Supermoto Newbie | GTAMotorcycle.com

Supermoto Newbie

Baironhorse

Well-known member
Hello
Looking for suggestions and thoughts from you more experienced sumo riders. I wanted to experience the supermoto school at shannonville next year....I still actively ride dirt bikes (for an old guy) and wanted to explore this side of tarmac and dirt....I have racing leathets gear etc and was thinking of converting my ole xr to a sumo...don't really feel like buying a new bike just for the odd sumo school day and don't mind the air cool pig either. Just want to learn the basics and techniques of supermoto riding..i know the bike is old out dated tech but you can't beat it's stone cold reliability...bike mechanically starts one kick hot or cold and runs strong!....Question is it worth spending the money mainly lacing up 17 rims on the xr? They are hard rims to find used..What options do I have? Drz rims perhaps??.i also considering lacing up my own rims if i can find used oem hubs...how hard is it to do??.just exploring all my options without spending a **** load!...rims and front brake upgrade would be my only main cost as rest of stuff I can do myself safety wire,carb catches etc...at this point I'm exploring and getting some feed back.. thx
 
You can also sportsman your XR by putting road tires on the dirt rims you already have. It's far from perfect but the price is more palatable than going full SM.
 
Gonna be hard to find a slipper clutch for that bike......

If it was me I would look into how hard it would be to fit CRF450R rims to your bike. Usually its not that hard. I know my KX450F wheels fit a CRF450R with little needed to make them fit.

And the used parts market is filled with CRF450R SM parts, my friend has one and gets deals on used SM parts all the time..Wheels sets, clutches, brakes, etc
 
Puttig road tires on stock rims,Would it lead to learning bad habits with larger wheel larger turning radius??
 
Can't I get away with my stock clutch? Remeber I would be in a learning phase.

Depends what you want to me real supermoto riding requires dropping multiple gears at once and backing it into corners. Trying to do that without a slipper clutch is really hard, also very hard on the engine/trans.

When I was setting up my bike I bought $2600 wheels and $2500 front brake setup first. A experienced supermoto rider from this forum cautioned me to buy a slipper before buying any of that. As it was more important then expensive rims and brakes if I wanted to really ride supermoto style.

U can still have a lot of fun without it, but you would have to take my slipper clutch over my dead body

I don't have experience with the xr but it's s 400cc id assume the back torque on it would be similar to a 450
 
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It's old, slower, dated suspension but it has lots of torque out of the hole that's for sure.the torque curve is one of its best traits and geared right it will be respectful anything under 100klm...I have seen a good rider in a xr smoke less experienced riders in newer KTM's or any of the Japanese bikes....basically at end of day I have my bike and is it worth getting a rim and brake setup? The xr is known for taking a beating..
 
You are going to be paying through the nose ... the rims, brake setup or a slipper will be more than you paid for the bike ... I hope.

I'd just rode as is and see whether it is your thing first. Just get different tires and go from there. Once you are certain it is something you want to keep doing, buy a supermoto ready bike. It will be cheaper overall.
 
Ya that's what I'm thinking...research is proving to get 17" rims etc is a lot of dough...u think it's worth just getting street tires on stock rims and doing the track requirements to get some lapping days and sumo school in??
 
A sportsman sumo setup is related to just changing the tires over from knobbies to a more street oriented tire. It's the least expensive way to try sumo out when starting from a mx bike.


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A sportsman sumo setup is related to just changing the tires over from knobbies to a more street oriented tire. It's the least expensive way to try sumo out when starting from a mx bike.


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You learn something everyday!...ok sportsman might be way to go for me (cost wise)....what do you guys suggest I go with on tires, front and rear sprocket size and chain lengths??
 
Reciprocity aka Donovan Paige is the man to get in touch with regarding any and all in SM.You could find him on FB.
 
Ya that's what I'm thinking...research is proving to get 17" rims etc is a lot of dough...u think it's worth just getting street tires on stock rims and doing the track requirements to get some lapping days and sumo school in??

Don't spend money on any rims. Just buy cheap tires, install them and give it a try. Once you conclude you want to play further then start throwing more money into it ... the other post has some video link.
 
A sportsman sumo setup is related to just changing the tires over from knobbies to a more street oriented tire. It's the least expensive way to try sumo out when starting from a mx bike.


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You guys think a good used set of dual sport tires like Bridgestone battlax will work to.get started for a sportsman set up? What's some good used tire choices?
 
In the video they suggest various tires and brands. As far as used tires, I am not sure where you would go for those unless you know someone who has a dual sport bike. My guess is buy the cheapest thing you can find. Maybe Shinko makes something; I have the Ravens on my versys and am converted no more expensive Michelins for me.


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In the video they suggest various tires and brands. As far as used tires, I am not sure where you would go for those unless you know someone who has a dual sport bike. My guess is buy the cheapest thing you can find. Maybe Shinko makes something; I have the Ravens on my versys and am converted no more expensive Michelins for me.


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Do I need special tubes? I am running new Maxxis heavy duty tubes now...the tubes are thick but do have a stamp that say not for highway use. Im using them for woods riding which will in no way get the same heat generation in them as the track would produce..what you you guys think???

Also what is a good sprocket front and rear combo to run? And where can I get cheap ones??
 
Right, but 600USD + fees ... and if he doesn't like the sumo style of riding, he's stuck with it.
 

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