Thinking about switching!!!

[XAC750]

What's up

I currently ride a GSX-R 750, and while I absolutely love my bike, but there is no way I will come close to meeting its potential with out putting it on a track, between having "license issues" when I was younger and being a new Daddy I think it's just kind of dumb to have a bike like that. My first bike, way back when, was a Buell Lightning, and I definitely like the naked Hooligan look. I want something that will provide fun, everyday reliabilty, and comfort. I have been looking at some of the naked standards (Aprilia Shiver, Triumph Speed Triple, Ducati 1000 SS) and then I noticed the Aprilia SXV 5.5 and the Suzuki DRZ 400-SM, and I started thinking that looks cool. I am not going to be taking any trips anytime soon and I don't have a long commute so distance comfort is not a major issue. Also, I know they are a completely different but coming from a tuned up 750 I would like something that lets you know there is trouble under you ass. What I am looking for is guidance on the different SM bikes and a reason to go that route over a naked sport. Thanks.

PS: I really like the Aprilia and I am partial to Suzuki but more than willing to look around

[motomike88]

i think what it comes down to is how much do you wanna spend. ive heard guys like the drz and its an awesome bike but lags a little power. im not sure about the aprilia and you might want to check out husqvarnas and husabergs those are also good bikes

[XAC750]

i think what it comes down to is how much do you wanna spend. ive heard guys like the drz and its an awesome bike but lags a little power. im not sure about the aprilia and you might want to check out husqvarnas and husabergs those are also good bikes

Thanks

I can probably get rid of my 750 for 7500-8000, with a new kid at home I don't want to over-do it, cause you never know when you;ll need the extra cash, so somewhere in that general price range. I live outside of Knoxville TN, and I know we have all of the Japanese brands, KTM, Aprilia, and Ducati, I am not sure about "Husky & Husa"

[motomike88]

if you could get rid of it for that much im sure theres a good motard for that price. im not sure how much those bikes run new if thats what your goin for.

[XAC750]

if you could get rid of it for that much im sure theres a good motard for that price. im not sure how much those bikes run new if thats what your goin for.

Yeah I am looking for something out of the box. My Dad and I rebuild classic british bikes, I have an old International Scout I am rebuilding, and a new baby, so I am not looking to build my own I want to go to a dealer buy it put it on a trailer and take it home. I have seen some of the bigger "motard" bikes/ but alot of them are actually quite heavy, and I like the idea of something around the 300 Lb. range.

[bjtitsngolf]

I just got rid of my 03 honda cbr600rr. I loved that bike, but owned it since it was new, and was looking for something different. My buddy bought an 08 husky 450, I rode it once and now own an 06 suzuki DRZ400sm. I've only ridden it twice, and I have no regrets getting rid of the sportbike

[XAC750]

Could you guys preface the bike with the brand, not just the model. Thanks.

[motomike88]

i think you should get the suzuki drz400sm its just an all around good bike.

[450XSM]

Just to make things cloudier , out of the box you have other choices in the 300lb range you haven't mentioned:
• Aprillia Dorsoduro - Expensive, twin cylinder, sexy, street-oriented with dirt bike-on-steroid ergos.
• Ducati Hypermotard -expensive, twin cylinders, sexy and street-oriented with dirt bike-on-steroid ergos. If you're looking at Aprillias, one of these would be just as doable.
• KTM 690SMC - less expensive single cylinder, more along the lines of true motard/dirt bike yet very streetable.

All of these have a subsection here under "Manufacturers" or you can Google them for their own specific forums. I have a Honda CRF450X converted dirt bike I would like to convert back to all dirt and the last two are the the most likely I'd like to replace it with on pavement. Coming from an all dirt background I am currently leaning towards the KTM. Price is much more reasonable and if I drop it I won't have heart failure and an empty bank account.

I considered the DRZ for a little while but I want more horsepower, capability and excitement on longer roads and bigger tracks than I feel it could provide for me. That is not to say you wouldn't be perfectly happy with it.

[XAC750]

Just to make things cloudier , out of the box you have other choices in the 300lb range you haven't mentioned:
• Aprillia Dorsoduro - Expensive, twin cylinder, sexy, street-oriented with dirt bike-on-steroid ergos.
• Ducati Hypermotard -expensive, twin cylinders, sexy and street-oriented with dirt bike-on-steroid ergos. If you're looking at Aprillias, one of these would be just as doable.
• KTM 690SMC - less expensive single cylinder, more along the lines of true motard/dirt bike yet very streetable.

I considered the DRZ for a little while but I want more horsepower, capability and excitement on longer roads and bigger tracks than I feel it could provide for me. That is not to say you wouldn't be perfectly happy with it.

I like the Aprilia Dorsoduro, and it's 750 Vtwin but the book says it is about 415 Lbs. dry, I am not sure about the others but after riding such a lightweight sportbike like the Gsx-R I really want to get a "flickable bike". I do like the Suzuki, it looks good, I know the reliabilty will be there, but like you I am not sure about the power, or lack of.

[mmulisha1022]

Ok heres the deal.
The aprilla 5.5 is a very nice RACE bike. Alot of maitnace, and a not very reliable street cruizer. But has plenty of power. Also it is street legal out of the box.
The DRZ is a great commuter and bomb proof. great bike in general but you seem to be wanting power and i think you may be a little dissapointed.
What i would recommend if you want a Supermoto style bike that you dont have to deal with converting to be legal in the street would be a Husky 450 or 510. Possible the 610 if you like the style. Or look for a ktm 690 smc. Really anything elts you would have to convert and depending on where you live may cause some issues registering the bike.

I may be a little bias seeing that i have a husky 450 at my house but i don't think you can go wrong. You can rip around the streets then put it in the back of the truck and race it at the local track. Power wheelies through all gears is no problem. Either way you are going from 150 HP to 50 HP. But you really only notice that your top speed is really the only huge diffrence with the change in power. I have 2 buddys, one with a gsxr 750 and on with an R1 and i can keep pretty damn close to about 70 MPH. But with somewhere around 100 top speed long straights i have no chance. But find some twisties i have no problem passing them. Plus I like jumping speed bumps and doing the occasional side walk hop or trail blast. Just my $.02

P.S. I dont think switching to a supermoto will help your lisence issue at all. This bikes have hooligan writen alllll over them. I can't keep the front end on the ground.

[SwitchThrottle]

What he said. Good luck on getting that much for the bike. People aren't buying like they used to. If you can get that much, look into the KTM duke and superduke. They are about as close as you can get to a halfway point between sumo and supersport. If you are looking to retain your license due to speed issues, get a vespa. SM's will accel to 60 just about as quick as supersports, they just run out of power and gear as you get closer to 100.

[findangle]

if your coming off a "turned up" gsxr750 and you want some "trouble" under your ass you probably won't be happy with the drz400(suzi) for very long. not that there is anything wrong with them. great bikes from what i'm told (never ridden one) but you probably want to look more towards that ktm 690 and similar

[450XSM]

...really want to get a "flickable bike"

I have ridden both the Hyper and the SMC and they both are extremely flickable. IMO the Hyper will have more street DNA like you're used to and the SMC more dirt DNA. My choice of any bike mentioned here so far would be the KTM SMC. I can commute on it daily, go for recreational rides with sportbikes and take it to tracks (roadrace and SM). Never ridden a Dorsoduro so I cannot speak to it's flickability.

[XAC750]

Thanks for the great response

I am getting ready to head over and pick up little bro's new bike (Aprilia Shiver). This particlular dealer just took over the local European bike dealership and will now be selling KTM, Ducati, and BMW in addition to the Aprilia and Suzuki line-up they currently have. I know they don't have any SXV's in stock and the dealership they just bought is very low on KTM inventory. I don't think that we have a Husky dealer in the area so that may automatically rule that out (although Chattanooga may).

I am not worried about top speed at all, while the occasional high speed jaunt is ammusing, that is what got my license revoked twice in my younger days. I do want great torque and quickness, I don't care if it tops out at 80mph, I just want it to get there really fast.

It sounds like the Aprilia has some reliabilty and mantainence issues, that scares me a bit, but man it's an awesome looking bike and it's a twin (My first bike was a Buell S1, and I love twins -insert Penthouse joke here-) but I do want to be able to ride it everyday with no worries.

1 thing I hated about the Buell and love about the Gsx-R, is "modability" There were like 3 aftermarket parts for the Buell and that sucked, but with the Suzuki there are thousands of things you can do to it. I enjoy that, are there plenty of fun parts for all of these bikes mentioned? Thanks again guys.

[XAC750]

Looking at pics and specs of the KTM SMC 690, good looking bike, the orange would definetly be popular here in Knoxville

[XAC750]

almost bought the Suzuki today, cause it was there but held out hoping to find out more about some different models and not make a rash decision

[XAC750]

Can Someone tell me the difference between the KTM 690 SMC and the 690 Enduro. The only thing I can see is the shock travel by just a bit, the sprockets, and the wheels and tires. There is a new enduro on Ebay, if all I have to do is pick up a set of wheels and tires I may get it, I wouldn't mind having some offroad wheels for a bit of trail work

[450XSM]

Can Someone tell me the difference between the KTM 690 SMC and the 690 Enduro. The only thing I can see is the shock travel by just a bit, the sprockets, and the wheels and tires. There is a new enduro on Ebay, if all I have to do is pick up a set of wheels and tires I may get it, I wouldn't mind having some offroad wheels for a bit of trail work

That is essentially the difference. All the 690s (Enduro, SMC and Duke) have the same motor. Both you are considering have a 3-stage ignition map switch under the seat and I think both have a slipper-type clutch in them. KTM calls it ATPC.

[XAC750]

The travel on the SMC is actual longer than that of the Enduro, am I not understanding this correctly or is that weird. Shouldn't the onroad model have a stiffer less traveling suspension and the offroad model have more travel to absorb the bumps and jumps. I don't know much about dirt riding but that seems logical to me. Could it be that the wheel and tire size makes the difference, and the suspension is actually set up the same?

[towman]

See if you can find a plated XR650R, those are nice too!

[XAC750]

Finally got my bike on e-bay, so hopefully I'll being getting into a Supermoto bike soon

[wholigan?]

I just got rid of my 03 honda cbr600rr. I loved that bike, but owned it since it was new, and was looking for something different. My buddy bought an 08 husky 450, I rode it once and now own an 06 suzuki DRZ400sm. I've only ridden it twice, and I have no regrets getting rid of the sportbike

Where did you get the red plastics for your DRZ in the Avatar?

[jwfoulk]

Ok I just saw this thread and here is my 2 cents. I currently own an 06 GSXR 750 and an 08 Husqvarna 610. I love my gixxer and it does have its place but ever since I bought the Husky last fall the gixxer has been out only 3 or 4 times. The husky 610 is less maintenance then the 450 or 510, and less weight and more power than the suzuki 400. I have never ridden a 690 SMC but from what I have read the SMC has a bit more power up top but the husky has more low end grunt. That and the fact that You can pick up a new 610 for a hair over 6 grand. If you think your gixxer is flickable wait until you throw your leg over a supermoto. Whatever you decide have fun and welcome to the addiction!

[XAC750]

Ok I just saw this thread and here is my 2 cents. I currently own an 06 GSXR 750 and an 08 Husqvarna 610. I love my gixxer and it does have its place but ever since I bought the Husky last fall the gixxer has been out only 3 or 4 times. The husky 610 is less maintenance then the 450 or 510, and less weight and more power than the suzuki 400. I have never ridden a 690 SMC but from what I have read the SMC has a bit more power up top but the husky has more low end grunt. That and the fact that You can pick up a new 610 for a hair over 6 grand. If you think your gixxer is flickable wait until you throw your leg over a supermoto. Whatever you decide have fun and welcome to the addiction!

I like the Husky alot but there is no dealer around here. I think it will either be the Aprilia or the KTM

[jwfoulk]

I dont have a local dealer either. The closest one to me is about an hour and a half away but for me it came down to what i wanted the bike to do and the husky just does it all very well.

[XAC750]

cool, the nearest one I can find is in Memphis, which is about 5 hours away. Too far for me. I am sure there are plenty of shops in Knoxville that could service a Husky, but I would prefer to have some dealer support, near by.