Hello random people!!!  I don't know the majority of the people here, but if you are new, welcome!  If you have been here before, nice to see you back!  Not that I really care, some of you come to this site in search of random toys, others to laugh at jetpackin fools and some just to laugh at me I am sure.  My latest obsession is sure to make some of you laugh, and others to just ask, "why?".

Welcome to the strange world of supermotard.  Yes, it sounds as retarded as it should.  For those of you who don't have a clue, a supermotard, or the more popular term "supermoto", is essentially a dirt bike that for some strange reason we decided to put street tires on and see how sideways we can get while riding.  I have only ridden my work in progress once as a supermoto and I am hooked, actually obsessed would be the best term.  My wife is going to regret ever buying me the bike for my birthday...

Let's back up a bit though.  I have been fascinated by supermoto for a while now. This wasn't, oh lets purchase a dirtbike on a whim.  For the benefit of those that don't know me, I have been riding sportbikes for the better part of 6 years now.  I love riding motorcycles, they are fast, they corner hard, and nothing compares ripping up Windy Ridge up towards Mt. St. Helens with a few of your best friends at rediculous speeds while pissing off traffic.  I have owned a few sportbikes, and crashed one while at a trackday.  So this isn't a "gee I saw this on TV and it looks fun" kind of purchase.  I have been BEGGING my wife for at least 2 years now about building a motard. 

Click here to read more about the crazy sport that is SUPERMOTO!  

How about a little history on supermotard for those that don't know, as pulled from an article at www.SMhooligans.com

Back in the 1980s, there was a motorcycle racing series for TV called The SuperBikers. The idea was to come up with a type of racing that roadracers, dirt riders and motocross riders could all compete in, with the goal being to find out who were the best all-round riders. The bikes were mostly motocross bikes (converted to use 19" dirt track wheels) and flat track racers. The race courses were half asphalt, half dirt. The SuperBikers series was pretty much a commercial flop (it was made for TV and didn't have much viewership), and it died here in the United States. 

Although U.S. audiences didn't seem impressed, the French though it was great and they revived it as SuperMotard racing (SuperMotard is French for SuperBiker). The Europeans continued to evolve the sport and technology into what is today known as SuperMoto.

In 1997, (about 12 years after the last "The SuperBikers" race), Don Canet of Cycle World magazine put together a race called "Return of The SuperBikers" here in the U.S.. Everyone had such a great time that it led to Don organizing "STTARS SuperTT" in an effort to attract dirt, TT, and roadracing riders to the sport.

Now, SuperMoto Racing is gaining interest rapidly in the United States, with many local racing associations doing local series, and the AMA and The X-Games have even gotten involved, creating the nation AMA Pro Racing SuperMoto Series and The X-Games SuperMoto Racing Series.

So now that you have a bit of history, you for sure know that we are all crazy.  So let us recap, dirtbike + street tires + 70% asphalt, 30% dirt and jumps track = recipie for serious fun. Also, slide the backend into every corner to effectively square off the corner, then slide out of the corner trying to put the power down on the exit. It makes for some very exciting racing and even better, it is more affordable than racing sportbikes. However, you have to have a motard first.  I keep saying dirtbike, there are not a ton of factory motards out there yet.  KTM, Husqvarna, Gas Gas, Vor, Suzuki and Aprilia are a few of the companies producing factory motards, however if you have watched a supermoto race, you know that Honda and Yamaha are two of the top brands in AMA supermoto racing.  So why don't Honda and Yamaha make factory motards?  Good question, they should, the segment is going to be huge in the next few years. Honda and Yamaha already produce outstanding 450cc motocross and enduro bikes which are very suitable for motard use.  So what happens when you go out and buy a 450cc bike and want it to be a motard?  Follow me on my adventure!