Are supermotos

[.....]

Still cool?
Or are they just another niche group, full of tearaways and blokes with really oily fingernails.
Back in the day I had a couple or 3, did the inaugural NHRO with lawmanmx and several others, generally rode around on one wheel (wheelie away from lights, stoppie arriving) and acting like an antisocial knob........or have we all grown up now

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You don't see them about anymore, so who knows, I had a Husky SM610S, it was fun, but thrashing the tits out of it to do 100mph got quite dull, which is why I wasn't upset when it's cam bearings gave up.

I wouldn't mind another DRZ400, just as much fun as the Husky but easier to ride and a lot more reliable.

[KungFooBob]

Ducati and KTM both make 70+ bhp single SM's that are reliable road going machines, so there must be some interest in them.

I see lots of 50/125cc SM's on the roads, so the yoofs must love them.

[mboy]

Still V cool!

Still highly impractical...

At least you can buy genuine road biased ones these days with useable service intervals and enough punch to more than keep up with the traffic...



That's me on the Gasgas with Kal (Hypermotardking) on his Ducati 698 for a comparison he wanted to do for his channel... It's my local roads and we had quite a bit of fun, though I did have to hold back for him quite a bit to be honest (local knowledge I guess, he'd probably smoke me on track)...

Up shot is both bikes are great fun for a couple of hours and a tank of fuel... Much more becomes a pain, especially if it's not on twisty back roads... Did a 200+ mile day on the Gasgas when I was running it in (so keeping below 5krpm too), which was bloody tedious, even though it was on some great roads!

[Yorick]

About a year ago I went over to Gran Canaria to buy the GasGas SM. They gave me 3 hours to try it out.
GC is full of tight twisty roads and seemed ideal place to try it

The salesman was disappointed that I found it dull. So was I

I wanted something to fill the gap between my GSXR1000 and GasGas EC300

I'd have bought one if there was a local race track that allowed them to play

[mboy]

About a year ago I went over to Gran Canaria to buy the GasGas SM. They gave me 3 hours to try it out.
GC is full of tight twisty roads and seemed ideal place to try it

The salesman was disappointed that I found it dull. So was I

I wanted something to fill the gap between my GSXR1000 and GasGas EC300

I'd have bought one if there was a local race track that allowed them to play

To be fair, below 6k there's very little happening on the Gasgas... Running it in was 600 miles of pure tedium!

Get it above 6k though and it really livens up! For a big "thumper" 4 stroke single, it really does a damned good impression of a highly tuned 2-stroke! It is VERY cammy...

Very dull to ride if you're not "on it"... But ride it like you stole it and it's epic!

[Supermofo]

Personally speaking, and I'm biased obviously. Other than looks the 690 Duke makes more sense. Better riding position, more comfortable, more range and I'd argue better handling as it is made for roads without the compromises of the off road riding position. I'll give the SM versions the looks though.

[KungFooBob]

Just spotted this on Friendface, wasn't the Nordwest one of the very first road going SM stylee bikes?

Someone here had one, was it McSatan?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I saw that, if I had room for it I'd buy it

[Tricky]

Just spotted this on Friendface, wasn't the Nordwest one of the very first road going SM stylee bikes?

Someone here had one, was it McSatan?

It was, and that one looks cheap on the face of it.
And it was indeed @McSatan who had one, I bought it off him, got to be 8 or 9 years ago, I took it to the revcounter annual Pembrey bash once too

[weeksy]

I'd forgotten that... i recall doing some wheel/tyre swapping now you've put the picture up...

I don't recall your review of it being particularly glowing ?

[Jody]

They are still awesome (if you buy the right one). I test rode a new SMC-R in 2023 and it was awful, slow, sluggish, didn't even handle properly. last year, I bought a 2014 model with an end can and air box mod. It's an absolute tool and I love it. I left it in the UK, I've been genuinely looking at getting another so I can have one here in France and one in the UK !



Still hooligans, but now they have working lights and speedos, side stands and proper service intervals.

On the roads I ride, Im sure there's nothing quicker. I couldn't keep up with me on my SMC-R on my duke, even though they have the same engine !

[Tricky]

I'd forgotten that... i recall doing some wheel/tyre swapping now you've put the picture up...

I don't recall your review of it being particularly glowing ?

Yeah, I enjoyed it to an extent, still think that they are gorgeous looking, but the build quality of them is pretty naff here and there, and although it went OK for what it was, and was reasonable fun on the road, as a riding experience I greatly preferred my 390 Duke, which I guess gives some perspective on it.
I reckon they probably produced roughly the same amount of power, but the 390 revved harder , felt lighter (don't think it probably was though), and just seemed that bit keener and so much more pleasant to ride flat out, in fact it seemed the only way to ride it- admittedly I'd installed a QS and spent a day on the dyno tweaking fuelling and ignition, uprated the brakes and one or two other minor mods, and of course the 390 was 25 or so years younger than the Nordie, so perhaps not a completely fair comparison, but they were both in my garage at the same time

[Bigjawa]

Just spotted this on Friendface, wasn't the Nordwest one of the very first road going SM stylee bikes?

Someone here had one, was it McSatan?

Wasn't the TDR the first? I had one 30 years ago and it was awesome back then. I nearly bought a KTM in 09 and kind of regret not buying it. I've thought about one ever since and nearly pulled the trigger a few times but the closest I get now is my 1150GS when I put the 17 inch wheels in it.

[KungFooBob]

The TDR was 1988 and the Nordwest 1991.

The TDR had a 18 inch front wheel tho'.

[Bigjawa]

The TDR was 1988 and the Nordwest 1991.

The TDR had a 18 inch front wheel tho'.

All the cool kids had TZR wheels.

[Yorick]

The TDR was 1988 and the Nordwest 1991.

The TDR had a 18 inch front wheel tho'.

All the cool kids had TZR wheels.

What did you have ?

[Jody]

The TDR was 1988 and the Nordwest 1991.

The TDR had a 18 inch front wheel tho'.

All the cool kids had TZR wheels.

What did you have ?

I had a DT125 and zero budget for the TZR wheels I wanted.

[Bigjawa]

The TDR was 1988 and the Nordwest 1991.

The TDR had a 18 inch front wheel tho'.

All the cool kids had TZR wheels.

What did you have ?

I had the TZR wheels. Matched the GF's tracksuit.