Anyone know much about Enduro/supermoto bikes?

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After looking at the post your bike thread and seeing the cr450 supermoto my dad called me down to show me some bike videos on youtube... Fate obviously...

Anyway i'm thinking about getting my bike licence as soon as finish with the car licence and always wanted to get some kind of off roader instead of a sports bike. I'm a bit out of the game at the moment with regards to what's out there, the last time I looked seriously was when I was 17 (a while ago...). As I mentioned earlier my dad would probably be interested in sharing/using the bike for a bit of heavy trail use but i'd also want to use it as an "every day bike". At the moment we actually have an old kawasaki kt250 in the shed (70s era) and another even older trials bike that my dad used to ride, so he would be thinking about that sort of thing.

So yeah what sort of bikes are around for a bit of general riding on and off road? I used to be quite interested in getting a Suzuki DRZ400, they still a good bet? Would a 250cc be too small really, something like a 2 stroke Husky or KTM at that size? I was thinking maybe it would be better to get a supermoto as it would be used on road more than off and have this (almost certainly wrong) idea that it's a 20 minute job of changing the wheels/tyres to turn one into a proper off roader...

So with all that in mind what would people suggest and what sort of price would I be paying for a reasonable used model?

(I'm over 21 so AFAIK don't need to worry about restricting or bhp issues but obviously as it's a first bike I'm not interested in something massive, just want to have a bit of fun off road and on).

 

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My questions were:

Recommend me a trail/enduro bike for mostly onroad use but some off road and
Would a supermoto be reasonably easy to convert for a bit more off road fun?



So I do need to look for a 4t really, and probably a supermoto that I can then swap wheel because it will be better on road.

Did they do the SM earlier than the 57? I'd hope nearer the £2k mark if i'm honest, which I guess is pushing it a little?

 

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Pardonthewait you've pretty much hit on the thing I'm most wondering, do I get an enduro and ride that around, knowing full well i'll probably do so few miles off road or go for a SM and have to upgrade at a later date to a second set of wheels... I've also been reading that generally SM are geared higher than the enduro versions, good for top speed (which i'm not that bothered about) but not for low down torque which would be a pain off road. Hmmm.

I just wonder with something like a 525 if i'm getting a bit large? There seem to be more about but I wonder if they will start becoming a bit too powerful for a first bike and a pain if the fall over off road?

 

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I doubt i'll be going on any long distance rides with it, it definately won't be a commuter machine so comfort I guess won't be a major issue, i'm also over 6' which will probably help on the size thing?

I think the DRZ is still the leader in the stakes though, what about the CCM 404e instead? Looking around it seems to be pretty good too, uses the DRZ E engine and I guess would come in around the same price.

With regards to customisation, yeah that will probably wait until I got used to the bike, as I mentione before I'm not to worried about top speed but I just don't want anything gutless as well.

I'll definately have a look at the DRZ as it appears it may be just the ticket. The only problem I have with it is that it looks such a heavy bike (if that makes sense), the other dirt/supermotos just look nicer.

There seem to be a load of Honda CRF's converted to SMs, what would they be like if I could find one at a reasonable price?