S3 Magazine // Issue 34

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.
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 offthe-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.
Step one: Own an awesome dealership renowned
for your expertise and customer service. In this
case, Action Motorcycles in Victoria British Columbia.
Step two: acquire a KTM 450 SX-F dirt bike for a
smoking price from the factory.
Step three: 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 four: dial it in with an Arrow exhaust, lighter Marchesini
wheels (the Volk of motorcycle wheels), engine
remap, witchraft, 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.
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