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What makes the best street-tard; Revised edition

216K views 228 replies 127 participants last post by  cisheehan 
#1 ·
I've noticed a lot of repeat questions in the original "best street-tard" thread, and also that a lot of people don't want to read through all 47 pages. I've gone through all the posts in the previously mention thread, and I think I've summed it up fairly well. I've anyone has any more info to ad, go ahead, but please don't fill it up with "which is better, drz vs. husky 510".

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STREET:

KTM LC4 640, 3000 mile oil changes. Great for commuting. They require (relatively) little maintenance, and are not "pure race motors" at all.

KTM 625, excellent bike, excellent components, excellent handling. There is no reliability drawback over anything else, it's fast and fun. The 625SMC is arguably one of the best street-tards. KTM does all the hard work for you and sells them street legal from the factory. Their only drawback is that they vibrate. Bad. Some people think it shakes too much for street riding.

MZ Baghira, very comfy. "I've put 12,000 miles on it with only oil changes every 2K, and 1 valve adjust. I love the bike, it fits my needs, and if I had to do it again, I would get it again. That said, it is heavy, but I feel that weight is not that big a deal on a street bike." Weight on these bikes is very easy to drop, to a point. For example, the stock muffler/cat is about 15 lbs. "The power of the motor is really good stock, I dropped 1 tooth on the countershaft, still goes 70 comfy on the hwy, but lofts the front in 2nd with ease now."

Husky 610, extremely reliable as a daily commuter. "I recommend buying the 610 if you plan on riding alot on the road. This is my commuting vehicle. I have some nice tight twisty farm roads on the way to work - almost no traffic (25 miles with 3 stop lights total). This is perfect for me, I can't imagine anything better."

XR650R, big, fast, powerful(ish), reliable, little maintenance, etc. While certainly heavier than more specialised machines, it is hard to beat for heavy use, day in day out, commuting, track days, trail riding, 500 mile days, etc. Dependable, all kinds of parts and info available. They are excellent bikes, very stable at speed and have all the potential you want to make out of them. "I ride a XR650R, and typically ride with sport bikes. We ride between 250 and 450 miles in a day, on twisty mountain roads. I have no wind protection, and stock seat foam. I have a range of 150 miles on a 4gal tank with 15/40 gearing, and a top speed of 119. I've done 1900 miles in a span of 9 days, two of them over 400 miles. Put a little over 7K on the supermoto last year, so I guess it's the riders butt and back that regulates how far you can ride a supermoto!" It's also been proven to do great off-road. The XR650R is a good choice, if you're kick start skills are up to par.

XR650L, Bombproof. "The XR650L is probably the most comfy bike you can ride in the city." Big seat, long suspension. "It's not too fun on the highway, though. I stick mainly to B roads." Heavy, old technology, air cooled dirt bike w/ sloppy suspension and low HP. Very dependable. "A good bike, smooth motor(for a thumper), bulletproof, and I can take it on pretty long rides, maintenance intervals are just like any other street bike and parts availability isn't a problem." There is pretty much no difference (performance wise) between an XR650L and DRZ400SM. The XR's an ancient design that is well outdated and its right on track with a more modern 400.

XR400, small, light, reliable. Not incredible power, but a fun bike.

DR650, "I was riding my DR650 142 miles round trip a day for a year, all year. 80/90mph most of the way. I got no complaints with the DR." "Dependable as hell and easy to maintain. Also handles well." "My DR650 is my 21st bike I've owned! I'm getting older so I wanted a good reliable bike to chase my son around the yard on his 50 and a fun way to and from work. No, I dont think I could race it, but these bikes are a blast on the street!! Reliable,pulls great wheelies and great looks!"

DRZ400SM, I would say that a DRZSM would be a perfect bike for a new rider. "Cruises comfortably at 75-80 mph and will even cruise at 90 mph if I want to put up with the windblast." As you probably know the drz motor is bullet proof and needs very little maintenance. Enough power to have a ton of fun, but not too much. However, it does have it's drawbacks. "The DRZ is a great little bike, but it's slow, it's heavy, it needs more HP and another gear." "If you like riding the streets carving the corners and lifting the front wheel on every exit you'll want the hit of the real SM bikes." If you're a modder, then the DRZ will do you well, but you'll need to spend some time and $'s to do so. A stock DRZ-E is about the same power as a DR650, the DRZ-SM has less because of different cams, base gasket and CV carb. You can easily mod it from there to have a lot more go than a DR650 can, but it will take some time and effort of course. If you don't like to do maintenance, and just want to plow around on the street, the DRZ is the right bike for you. It's a great everyday bike, and for blasting around town. So you have to ask yourself, and answer honestly, "what am I going to use this bike for?

KLR650, excellent mileage munchers, but too heavy and soft to make a supermoto. Forget the KLR. Great bike but not motard material. Just too large and heavy.

KTM 950SM, won't mind long distances or hooliganism, if you can afford it!
 
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#158 ·
I think it comes down to the person riding it. Coming from the big 1000, this 450 is going to be a let down. it pulls hard all the way up to red line, but it is slow if compaired. if most of your riding is point and squirt kind of canyon, it might be over all faster, but long sweepers and long times at high speeds will leave you wanting more. The thin saddle of the dirt orented machine makes me want for a custom saddle out of someone like mustang or corbin, and riding all day will really chap me up. I personally ride a bit heavyer machine, a 2000 XR650L and have heavily modified it to suite my needs. last weekend i did about 740 near Eureka Springs AK and am not sorry i have the bigger bike. the two suzuki's that were with me were both quicker and turned better. Your choice man, and glad to welcome you to the dark side.

Old Dog.
 
#159 ·
i go riding with a bunch of friends most of which ride ktm 990 sumos or adventures...when we come out of a corner and hit the straights they can't pull away from me on my 570 berg til 90mph, here in colombia there are not many long straights so rarely do we get up to 100. there are several companies that will modify a sumo seat and make it wider so you will be comfortable on long rides...rm
 
#160 ·
Drz400

Is it me or are DRZ owners very defensive?
I've only ever seen one in action, he was quite quick but I easily passed him on the back wheel on my 660 KTM (best wheelie bike I've ever ridden).
Cornering and braking wise my Kawasaki Versys would eat it and that's not even a proper supermoto.
Nobody has ever turned up at any supermoto tracks on one while I was there but there's a guy on youtube getting held up at the back of a supermoto race at Blyton park. An underpowered bike should be an advantage there but the rider just can't seem to make it work.
From what I've seen and read I would say they are a very good beginners bike or general fun ride. Better than riding a scooter, but a fast rider would find them frustratingly slow.
Still if I see a cheap one for sale I might buy it just to see what they are like to live with. I dare say I could get it in front of one or two riders on a supermoto grid if I rode the absolute wheels off it.
It probably is the best supermoto for the street though, you won't lose your license speeding or pulling wheelies. Electric start, suzuki reliability, not too many vibes, good mpg, low tire and chain wear. Easy and cheap servicing, lots of cheap spares.
Less than £5000 on the road, cheap road tax, cheap insurance.
It really is the best motard for the street money can buy!!
 
#161 ·
Is it me or are DRZ owners very defensive?
I've only ever seen one in action, he was quite quick but I easily passed him on the back wheel on my 660 KTM (best wheelie bike I've ever ridden).
Cornering and braking wise my Kawasaki Versys would eat it and that's not even a proper supermoto.
Nobody has ever turned up at any supermoto tracks on one while I was there but there's a guy on youtube getting held up at the back of a supermoto race at Blyton park. An underpowered bike should be an advantage there but the rider just can't seem to make it work.
From what I've seen and read I would say they are a very good beginners bike or general fun ride. Better than riding a scooter, but a fast rider would find them frustratingly slow.
Still if I see a cheap one for sale I might buy it just to see what they are like to live with. I dare say I could get it in front of one or two riders on a supermoto grid if I rode the absolute wheels off it.
It probably is the best supermoto for the street though, you won't lose your license speeding or pulling wheelies. Electric start, suzuki reliability, not too many vibes, good mpg, low tire and chain wear. Easy and cheap servicing, lots of cheap spares.
Less than £5000 on the road, cheap road tax, cheap insurance.
It really is the best motard for the street money can buy!!
no way dude...i have a berg fs 570 and go riding with all my buddies on their ktm 990s and one of our pals has a suzuki drz he can't keep up with us and it got to the point we got tired of stopping every 20 mins or so for him to catch up....if you are strictly doing in city riding and wont be going over 60 mph much you will be ok, but you will constantly be wishing you have more power. my 570 puts the ktm 640's to shame, and runs right with the 690s, but mine handles better and stops harder, 640/690 weigh about 50 kilos more than my berg...rm
 
#162 ·
Hey Spanky! Got to love that name..

I will agree with you about the DRZ to a point. Now let me say, up front, I hate Stupidzuki. In all its forms, the new bike after sale warenty is shit! Service is SHIT, and at company level, Stupidzuki America, they are so far under the outhouse, that they are eating dinosaur crap... do i make my point about hating Stupidzuki? Ok. But...

Gulp.. big bite of crow... The DR S? I think? yes, it might be a bit off top speed, it might be heavy, it might not stay with the much bigger KTMs, Huskys and others of thier ilk, but what they are is GREAT starter bikes than can and will do things that would make GO-PRO proud to air. The men and women that own them have a right to be a bit defencive, thier bikes are under rated, big time. Pound for pound, they give great service, as you said, nearly bullet proof, and they absorb damage and don't cost a pocket full of money to fix when you knock somthing off. The guys i ride with here in DFW ride them, and two men I think of right off the top of my head make them look like they are the cats whiskers in the tight and twistys.

Now for the fun... will your Versis go off road? bounce off trees and play in the mud puddles? Climb a rock? ok.. it realy isn't a rock.. its more like a bolder, looks like a VW bug from the right angle... but eighter way, no road bike will go off road capably.

The DR bikes do a lot of things sucessfully, and with minor changes become almost anything the owner wants. you give alittle here, take back a little there. But over all, I dare any non-moto oriented bike to do what a DR will and still come home faithfully, mile after mile after mile...

Old Dog.

P.S. In my humble opinion... :D
 
#165 ·
Still very confused...

Want a bike that is...
Street legal
Low maint
4 stroke
Dealer suport is nearby
Has a warranty (things break ya know)
Can handle insterstate speeds with rider being only limitation
Liquid cooled

Plenty of power for backing it in, wheelies, stoppies, drifting, also want passenger capability (for my daughter).

DrzSM looks good but not made anymore and not sure about conversion from drzS to drzSM.

The crf230m was misrepresented so i am obviously not happy with it. That being said, the dealer wants to make me happy and has offered a trade in value of almost 100% of what I paid so whatever machine is next needs to get run through my dealer. It's confusing I know, but really it's so.

Fyi... i run 12 minute runs at deals gap on the goldwing at night so whatever sumo ends up in my garage needs to have some azz to it.
 
#169 ·
The big KTM or maybe the Husqvarna 630.
SuperMotos do not do it all. The interstate and the passenger things are weak points, yes, you can go on the big slab and pack a rider too, but it is not a Sumo's forte.
That is why the Goldwing exists.
 
#170 ·
In my opinion there cant be one best. The needs vary too much on SM bike. Every thing a person is going to use the bike for has to be taken into consideration.
If I could have a choice of one bike to ride for the rest of my life I would have to pick a watercooled Honda XR650 with 17s and a set of dirt wheels.
 
#171 ·
why a honda xr650? couldn't find anything heavier.lmao please don't try to pass that thing off as a smr dude

that would be like putting low profile wheels and tires on an armored car to make it a g machine... real smr's don't weigh more than 110 kg or so...no matter how many smr decals the bike may have on it!

im having a wide seat made for my berg fs570 now for longer trips, much over two hours in the seat and my ass hurts but im 52 years old...i ride the country roads here in colombia and all my buddies ride ktms, 690's 640's and 990's with a few 640 or 990 adventures tossed in, we ride fast though...what surprised me is when we come out of a tight corner and every one hits the gas only the 990 smrs can stay in front of my berg, i go by everything else, i can hit the brakes a lot later than everyone else too as im the lightest bike in the group, i think the 690 ktm is a much better bike than the honda, kawi, or suzuki 650s and i think it is a bit lighter too, i know it has more hp...but on the track i would hand the 690 it's azz easily as it is about 45 kg heavier than my berg... i have 95 hours on my berg, and i rev the piss out of it and hole shot every traffic light with a first second third wheelie (they don't give moving violation tickets here in colombia...wahoo), i put a bridgestone soft slick on the rear and medium hard on the front after putting about 15 hours on the bike breaking it in, my rear is about shot, checked the valves 3 times might need to change one shim next time i check em, the bike has been flawless other than having the re map it for the akro header and muffler, and i put in a dirt tricks cam chain adjuster to make sure i would have any issues...oh and i did install a 5" rear wheel and 165 rear tire as the 150 was too skinny for my taste, the bike feels more planted with the new rim and tire combo...i change my oil every 10 hours...1.5 liters of mobil 1 and clean my s.s. filter, so far i have really been please with the bike...give the bergs a look, it really is a street friendly race bike. the only draw back is no rear pegs when i take a lil spinner for a ride i just have her slide as forward as possible and share my footpegs... rm
 
#172 ·
Dont be a hater!!!

The KTM 625 SMC barely weighs 75lbs lighter than my '05 KLR650. Give me a plastic gas tank, a pair of CRF450 inverted front forks, and some 17in wheels and tires, and I'll show you too heavy.... My roommate has a 625SMC and I have my killer. I can throw that KLR through anything he can put his KTM through. AND I can go off-road =) I've watched him dump his 4 times on 4 diff surfaces.

Don't let these haters get you down!

**edit**
While I will say that the KTM SMC's are probably the best Motards out there.
 
#191 ·
Don't let these haters get you down!
There are no haters, only people insecure about their choice of bike.

I picked my bike, a 690SM for much of the same reasons the OP was looking for. Seems like it would be a good bike for him too. I weigh 200 lbs myself and any bike I get on less than 650 begs for mercy.

"Street tard" doesn't imply a high strung race bike that needs an oil change every other day and a top end rebuild every 20 hours. Some of us would rather ride than wrench. Some of us don't want a bike that's going to explode if ridden on the highway for more than a half hour, or a seat that's about as comfortable as a wood 2x4.

Quite a few dorks around here rambling on about "real" and "posers". There are no posers on supermotos. We're all a bunch of outcasts from the rest of the motorcycling world and nobody really cares about what kind of supermoto we ride.

I love how people are downing the TRUE supermoto style bikes in order to hype up ktm type poser bikes
Now here's a guy who thinks he's special. News flash: he's not.
 
#173 ·
Hmm. Ktm, Bergs, Hondas.... Personal choice. I have done a cross kind'a build on my old school XRL. I did not buy the 17s, couldn't afford them actually, but built the bike I wanted arround it just the same. Is it heavy? It is old school tech? YES !!

But.. always has to be a butt, just cause I am an ass... (oops I said that out loud...)

It is cheep, comfortable, plush on the long road, will take the big landing after jumping, gets reasonable milage, doesnt break down, carries soft bags, requires about half the maintanance of most of the "race ready" type bikes, insures cheep, and to top it all, has been paid off since 2002.

Kinda' hard to beat all that.... :thumbup:

Old Dog.
 
#176 ·
Please join the DFW thread, in the warmer months we ride regularly and try to get most of the texas branch to gether about 3 or 4 times a year to do group rides. We have done the three sisters, austin like 3 times now, and a couple of us has gone up to AK for some hit and get as well. Hope to see you soon !!

Old Dog.
 
#181 · (Edited)
Not enough HP or RPM to hurt themselves? 10K and 55HP ain't enough? :D

Old Dog.

BTW, I am enjoying the debate, I hope you gents are treating it as such. Just a debate, nothing personal... I don't want to create hard feelings over a style of riding that we all love..
 
#182 ·
I looked at all the bikes out there before deciding to build an XRR.
Coming from a 35 year roadracing backround, I have enough bikes in the stable that require serious maintaining...mostly TZ250's. For me, I'm used to 250-300lb. bikes and find the XR650R to be perfect for my riding style. Cheap to buy, build, and get parts for it. Great engines when tuned right with bulletproof reliability and I can put it anywhere that any other tard can go. I don't want to be wrenching on my streetbikes all the time...we have Ducati for that:lol:

One of my other Hooligan street toys!



PS: I own a Ducati. :lol:
 
#186 ·
NOW UR TALKING brah, i had an rg500 i sold it cuz if i dropped it i would never find the oem bodywork to fix it, plus the chassis was really dated "86" i now have a 2000 aprilia rs250 i luv and just to scare the crap out of the young guns on their street fighters i have a 72 h2 triple with 163 hp paul gast motor...a lot of the young guys have never seen a triple run hard so i enjoy enlighten them. lol i would have bought a ducati i think they are so sweet, but there is no ducati dealer in medellin:headshake
i also have an 84 rz 350 bone stock with 1300 miles, an 09 ktm rc8, and my berg fs 570... i do wish the berg had a kicker tho! oh and i have a rare as h3ll 77 suzuki lj50 4x4 jeep with a 539cc three cylinder 2 smoker lol, people really trip out on it when they here a screaming two stroke wfo and i roll buy at 40 mph....:lol:
 
#183 ·
One of my other Hooligan street toys!



Now this is just the shiznit! :D

Old Dog.
 
#185 ·
If it doesnt have a kick start, weighs over 280lbs and looks to pretty to crash...it aint a supermoto. :bannana:
And that is that... But I am to old, to fat, and plain to crotchity to stand and kick a durned motor to life. Can you call a starter motor evolution? :rolleyes2:

Old Dog.
 
#190 ·
that's exactly what they started out as mr p, but over time a thing called technology came along and they improved the breed...

the first two years the hiesenberg fe570 only came as a dirt bike with knobbies...brah

fyi, i paid 150 bucks for my first bike in 75, a h1500 triple...i pushed it three miles to my local kawi dealer, realized i couldn't afford to pay them to fix it so a bought a repair manual and pushed it three miles home and fixed it, i was 15. then i really dug deep and spent a whopping 280 beans on my first h2 750 triple, did some research, ported it myself, undercut my trans filing the gears by hand and kicked a lot of z1 azz. both were in boxes when i got em. i moved to medellin colombia and there are not a lot of cool older bikes to do up like there are in the states, not that i didn't think about it, and you can't import used stuff here without greasing some palms and taking the chance of losing your bike to customs...

i've fabricated every set of headers on my performance cars. i just made the expansion chamber for my lj50 jeep, i do the bodywork and paint work on all my own stuff, narrow my own differentials, set up my third members, build my own engines for my cars, bikes, and boats. when my berg gets tired or pukes the engine, its going to be a 622 berg, with more cam and i will bore the throttle body to 44mm...i have the skills and tools to build anything i want, so don't be hating cuz i can afford to buy some newer late model hardware... i've paid my dues...brah
 
#192 ·
zaph, that is one of the things that is so cool about some of the newer race smr's you can street tard the piss out of them. i don't consider 10 or 12 hours run time for oil changes to much maintenance, it takes a quart and a half of mobil1 and a few sprays of my ss oil filter and i have it down to a 15 min ordeal... as long as you don't stroke your motor your bearings on the newer smr's will go the distance. i was looking at the tm 660 smr cuz it's a real beast 80+ hp but tm recommends crank bearings every 10 race hours:headshake im not down with that, but their 530 is like my berg 10 or 12 hours on the oil changes and infrequent valve adjustment checks...it's only a single lol

btw there is a company that widens seats so you can get a nice wide comfortable seat for an smr racer for the long rides...i did ride nine hours 4.5 sat and 4.5 sun a few months ago...my azz wasn't a happy camper about it:lol:
 
#193 ·
For seating woes you might try Mustang saddle, find them on line. They had a pre-made foam and my choice of vinyl shiped to me door in three workign days for about 150. This was a few years ago, but it should be close. For those of you that doubt, they also told me at the time that if you shiped them your seat pan, they could build a custom just for you and your backside.

As for hours in the saddle, I am sorry, my weekends out start at 20 hours of run time and about 500 miles, depending on how intence the roads are. How the devil am I going to change oil on the side of the road? I need the extended ranges a bike like the XR will run before needing any wrenching at all. Hell, I leave the thing out in the rain now and then and let the mud fall off verses washing. The only time it gets intensionaly washed is when I have to run a creek bed at my favorite off road hole in the world...

Old Dog.
 
#195 ·
I have GOT to get a ticket to this place !!!

Old Dog.
 
#205 ·
Damn, it's been a while since I checked in on this thread. I still vote for my 690 SMR as the best STREET tard (or a 690 SM or Duke, they're about identical for practical purposes), emphasis on being a good street bike while having the advantages of a motard... but I gotta say, DAMN that Berg 570 looks like an awesome machine!
 
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