Why should I get a motard?

[Muppet]

I'm deadly serious, I want to know the pros and cons warts 'n' all. I currently ride a ZX12R but feel like I'd have more fun with less power. Quite like the rep' the DR650SE has, but it looks 'agricultural'. Have ridden a KTM690SM for about 20 mins-and that's my total motard experience. Anyone here changed from a superbike to a motard? Thanks in advance.

[wysper]

Are you planning to go off road at all?

[Muppet]

Yeah i probably would if got a bike I knew could do so, ie:F650 as a suggestion?

[Quasievil]

Ive had Sportsbikes (currently a R1) and have raced motards as well as had them for on road use.
for me motarding on the track is a hell of a lot of fun, more so than a sportsbike but on the road mmmmm not so keen, I had a KTM SM690 it was a good bike but lumpy around town but It would be fair to say that you can have alot of fun in town to
open road it was fine, comfy and capable, remember they are mostly singles so they rev like fuck and dont provide huge top end however that can be a good thing.
Pros and cons mate.
It really depends on what you want from a bike.

[Spearfish]

Just get one, forget about any notion of pragmatism.


...then post your findings, like you, I'm keen to know what they are like to live with.

[carver]

motards suck on the road

Uncomfortable

Gutless

Poor fuel range

Poor weather protection

Kinda shit on gravel compared to a real dual purpose bike

[Quasievil]

motards suck on the road

Uncomfortable

Gutless

Poor fuel range

Poor weather protection

Kinda shit on gravel compared to a real dual purpose bike

Not really bro, depends on the bike, I got 230 kms out of my motard KTM660sm, I had a screen and kept out of the wind on tap it would do 180kmph and wasnt wanting on the road really.
I think your referring to the DRZ400 in which case youre right on all the above.

Then of course look at the new Aprillia and the New KTM SMT, now they are very good

[carver]

Not really bro, depends on the bike, I got 230 kms out of my motard KTM660sm, I had a screen and kept out of the wind on tap it would do 180kmph and wasnt wanting on the road really.
I think your referring to the DRZ400 in which case youre right on all the above.

Then of course look at the new Aprillia and the New KTM SMT, now they are very good

That goes for the XT 660, which was kinda worse than the DRZ400, the KTM 525 just seemed to vibrate more, the 690 motor is much nicer!

the SM-T is a bit big, kinda leaning towards a Vstrom!

[Usarka]

Good view in traffic.

[Quasievil]

That goes for the XT 660, which was kinda worse than the DRZ400, the KTM 525 just seemed to vibrate more, the 690 motor is much nicer!

the SM-T is a bit big, kinda leaning towards a Vstrom!

Having had the KTM 525 yes, it was a race bike so it didnt matter but I wouldnt want to ride it on the road.

the SM-T was bike of the year in the UK a year odd ago, they rated it higher than many sportsbikes, the gsxr750 for example (got the article somewhere)
I would have one over a sportsbike in a heartbeat a bike that is good at anything, touring sports, two up one up, all easy on a SM-T

[Ricardo S]

with my very limited experience with bigger bikes i can tell that the riding position is more comfortable imho, it's easy to get around town, its lots of fun on tweesty roads, etc.

the drz400sm doesn't offer much weather protection on open roads and after 400km trip you can get a sore ass, the stock one can greatly be improved by the 3x3 airbox mod, carb re-jetted or replaced and a aftermarket exhaust system or slip on pipe. (it's ok stock but you will definitely have more fun with the mod's on)

the engine is bullet prof and its maintenance is simple and cheap if compared with the ktm's, etc.

it all depends on what you are after and how much $ you want to put towards it...

i'm on my second drz and would definitely recommend it to a friend


http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...-DRZ400-motard

[Madness]

I currently ride a ZX12R but feel like I'd have more fun with less power.

Go & wash your mouth with soap, then push your typing finger(s) into the spinning wheel of a bench grinder

[Sable]

Go & wash your mouth with soap, then push your typing finger(s) into the spinning wheel of a bench grinder

Knob.

[orangeback]

I would not go without one , i sold my zx10r to buy a wr450 , all the boys said what the hell you doing, your nuts , since then 3 of them have sold there blades /r1's and gone down the motard route as well, great for the short hard twisty blast , but if you a straight line hero , stick with you sports tourer.
Im on my third motard .but have had a couple roadies as well (tuono and Z7) but i allway road the motard so they went.
this could be you the husky /bmw

[racefactory]

There is a simple answer for this one but it's not nice. If you are a straight line hero then motards are not for you, but if you enjoy riding for the physics and the sensations riding brings- cornering hard, leaning, the feeling of no limits and the sense of freedom then they are the best thing ever.

One thing that's particularly rewarding about going from superbikes to a motard is the way that you actually own the bike. Usually the bike owns you; you are always afraid of that scratch on the fairing, dropping the bike in the driveway, the fear of the rain, that little squiggle from the rear over the tar seal, leaning it just that bit too far and the lowside that will cost you 2000 dollars in fairings, clip ons and expensive hard to find parts. With a motard none of these factors exist anymore... you have fun lowsiding it, you actually try to get it to highside you in the rain, you throw on all those MX bike goodies, parts are so plentiful, there is no crash damage- you command the bike and it obeys.

The other advantages worth mentioning I feel are:

- Fuel economy. Seriously they are so good on fuel even gunning it around everywhere. Something not to be overlooked in these tough economic times. I'm getting nearly 30km/L.

- You can ride it over curbs and jump it off ledges and speed bumps.

- You look forward to twisty roads with bumps and potholes.

- It's so narrow you can squeeze through any gap

- You have such good visibility over hills and traffic

- It's so much fun to ride in the rain. You can just lean it and gas it till it skids and the forgiving geometry of it will laugh back at you.

- Off roading. This is a whole new dimension to riding and it's just insane fun. Throwing some off road wheels on and heading off to the sandpit is too much fun.

- Cheap track days. If you have access to a large asphalt expanse or have a local kart track then you can have all the track time you want for next to no dollar. It's so much fun to take these on kart tracks.

- Maintenance simplicity. Even if you are going for a high performance 450- changing a piston, throwing in a new crank and what not is such a breeze. Pistons and engine parts are readily available.

Basically the image below shows what motards are all about. As silly as it might sound, part of the reason I changed from sportbikes to motards is because I no longer wanted to be part of the posing image that is associated with them all too much. There is no substitute for the sensations of sports bikes on a large, fast track and the forces of braking and accelerating at such velocities but when most riding is on the road there is just no need for them; it's pure posing for the most part.