#supermoto

Spy photographers have spotted what appears to be a café racer-styled prototype with what looks like the Single-cylinder engine and frame of the KTM 690 Duke. Now, the test rider’s KTM-branded helmet and jacket may foreshadow an orange-clad future for the finished product, but the H-branded gloves and café racer style suggest the new model will instead wear Husqvarna blue, white and yellow once the camouflage is lifted.

This week’s Church feature centers around two people dear to MO: Pete Brissette and Erik Buell. Long time readers will remember Pete for his various escapades under the MO umbrella and his clever approach to jotting them down with (virtual) pen and paper. Buell, of course, needs no introduction, the American motorcycling pioneer staying steadfast in his quest to deliver an American sportbike. In 2007, however, he introduced what some, including myself, thought would be a fun take on his venerable XB line of Buell motorcycles. With the Buell Lightning Super TT XB12STT, Buell drew inspiration from supermoto and flat track bikes to create what was supposed to be a wicked urban assault vehicle and canyon carver. The bike didn’t quite catch on as well as Buell hoped and only survived for a couple years. Still, Pete was a big fan, and here he reflects on how cool a bike he thought the STT to be.

For this week’s Church feature, we check back in with our pal Yossef Schvetz. The year is 2005 and his travels find him somewhere in Italy, pondering the ideal motorcycle for this particular adventure. A 450 Supermoto would be an ideal mount for the twisty pass he’s occupying, but the drone to get to this magical area would be torture. The remedy, he reckons, is Ducati’s Monster S2R. An interesting choice considering there are faster, more brutish Monsters in Ducati’s lineup. Well, Yossef has a reason behind his particular mount. Let’s have him take it from here. For more pictures, be sure to check out the original story’s photo gallery.

Astute e-bike fans might remember the name BRD, the group setting out to make an electric motocross (and supermoto) competitor from the ground up, called the Redshift, with an emphasis on performance. As we found out at the AIMExpo recently, 2015 brings the bike and the company a few surprises.

We all love a little trackday fun, but the truth is they can be expensive. It’s at least a C-note to get you in, plus the early wake-up call and long drive to the track. There’s gotta be a better way. Supermotard (Superbikers if you’re really old-school) is the answer. Essentially dirtbikes with street tires, they’re virtually bulletproof, and tires last way longer. Additionally, kart tracks – where their torque-happy engines are better suited – are closer to civilization and much cheaper to enter than full-size racetracks. It was the perfect solution for Tropical Fishtank editor, Tom Roderick, and myself to spend a day outta the office.

Monumental! That’s what this is. MO’s first electric vs. gas, head-to-head supermoto comparison. A bare-knuckle brawl between the embedded establishment and the harbinger of an electrified future. Yep, this shootout is unique, but it’s also the proverbial tip of the iceberg. With the exponential rate at which electric motorcycle technology is improving, there’s a heap load more of this kind of comparison to come.

As the only true Super Motard remaining from any of the major manufacturers, Suzuki’s DR-Z400SM is the default choice for anyone looking for a street-legal dirtbike with 17-inch wheels, street tires (Dunlop D208s, specifically), electric start, and a 12-month warranty straight from the showroom. So when Content Editor, Tom Roderick, and I decided we wanted to reacquaint ourselves with supermoto after a long dry spell, our option was pretty obvious.