I'm really surprised nobody has mentioned buying a supermoto--then again its not widely known...yet...

I have a street legal KTM 560 SMR--its more fun than any motorcycle I've ever owned (SV-650, R6, R1, and a 929). Its actually difficult not to act a fool on it on the street so you have to be careful. You're automatically categorized as a "dirtbike" to the fuzz so you have the upper hand to sportbike riders...Proof? I got pulled over a few weeks ago for speeding on my KTM and the cop was very very generous and let me off with a simple warning and a compliment!

Now, If your looking to play around on a bike and not gain unwanted attention I'd suggest putting together a stuntbike and finding a parking lot off the street uninhabited and go at it.

I make best of both worlds--stunt in lots away from civilization, and ride street on the Supermoto. Its a perfect combination for those of us with boredom of regular riding!

 

having owned a couple supermoto's, i'll have to agree with alvin. easy to go out and have fun on without feeling the need to do triple digits everywhere you go. if i ever sell the 954, i'll probably end up with another s/m, just for that reason.

 

There is something that a few years back I would never have believed to come out of your mouth!!


I am guessing that your 6R is a 636 model. You could very well step to a ZZR600 (which is the old ZX6R) and be very comfortable on it. I have known people to put bags on it and take it on long road trips. It's still running around 100 hp so you can have fun on it. The SV650 is another that you can have a lot of fun on without getting in over your head. I'm not too sure on the motards because I haven't ever ridden one, but I do know with the right person and skill level, you can stuff a sportbike in the corner!! You won't take them on the straights though!

And I agree with you...the 636 is way easy to play hard on, it begs for it. But you also have to remember that you ultimatly control how fast or slow you go and whether you do wheelies or not. I've had mine for 4 years now and have yet to get a ticket...but then again, at my age I tend to go slower anyway. And there, I got it in before anyone else dogs on me!!!

It's your decision, but any new naked/ standard bike will be slower, but still have plenty of umph when you need it!

 

if you look up i mentioned it... but i didn't elaborate much because i had no idea if he was interested in going that route... the options kind of suck for supermotos in the us right now but things are getting better. so far my experience through friends has been a drz400sm(good try but a snail), crf450r(unreliable for street, not necessarily street legal), and a ktm 450smr(awesome race bike, not really a great street bike)... the aprilia is f'ing sick, but they are super expensive, rare, and i understand need rebuilding often

is your ktm really a bike you could live with day to day if it was your only bike?

 

QUOTED ABOVE:"as stated above the zx6r, is my first bike, the only thing i have experience in riding(ive been riding the zx for about 9 months now with about 2400 miles under my belt) is dirtbikes, so basically i have no experience with any other style of riding. now my question is; someone with my type of experience, would something like a; cbr blackbird 1100xx, kawasaki z1000, or ducati s4r be a more resonable option in terms of street practicality??":QUOTED ABOVE

which could be found in the second paragraph of the first post, and basically i do have experience with that style of riding, and when doing so it was in vero beach, fl so legal or illegal, when it came to dirtbikes nobody cared as long as you werent stunting or racing cops really wouldnt mess with you. Anyways, what im trying to say is, that i "love" sportbikes and the whole aspect of it, i like to consider myself as an "up and coming bracket racer" , i also read and watched a couple of keith codes stuff. so, now that i made myself clear which i should have done in the begining, i narrowed my options, i guess you can say to the "heavyweight series" as mentioned in tourist trophy.
I, should also say that i dont want to spend anymore than $12k, but it doenst have to be brand new.

 

haha, only if you enjoy replacing valves often.

not knocking your ktm alvin, i love that damn thing. but as a daily driver?? hmm... might be a bit labor intensive. for someone that can do it themselves, it may be less of a big deal, but for the masses it could be a major headache.

a drz is a turd in stock form, but one in "E" trim with a few mods is all kinds of fun on the street. i never had my drz-e s/m dyno'ed, but i rode a drz-sm with a pipe and a jet kit, and my E felt ALOT stronger. i think alot of that is from the big flatslide that comes on the E model compared to the CV on the SM.

there are other s/m's out there, the main problem being that dealer networks aren't what they are with japanese bikes. husqvarna makes some nice ones, but i don't think i've ever even seen a husky dealer. ktm makes some street legal s/m's too, in case you don't want to go thru the hassle that alvin did of getting a dirt or race bike titled for the street. hell, if you don't want to buy new, get a ktm duke with a few years on it.both the 620 and 640 lc4 motors make good power. i had a 1st gen duke (with s/m plastic) that ROASTED a street legal xr650R. i miss that bike

 

Yup! I've been riding my 560 to work which includes a 10-15 minute ride up the interstate. I have no problems passing cars, speeding up, slowing down, and whatever else like any other sportbike I just can't go 180 now how often do you go that fast anyways?

I purchased my KTM for the sole purpose of being a street ridden super-moto and it does its job 200%. Thats all.