with a few more concessions to user friendliness (a dash you can read and pillion pegs) that make it much more usable and not a lot slower

[slob]

yeah, i've been warned of the pitfalls of converting jappa enduro bikes to motards. Not as easy to do or get certification for road use as might be hoped.

Bugger! Really? Like what do they catch you out on? I'm kinda thinking of just converting back to original condition for WOF checks and such (shouldn't be more than a day's work) as it is already road-registered.

[Bytor]

Shame we can't get the XTX660 in the orange (as shown below) or the red, which make it look a lot sexier than the dull blue/black...

[Brian d marge]

Hi folks
Its 3 in the morning here and this sad fella is getting stuff ready for the motor show tomorrow. ( like finding me wallet !)
So I am doing this from memory .

Aprilla have released an awesome motard bike I mean nice , the frame looks like a 2 piece job I can scan a pic or hopefully there will be one to take a photo of tomorrow .

With any bike the bits on it do a certain job, such is the case with motards . eg 17 inch rims turn easier , have a wider choice of rubber and are on laced up rims so that they can be repaired ,
Flywheels can be heavier or lighter depending on how you like the response of the engine . I use heavy flywheels as the tracks I ride on are tight and twisty , I asume american tracks are open and fast , so a lighter wheel would be better.
Suspension is lowered , as the travel is not so important on a motard as only 1/2 the track is dirt with only on or 2 jumps ( though the track at Motegi had a whoop section !)
If the suspension is lowered then a stiffer spring will be the required as the number of active coils has now changed.

A race bike is a pain in the arse on the road. Can be done ,,but for example the Cr doesnt have an Idle circuit ..you can tune it to idle really well BUT In a race you really dont use the idle .!

The seats on a Mx bikes are hard and narrow ,,a sore bum get , you will,,,, said yoda

Me I would sell the R1 , buy a cheap sensible bike for commuting touring . Cx 500 ? cheap. bullet proof and boring ....
And
Convert a CR500 into a motard , now if you have a look at this photo from Nordies site , ( lots of great pics though I saw this straight away !!!)

its a cr500........ now I think the 250 frame is the same as the 500 ( dont quote me as I would love to find out myself ! the reason is that cr 250s are common and very cheap ,,,but 500 are more expensive though engines turn up on Ebay sometimes ) ,,,any way ... lowered USD forks, resprung as well as rear ... Add a lighting kit, aserbis lights and Excell rims , I still cant find a cheap source for these !

and there you have it a awesome FANG machine ,,for half the price !


Stephen
If a 500 cr engine dro[s into the steel framed 250 let me know !!! ( no the 125 frome is different , I tried that !!

[Insanity_rules]

I just dropped into this thread to get some insight. I'm a long time dirt rider who didnt really get motards until some obvious points were highlighted to me.
1) Fast steering, yep they must corner pretty hard.
2) Riding position, gotta say my sports bike gets a bit tiring and its by far not the most raked over machine out there.
So find myself liking the concept more but would have to have a strop on one to fully get the idea.
And before you say "stupid sports biker" I've owned dirt machines a lot longer and my last stint was 6 and a half years on a CR250, which I got seriously hooked on. Thanks for the education people.

[nudemetalz]

Boyles here in Welly have a street-legal KX-500 which looks the biz.
Wonder how I could get a ride on it.........

[Goblin]

Well I had the pleasure of riding this '02 XR650 most of the way home from Wanga's:yeah: (sorry its not a better pic)
Had so much fun on it and my bum didnt get too sore. Great fun in the twisties as I saw my bike getting further behind me. Easy as to wheelie and I did a couple of short blasts up to the 160 kp/h, but it had plenty more to go. Being a short arse I couldn't start it with my skinny little girly kick-start leg but riding it was easy as and most enjoyable. I love to watch the supermotards. There's one guy Nigel Curtis from Chch who I see every year doing soooo bloody well and he does it with one hand!:gob:

[NordieBoy]

Who needs 2 hands...
He was scraping the pegs with only one on the controls...
:cool:

<img src="http://motorsport.nelson.geek.nz/road/NelsonPortRaces-2005-01-02/Racing/20050102-122625.jpg">

[slick]

I've been commuting around AKL on a XR650 motard for a few months now. After doing the same thing on a 'blade the XR is awesome. Tall, grunty, reliable! I have always managed to get it going even if it means a bump start, which can be interesting when it suddenly fires up! Tank range is good, I ran it dry yesterday, kinda on purpose, and it had done 173kms!

Tested a couple of other motards...KTMs, Husabergs etc. Stunning bikes, lighter and more power than the XR but service schedules rule them out as commuters (e.g. Husaberg, oil change every 10 hours, check valves every 20 hours, engine rebuild 200 Hours)! Honda avaerages at least double these and engine rebuild isn't mentioned.

The XR has tons of low down, instant grunt, smallest bit of throttle has it in the air so you need your wits about you. Doesn't eat tyres like a sports bike either, can't understand that one as the rear takes some serious punishment, must be the light weight?

On balance...do it! The only down side is the kicker.

[moko]

KTM now sell S/Ms specifically aimed at road use as well as the more focussed stuff.
If you want something really nice looking and practical how about the Aprilia Strada?Got the 660 Yam motor and a more "mot-ish" version due soon
http://www.onyerbike.net/2006/aprilia/pegaso_strada.htm

[Brian d marge]

This is the on I liked from Aprilia,
,Stephen

And after seeing Stefan Everts bike in the flesh , the ole CR has got a GOOD Few Years in her yet !

[swanman]

Yep that Aprillia is a sweet looking bike. More and more of them are coming out. Still expensive second hand though.

[wysper]

Yep that Aprillia is a sweet looking bike. More and more of them are coming out. Still expensive second hand though.

What kind of dollars do you see them for second hand?

[Steve_R6R]

I have been riding my '03 R6 in supersport and superbike for the last few years and have really enjoyed it. Except its pricey, new tyres every meeting is the difference between a reasonable result and crashing out.(the bike was a crash damaged repo from turners and it's still pretty stock). What is the cost of running those motards? I understand tyre wear is less but the motors like to go pop more often. I am pretty mechanicly retareded so I can't do a quick top end rebuild myself!
Thanks for your input
Steve

[clint640]

Read slob's post on the previous page. The hi-po MX derived lightweight SM's need a bit of maintenance. A lightly modified XR650R or KTM 625 motard however won't need much more than oil changes & valve adjustments, & are more road friendly, but heavier.

Cheers
Clint

[carver]

here is a idea
what about the street scrambler type of bike that is just emerging?
thats like getting a parallel twin and kinda taking it in the trail/Motard direction?
my NXR has 19 and 17 inch wheels, that is very flicky!
good motard beginner bike, cause its cheap and reliable

check it out learners
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=30371