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You know that 1st bad-influence friend you had in grade school? The kid with the M80’s, who taught you the f-word, knew the location of his dad’s porno stash, and totally touched a boob already? Yeah — that’s a supermoto. Supermotos make you ride wilder & have more fun than you usually would, and they urge you to generally create a ruckus. Bottom line – they’re good for your health.
Basically, they’re dirt bikes with smaller, street friendly wheels and tires. That’s how you can spot ‘em on the fly. This setup translates to more grip on the pavement. When you combine these wheels/tires with a dirt bike’s long suspension, light weight, & torquey motors, you have a package that now turns on a dime, pops wheelies like it’s under compression, can criss-cross over different terrains, and makes that staircase look like a viable option. Take the freedom of freestyle BMX riding, now shove a motor in the mix, and call it street legal transportation. That’s supermoto.
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Why not just get a sport bike? Well – a sport bike is excellent in the top 50% of riding situations where you really want to go to jail. A supermoto, however, is awesome in that OTHER 50% of riding situations… where you want low speed punch, more maneuverability, and one hell of a durable bike with no boundaries. Don’t think supermotos can shred? Start peeking around Youtube. In a real world situation dragout — 8 times out of 10 they’ll beat a sport bike. All bout that handling & torques yo! That’s your bench racing S3 wisdom of the day.
Downsides? Supermotos are very much a “choose your own adventure” type of bike. There are a couple off-the-shelf options, such as the Suzuki DR-Z400SM. But most of ‘em out there are converted Dual Sport bikes, or converted dirt bikes that are really only legal in track scenarios. Unless you live in Washington, where they legit don’t give a shit about titling stuff.
Jamie Emery’s KTM falls on the extreme side of the equation. He’s a guru of singles from Canada, and has a raft of knowledge like many experienced riders in the moto industry. He’s seen it all, rode it all, and raced it all.
So for this KTM, he wanted to build the ultimate version of the genre — think Ferrari Enzo FXX RRR Competition Superleggero Tifo Edition. So he took the “industry insider” approach.
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Step 1: Own an awesome dealership renowned for your expertise and customer service. In this case, Action Motorcycles in Victoria British Columbia.
Step 2: acquire a KTM 450 SX-F dirt bike for a smoking price from the factory.
Step 3: use your parts book to acquire all the unobtanium European parts from an SMR (factory KTM Supermoto sold in Euorpe) to convert your bike.
Step 4: dial it in with an Arrow exhaust, lighter Marchesini wheels (the Volk of motorcycle wheels), engine remap, witchcraft, and race shit.
The result is a track-only affair for SHREDDING GNAR UNTIL YOUR EYEBALLS EXPLODE. Extremely fickle, light as a feather, and engineered for spectacular high sides… it’s not for the faint of heart but if you’re looking to do hood rat stuff with your friends, than this type of bike may just be for you. Keep that front wheel up, and keep the good times rolling.
2015 KTM bodywork, Graphics & Numbers – Ride Industries, KTM Hardparts clutch cover and filter covers – lots of orange stuff, KTM seat cover, Titanium fasteners and bolts from Pro bolt, Racetech, and Toronto cycles, Frame painted KTM orange with gold pearl, post welded on for steering damper, Swingarm shortened 15mm & powder coated black, Gilles Tooling GP style stand adapter for road race type stands, KTM factory style chain guard, Raptor ti footpegs, Front forks shortened 20mm, revalved
same as a SMR, lower left fork radial brake mount, All suspension work by Riders Edge, Works connection holeshot device, Rear shock shortend to lower bike 20mm, X-trig preload adjuster, X-trig triple clamps 11-14mm offset, Brembo racing radial caliper 108mm, Brembo race pads, Brembo 15rcs master cylinder folding lever, Zeta carbon scoop, Core brake lines front and rear 24k gold plated, ti fittings, Front rotor 310mm braking, Renthal handle bars, Cycra handguards, Renthal folding clutch lever, Marchesini wheels – 16.5×3.5 front & 17x 5.4 rear, KTM axle sliders, Michelin supermoto slicks, Steering damper Honda HPSD revalved with Racetech internals
Factory piston, ported head, stealthy flywheel @ 12oz, Remapped ignition, Suter slipper clutch, Arrow titanium full system dual exhaust, Airfilter DANN, Hiflow waterpump kit, Silicone hoses, Carbon overflow tank for radiator, P3 carbon skid plate, Rk chain, Renthal sprockets, Custom breather tank
