Supermotard

Supermoto racing is gaining popularity in Australia and one reason is that it's a comparatively inexpensive way to go racing. Sure, it wouldn't take long to spend five grand building up a race bike, but that's a pale imitation of what you could spend if you went road racing or even serious motocross.

Despite what you might think, although several dirt bikes are marketed here as 'supermotards', there's only one genuine off-the-shelf supermoto race bike and that's the Husaberg FS 450 and 650 E and C models. These bikes are factory racers and need no further modification to make them competitive. But what do you do if you already own a bike, or you're willing to buy a new bike but don't want to buy the Husaberg?

That's not a big problem. The majority of supermoto race bikes are not factory specials but bikes that ordinary blokes have built up. The field is full of KTMs and Yamahas and Honda CRF450s and each of these can be turned into a competitive racer.

But before you do that, allow us to make a suggestion. Going racing is all well and good, but maybe you should suck it and see first. In other words, don't spend a fortune on something you might not enjoy. To get a taste of supermoto without spending a bundle you can 1) borrow someone else's bike and take it for a spin at one of the monthly ride/coaching days at Oran Park in Sydney 2) buy a set of road tyres to fit your dirt bike's 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels or 3) buy a pair of 17-inch wheels and fit genuine racing slicks. (You don't need a race licence for practice days. Supermoto promoter Mark Avard runs one or two coaching days a month and the cost is usually $100. Mark's number is 04199 71161).

BIKES AND BOXES
Assuming all went well at your first practice run and you've been bitten deeply enough by the supermoto bug to tip a bucket of money into this, the next step is to get a bike. There are three classes in supermoto: 250cc, 450cc and Open (up to 710cc). There are also classes for children from 13 years of age, men up to 60 years of age and a Ladies class. The 450 class is the most competitive. The 250cc class is growing nicely and the most popular bike in that class is the Yamaha YZ250.

 Any brand can be converted into a race bike but motocross bikes have an advantage in being lighter than street legal models, they have stiffer suspensions, and most have five-speed gearboxes so they require less initial modification. A four-speed box imposes a compromise in that if you gear it up for the straight it will lack exit speed in some turns, or vice versa. Four-speed boxes can be made into five-speeders but not without additional expense. Five-speed is the go.

The 450cc class is populated by virtually every brand on the market - Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna, Suzuki, you name it. The Honda CRF450 is becoming an increasingly popular conversion because it has a good chassis, a five-speed box with the right ratios for supermoto and an awesome engine. Straight up, it's one of the cheapest bike to convert from trail to track. Add a pipe, and a bit of tidying up around the cylinder head and a cam to boost midrange to top-end power and you have a rocket right there.

SUSPENSION
The first act in modifying a standard chassis is to lower it about 25mm. This is usually done by adding spacers in the fork and shock. Lowering a dirt bike's high centre of gravity makes it more stable at high speed on bitumen. ( They lean a long way. It's not uncommon for good riders to wipe out a set of footpegs in a day.)

A lot of weight is transferred to the front wheel in full-force braking. These bikes need stiffer suspension even than MX bikes, in fact in this slide-and-brake manoeuvre a standard enduro or motocross bike will almost bottom-out. Experts speak of standard suspension 'turning itself inside-out', so they work hard to set up the suspension accurately. The supermoto fork contains springs much stiffer than stock, and the shock uses slightly heavier springs to prevent the rear end squatting as the bike exits turns under acceleration.

They run and modified valving front and rear, more preload and more rebound damping. More rebound damping equals more consistent grip and prevents the rear rebounding too quickly during the transition from full braking to full throttle. It also helps the rider 'back it in' with more consistency. Slipper clutches are used increasingly to help prevent rear wheel 'chatter', a problem that affects stability under brakes.

 Typically, by the time a suspension make-over is complete, the bike a supermoto racer will use only half its suspension travel and is capable of withstanding enormous braking force without incurring instability. “You can't go fast until the fork's right”, is a supermoto catchcry.

BRAKES
The standard rear brake is fine but no stock front brake is up to speed for supermoto. If you're still in the budget phase of racing, you can improve braking force with an oversize front rotor and a caliper kit that moves the caliper out slightly, making room for the larger rotor. If you're really doing it on the cheap you can buy a 320mm road bike rotor from a wrecker, and with a carrier for the rotor and a new bracket for the caliper you're ready go.

As you get faster, you'll use the brakes harder and soon find the standard or budget setup isn't keeping up with your increasing speed. It's time to move up, to replace the entire system. Good riders brake so hard their front tyres starts to lose grip. There are several brake manufacturers to choose from, Berringer, Brembo, Motomaster and so on. The typical supermoto front brake setup comprises a 320mm rotor (310mm from Berringer), braided brake lines, a radial pot for the master cylinder and a four or six-piston caliper. And even with all that, brakes still fade.

TYRES
At the moment, a 'control tyre' rule is in force for the national championship, meaning everyone has to use the same tyre. This is an unpopular rule, for riders feel any brand should be permissible.

The supermoto tyre is a road racing slick with a softer compound. Generally speaking, because supermoto bikes are lighter, weigh less than a road racer and have to race on dirt as well as bitumen, they wear a Soft or Super Soft on the front and a Soft or Medium slick on the back.

Slicks don't work unless they're hot. It's all about getting the tyre up to operating temperature so you select a grade of tyre that will help do that.

The cheap way to pick up a couple of slicks is to buy used road racing tyres for about $200. New slicks are available from a range of manufacturers and will generally cost between $350 to $400 a pair.

RIDING GEAR AND STUFF
In the US riders can wear modified motocross gear but Australian racing regulations require rider to wear leathers. It can be a 'top and bottom' set as long at they're attached in the middle. The rest of your dirt riding wardrobe, helmet, goggles, gloves and so forth, are perfectly okay for supermoto. Dirt boots are too, and you can now buy MX-style boots with a plastic insert that enables you to scrape the bitumen without immediately wearing a hole in your boot.

On some tracks, nylon blocks are attached under the footpegs to prevent footpeg destruction, while 'Oggy Knobs' attached to the axles help prevent severe damage if you lay it down. Regulations also require that you fit a catch bottle to the bike. This traps errant fluids and prevents them dripping onto the track.

ON THE BOX
If you need inspiration to make you faster, there's plenty coming. Australian supermoto promoter Mark Avard has a national series up and running, and has stitched up a deal with Ssongyang to sponsor an international meeting at the Sydney Tennis Centre in November this year.(This November 19 meeting will showcase the best riders from a number of motorcycling disciplines, supercross, motocross, supermoto and road racing, so make sure you're there to catch the action).

Supermoto momentum is gathering in the US as well. Chad Reed was yet to sign a motocross contract while this was being written, it was even rumoured he may ride supermoto instead of motocross next year, and Yamaha is ready to tip big dollars into the sport in 2006. ESPN is airing the six-round American national championship, and thanks to the efforts of Mark Avard we'll be getting the TEN network's coverage of the Homebush extravaganza (in which KTM alone will field eight riders).

If you need more info about supermoto racing, coaching or ride days, ring Mark Avard on 04199 71161. If you need technical help or someone to work on your bike, ring supermoto specialist Nigel Pitsch at Pitstop Motorcycles, (02) 4990 6852.

(Story and pics by BARRY ASHENHURST)