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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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#207 ·
if you run a dna air filter, run the akcro header and muffler, install the competition map on the ecu it will run awesome...

bergos has a 44mm throttle body a big valve ported head and a cam...another company makes a 622cc barrel and piston kit...if you do all that and buy the user setting tool you might get it to run better than the set i initially listed...i instead plan to by a tm 530 super moto for double what it would take to get a few more ponies out f my berg 570...
 
#209 ·
so i realize that the Duke (1,2 and especially 3) seems to be widely stated as NOT a motard. but it IS admittedly probably the first and closest thing to being a street legal tard out of the box. at the very least the true hooligan bike. so whats the opinions on them. the 3 seems like its stepped away a bit from its dirt roots and is heading towards the sportbike side of the family
 
#210 · (Edited)
"CRF, Again, race bike. Maintenance intensive, simply not designed for the street.". I have two crf 450x and one has 15,000 mile on it. I've never touched the motor. Just change the oil every 1,000 to 1,500 miles. Keeping chain slides on it with the gearing I'm running.
 
#211 ·
Supermono Project

I want to build a Supermono for road racing based on a high horsepower Supermotard. The KTM 690 Duke would be the logical choice, but they are $$$ and hard to come buy now KTM USA has stopped importing the Duke. My 'goal' is a race only (non street legal) 70+hp 300lb supermono. I built a 58hp 06 YZ450 (race gas, stock bore/stroke, high comp piston, cams etc) SM so I am pretty sure 70+hp is achievable with a bigger engine to start with.

This is what inspired me http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bike...690r-mototech/

The 450 moto thing was tried and didn't go anywhere and I want to build a bike with decent power. So what other bikes will make good power with more emphasis on top end power?

Fuel injection would be great but I know running a flat slide carb will get just as good gains. A slipper clutch is really a must but if the bike doesn't come with a stock slipper clutch most bikes can be fitted with an aftermarket slipper. Electric start would be good as these built bikes are tough to start and I would like to get rid of the kick starter as it wont clear the fairings, while using rollers to start it is possible it is not always practical. A 6 speed transmission would be ideal, but a 5 speed could be made to work.

I would be modifying/replacing the swingarm to get a better swingarm angle for road racing as most SM/MX/Dirt bikes have a swingarm too long so it is too flat. I would modifying/replacing the forks and shock as well to get a good setup for road racing. I wouldn't have an issue punching out the cylinder as going big bore helps the top end as well as midrange if the cams are timed correctly.

Since I will be changing/modifying the forks/shock swingarm and oboviously wheels, so far I have come up with:
KTM 690/954/640
KTM 525
Husky 510/630
Husaberg 570

Wont do an Aprilia as I used to work for Aprilia USA....... LOL

So what do people think would be the best donor/starting platform?
 
#212 · (Edited)
Well most people have bad experiences with Aprilia SXV's because of the shoddy dealership work but if you can find a reputable Aprilia mechanic (like Allen Noland for East coast or Amauri on West - both frequent apriliaforum.com) the bikes can be as reliable as any other SM out there. Mine is '08 (bought it last year autumn as a demo unit for $3,000 below the msrp with only like 800 miles on the odo) and that's when they started delivering bikes with good black sealant between cases and not many SXV's that are properly tuned and maintained blow up any more after that. Allen Noland worked on mine and now I have more than 2000 care free miles so far this season (4 oil changes so far and that's it) and the bike is like nothing I have ever ridden. It's derestricted, af1racing single stage air filter and remapped with aprilia race map (15030) and fine tuned by Allen (can't wait to put on a Arrow or Silmoto dual pipe exhaust, hate the Acrapovic side pipe, looks like a canon). I'm coming from 187 whp '08 ZX10R with full Acro race pipe, PC3 and etc and let me tell you, there's nothing like stupid fast V-twin motor screaming to 11000rpm looking like a dirt bike with 180 sportbike rear tire! I'll never sell my Aprilia SXV 550, the bike is simply amazing and I'd suggest everyone that's interested in high power V-twin supermoto bike to try and ride a derestricted/tuned one. Adjusting valves does require taking the motor out of the frame but hey, if that's the price I have to pay to have the fastest/craziest sumo out there then be it. I've heard from Allen that there are race tuned SXV's that put down 95-100HP!!!
 
#217 ·
90-100hp would be on the crank - I posted a thread on apriliaforum.com since I couldn't find an official dyno numbers of race tuned SXV's or highly tuned ones for that matter anywhere and will post the replies. I also PM'd Danny87 asking him about his friends SXV550 and 82HP he posted it is putting down and I'm waiting for his reply. I certainly don't want to spread missinformation and will apologize if the numbers I wrote down are not realistic or never achieved. I'll PM Allen and Amauri too and see what they'll say. Anyways, the bike is a blast to ride and I'm thinking about never selling this one. Now if I could find a cheap used Arrow or Silmoto dual tip exhaust, load a tune and squeeze a few more ponnies out of it I'd be even happier...
 
#218 ·
Just got a reply from Danny87 (apriliaforum.com) from Italy:

"82hp to the wheel....the bike is a official sxv550VDB....the bike is prepared and serviced all the time from the world supermoto mechanics in Aprilia! Let's just say that my friend has enough money, and that his VDB is identical to the ones used in the world champioship, with exception to the tuned 550engine prepared by aprilia. Anyway, official VDB engine, cylinder work, titanium rods, titanium pistons, mapping by aprilia mechanics, arrow exhaust, and a few other things....don't no for sure!"

So that would be around 90-95 on the crank depending on the transmission losses...and I know, there are no dyno charts to prove it but I think I'm going to stop with this now...whatever anybody wants to believe in is fine...
 
#219 ·
I'm looking to buy my first street tard.
To start off I live in cali so not to many choices. My budget is tight considering I'm 17 so I'm looking for an older bike. The bike will be my daily driver and weekend toy aswell as long distance rides and windy mountain runs. The bike will need to be able to do 70-80 for long distances. Ive been riding motorcycles for 14 years and am comfortable with heavier motorcycles. I've ridden my friends wr426 converted to sm and I feel like it would be a bad choice for long distance rides. I'm leaning towards a drz400 And converting to a supermoto. Any opinions and info would be great
 
#224 ·
I'm leaning towards a drz400 And converting to a supermoto. Any opinions and info would be great
Perhaps I am missing something... the DRZ400 is offered (was offered) in 3 models.

DRZ400e - dirt bike only
DRZ400s - Dual Sport with Dirt Suspension
DRZ400sm - Dedicated supermoto (this is what I have)

I do not live in Cali but I have heard of difficulties in getting a dirt bike (DRZ400e) converted and tagged for on-road use. Not impossible but can be quite difficult.

I would think going with a DRZ400s or sm would be the way to go. Expect about $3,000 ballpark depending on options on the bike. (East Coast numbers, Cali prices prolly vary.)


As a DRZ400sm owner who lives in and near some crazy twisties in East TN, I can tell you it's both a blast to ride AND a dangerous bike to ride. Dangerous in the sense that you'll find hooliganism is a bit easy to perform. Not as easy as some of the bigger powerplant supermotos but it's still there. Last thing you want is a bike that wants to do wheelies all the time or go uber fast without thinking about it.

Just remember it's all fun and games til we see you trying to run from the cops or crash on one of the infamous twisty roads out there.

You're 17. You are going to want to go fast and do wheelies and do other hooligan things. You know it and I know it. If you do not currently realize you are going to be a hooligan at times, you will after you start to figure out what your bike can and can not do. It's a normal progression. Gear up, get training, practice until you can operate the machine without thinking about it. I heavily suggest you keep the hooligan stuff for off road until you can get your skill level to a point where you are not going to immediately be a threat to other riders or drivers around you. Your basic training to have your motorcycle endorsement/license is not enough. The more time you spend on a motorcycle, the more you realize your "training" will never end. There is always something else to learn or work on. Even professional riders log hundreds of hours of practice each year.


I love my DRZ400sm but I do not rely on it as my primary machine. It has it's purpose and it does a good job at that, but as others have stated it's not a long(er) distance machine. If you are using it for commuting less than 50 mile runs at a time, I think you will be very happy with it. Keep in mind I say this as a owner of 7 motorcycles including two dedicated long-distance touring bikes.

Very easy to add a trunk (like a Givi) so you can throw school books or other things (laptop, tablet, etc.) and ride where you need to be.

When you want to learn a new "trick" or start thinking about doing this or that with your bike... search for those things on youtube so you have an idea of how things can go badly and plan for it accordingly.


Whatever bike you get, the day it's no longer FUN - it's time to make a change. Enjoy your bike despite those who say negative things about it. Have fun with it, but be safe.
 
#220 ·
DRZ or older TE610 maybe. Older KTMs are paint shakers, newer ones are too expensive... Maybe if you can find a KLX650 converted to a motard, might fit the budget too, and probably better for distance than the smaller displacement bikes.

Honestly, supermoto and long distance aren't usually spoken in the same sentence unless you mean the twin cylinder big supermotos. My 690 is about the minimum level of comfort I'd consider taking a REAL long ride on.
 
#227 ·
Could someone school me on Husky's? I keep hearing that their maintenance schedules are very strict and frequent, but I've never actually heard a definitive answer. I've always liked the look of the Husky's, but if it's not really a commuter, then I don't want anything to do with it.

Any input?
 
#228 ·
Razrbakk,

I need some schooling too. I have been lurking around for bout 2 years and might be getting an 06 SMR 510 w 3000 from a 47 year old grandpa. It has no mods and is clean enough to eat off. The issue is reliability. Don't mind checking valves and 500 mile oil changes. I want to rid it as a commuter, 10 miles both ways, no highway. I have heard they an go 13,000 without a problem, or they need a top end at 3,000. Real feedback from ole who has one would be greatly appreciated.
 
#229 ·
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".

****************************************************************

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.

Where does the KTM 525 exc fit on this list?
 
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