Transitioning Safely: Superbike to supermoto

[antipathy]

This is a thread intended to help sport bike enthusiasts transition their technique and riding style SAFELY when starting to ride a supermoto.

Let's face it. Some people go from sport bikes to smaller cc'd supermotos and think it is all fun and games while they presume that crashing = experience points. :thumbdown

That is a good way to fcuk up your bike and get yourself killed.

If you have ZERO dirt experience before you take on a Supermoto, please get some first!

Here is the best school (IMO) to learn the Supermoto/MX body position, turn on a dime, distribute body weight evenly and push the bars down beneath you for best performance and maximum fun. American Supercamp. They even have dates in the bay area mid February and June 2009.

I have heard some glowing recommendations of the Rich Oliver Mystery School, located just a couple hours outside the bay area. They have 1, 2 and 4 day camps plus offer private instruction year-round!

BOTH of these camps provide dirt bikes for you to ride and gear to rent if you don't have any. Just SHOW UP & RIDE!

The Stockton Motorplex offers open track for all bikes (minis/pocket/supermoto) every Monday (opens 10am) and Tuesday (12pm) for $20. Info and directions are here.

Please learn the limits of your machines before crashing them, locking up your brakes before every turn in the twisties and hanging your inside leg out like you are the next MX star. That is a great way to crush your ankle and lower foot.

It bothers me to hear people bragging that supermotos crash much better than sportbikes and see people attempting to ride these things in a way they would NEVER ride their sport bikes on the street.

If you are dead set on being a hooligan, then do it right and stay safe by adhering to the following suggested practices:

- Learn and practice good supermoto body technique
- Wear the proper gear so your ankles and knees aren't crushed in a fall (leave the jeans at home PLEASE!)
- Know the limits of your machine before going nuts in the hills.
- Maintain your bike to sustain proper tire grip, fork stress and brake wear. This means inspecting your bike more frequently than every 5,000 miles.
- Consider wearing a street helmet instead of those cool MX helmets if you are going to be riding (and possibly crashing) at higher speeds. Dirt helmets are sort of like bringing a knife to a gun fight, but that's just my opinion.
- Do a mental inventory each time you switch back and forth between street bike and supermoto so you do not ride over your head or set yourself up for a bad line mid-turn with poor body position.

I'm sure the real experts have more to add to the list but the above is just my opinion and experience.

Sometimes people buy supermotos and treat them like toys but that is a huge mistake. The SM learning curve can be unforgiving, so look out for your fellow riders and take precautions so you stay safe.

 

[stan23]

Good post. Peeps new to the SM world think they are invincible because they are on low powered bikes, and coming from a SS, they think it is sooo easy to ride. Truth is, it takes skill to ride any 2-wheeled vehicle.

And don't try and cross the double yellow to pass cars, since an SM has usually less than half the power of a sportbike and may not have the grunt to power past a car back into your lane.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

You can haul ass and/or have a lot of fun without backing it in, without spinning up the rear on exit, without pulling wheelies, without doing stoppies.

For the most part it just takes a more forward body position and a smoother, lighter touch to move through the twisties.

I did not have the benefit of instruction and it took me many months to figure out how to ride a thumper properly.

 

[stan23]

You can haul ass and/or have a lot of fun without backing it in, without spinning up the rear on exit, without pulling wheelies, without doing stoppies.

For the most part it just takes a more forward body position and a smoother, lighter touch to move through the twisties.

I did not have the benefit of instruction and it took me many months to figure out how to ride a thumper properly.

:thumbup

I was handed the keys to a DukeII and was only told two things.

Elbows up
Balls forward
:ride

 

[ucb]

Elbows up

Did you lean like a cholo?

:rofl

 

[antipathy]

I was lucky enough to have taken Supercamp and done one of Dion's Supermoto trackdays at Stockton before owning my SM. You would not believe how many of those skills from the dirt and the track were simply invaluable in street application on these particular bikes.

Experienced (dare I say 'older'?) dirt riders are awesome teachers too!

 

[GAJ]

You can haul ass and/or have a lot of fun without backing it in, without spinning up the rear on exit, without pulling wheelies, without doing stoppies.

For the most part it just takes a more forward body position and a smoother, lighter touch to move through the twisties.

I did not have the benefit of instruction and it took me many months to figure out how to ride a thumper properly.

:thumbup

I'm afraid if I put my foot down in "true" SM style on the Sonoma County backroads, I'm gonna catch a heave in the road and bust my leg.

Maybe I'm not a "real" SM rider as I keep my feet on the pegs and rarely ride on anything but pavement.

Fun nonetheless.

Highly recommended.

 

[Hooli]

I should save this thread as a .txt file since I plan on getting a dirtbike this winter. Thanks Alicia! :thumbup

 

[Nemo Brinker]

I'm so signing up for Rich Oliver's school as soon as I scrape up the $, supermoto or not... thanks for the thread, A. :thumbup

 

[CuriousMike]

If you ride a SuperMoto like a street bike, you are riding it unoptimally because:
____________________________________________________

 

[Charmed]

Wow...Our little Alicia is all grows up:cry

I doesn't seem that long ago that you looked all wobbly on your little Ninja:laughing

I had to learn on my own as well, but after 20 years of general riding experience, my adjustments weren't too difficult. Now its all fun and games :ride arty

Thanks for the info...good stuff:thumbup

 

[OldMadBrit]

If you ride a SuperMoto like a street bike, you are riding it unoptimally because:
____________________________________________________

3 cylinders and 1/2 of the max corner speed are missing

 

[Roadstergal]

Supermoto schools.

I've done two of 'em. Well worth the trip both times.

 

[antipathy]

I'm afraid if I put my foot down in "true" SM style on the Sonoma County backroads, I'm gonna catch a heave in the road and bust my leg.

Exactly. In a group ride a month after buying my KTM I was throwing my leg out like I was in a race to last place, i.e. it was goofing my lines and causing me to slow down. The ride sweep later told me that was a good way to break my leg on some uneven pavement. Boy did I feel stupid!

Some dudes like to film themselves doing the leg-out technique because it looks cool but it is not really needed on the street. It is more applicable to flat-tracking and dirt use where your surface is constantly slippery. In supermoto racing, the leg-out move aids in keeping the bike from tipping over while at extreme lean angle. (I would like to hear any SM racer's opinions on whether this statement is totally accurate or if I am missing some key data)

Note: Flat track, dirt & supermoto tracks are all more controlled environments than street riding and no one should need to back it in or get sideways during a group ride.

If one is at a race lean angle so much that they need to throw a leg down, or backing it into every corner on the street...well they are either fcuking around or riding like an a-hole or they are on "borrowed time" and here is a life insurance policy I'd like to sell that person.

On a related note, I find that hanging off my supermoto bars in turns and getting my ass of the seat like a big fat monkey is extremely fun and looks quite silly. But I can hold my line and adjust easily mid-turn if needed without blowing the rest of my body positioning.

 

[slydrite]

You can have a lot of fun without backing it in, without spinning up the rear on exit, without pulling wheelies, without doing stoppies.

wat?!? :wtf

Wow...Our little Alicia is all grows up:cry

I doesn't seem that long ago that you looked all wobbly on your little Ninja:laughing

+1 :thumbup

 

[antipathy]

WTF nothing has changed, I'm still a total weeble wobble on a big wheel! :laughing

 

[Teddy]

If you ride a SuperMoto like a street bike, you are riding it unoptimally because:
____________________________________________________

because: the geometries of the chassis/suspension and position of the rider on a supermoto bike are very different than on a supersport. While either position (feet on pegs or leg out) can get you around a corner quite quickly....the dirt/supermoto style is ultimately a quicker way to ride a supermoto bike because it puts a riders weight in a better position, ie: farther forward.


As a sidenote: All but the most experieced sumo riders will probably be faster riding with a traditional style. Backing the bike in is NOT the fastest way to ride a supermoto.......at least not until your skill, timing, braking and balance are at a very high level. Even after riding supermoto bikes on the street for the past 7 years and racing supermoto for a few years I am probably quicker when I keep things in a straight line than when I let the rear kick out (still not very fast by the fast guys/gals standards)......I still hooligan around from time to time (OK, OK....everytime I get on the damn things.....) but my feel is not yet to a level that "sideways" is the fast way......but yes, it is the fun way:teeth

My couple of cents. I actually remember reading an article that outlined why the "supermoto" style was faster on supermoto bikes, so many of those initial thoughts were not from strong independent thought, but rather from reading....well, reading and some logic:thumbup

 

[Roadstergal]

wat?!? :wtf

:laughing

Foot out vs. hanging off... you'll find what works best for you. I liked Brok's schools because they're true SM, dirt and pave on the same track, and that's something that riding separately on dirt and pavement doesn't quite capture.

On the street, I have nothing to prove - on any bike, to anyone. I'm just out there to enjoy myself and to make it back.

If one is at a race lean angle so much that they need to throw a leg down

Interesting - in races, I found that when lean angle became limiting, the roadrace style was much faster. The SM style was faster only when traction limited before lean angle did.

 

[nuclearalex]

I am a 1yo SS noob and I am getting into dirt riding (not SM). Dirt bikes have knobbies, weaker brakes and ride in dirt/dust. I guess riding dirt is still somewhat different from riding sumo?

I know that dirt riding certainly offers different kind of thrill compared to SS riding. And plenty of it too. I see myself ending up doing track SS and dirt bike only with occasional social weekend rides. I am still worried about my safety. So here is my question: Are SM schools useful for dirt riding? Or should I seek for dirt schools (do they even exist?)

 

[luckett]

Just go ride lots of dirt and the transition to SM will be easy. When you want to ride SM, just get some street tires for your dirt bike and head to stockton, sears or prairie city.

I think that dirt skills transfer to SM better than SM skills to dirt.