The MOST FUNNEST??

What's the most fun you can have on two wheels? Here is the TOP TEN (Yes I am including bicycles):

10)Cross Country/Desert Racing
9)Hare Scramble/Enduro
8)Alley Cat
5/6/7) Land Speed/Hill Climb/Drag Racing
3+4)MX/DH
1+2) Road Course/SuMo

Ok, so some of these are tied; but we will get back to the TOP TEN soon...

What's not on this list?

• XC Mountain Bike: Have you ever tried to sprint for 2 hours?  Trust me, NOT FUN.

• Trials: Amazingly talented dudes on bikes that are uber light and climb trees but, NO speed...NONE. In fact, they pride themselves on not moving.  It's definitely cool, and very challenging.  Don't get me wrong, but bouncing up and down so you don't have to put your foot down doesn't qualify as fun.

• Velorome Racing: I have never been able to find one of these, for either a MC or Bicycle.  Old school board track racing seems rad but apparently its no longer popular, it has died out.  The only fun version of this would be a death ball.  But then again, how fun can a bunch of XR100's be?

• Ice Racing: I used to commute on a motorcycle in 30 degrees and my hands are STILL numb. Spikes are very MAD MAX.  If they would just take those fenders off, they would really have something

Ice Racing Spikes totally make sense when you are trying to be Bad Ass in the Desert!

Just more black please

• Dirt Track (Grand National) Just like stock cars.  Sure it takes talent, but its not fun going around and around in circles on a mile course.  Nothing but turning left??? LAME.  Not convinced?  just ask Clark Griswold...European Vacation.

OK, this IS fun!!!

Just the other day they released coverage of the Superprestigio.  Marc Marquez (world famous MotoGP racer) gave it a lot of coverage.. He placed 2nd.  NOW, as as I tried to convince myself that this wasn't fun.  I have to admit, it looks like a riot!!  Grand Nationals are much bigger but it would seem like the smaller course makes for really exciting, elbow to elbow racing.  But really, all left turns still has its limits... IMO.  Besides, if you had unlimited resources you could look like M.Marqeuz.  If you don't follow MotoGP, you really should this season was amazing.  If you don't, you didn't get to see some real soap opera shit this past year.  Marq Marquez was a spoiler at best, and quite probably a little shit.  Hard to explain, but its worth some digging.

Basically this is a Micro dirt track race.  It's an absolutely tiny track that forces extremely tight racing.  Want to see the footage?  Here it is. It is by definition, super fancy and exclusive.  Even Rossi isn't allowed.

• Side Car- 'Nuff said: this doesn't really qualify.  Motorcycle racing should not be a team sport. OK you need your crew when you are a Pro.  Regardless, Three! (3) wheels and two dudes don't equal "Motorcycle Racing".

So enough of the boring stuff.  Next up the Top Ten:

Which Moto is Best for Maui??

Why this motorcycle?

My decicsion process was a very long one.  Through out my stay here on Maui, I have kept up with what's going on in the new bike arena.  Surprisingly, my favorite has been and still is; another Husky, and much like the KTM 690 SMC R, is also unavailable in the USA.

THE NUDA:
900CC'S OF AWESOME... Parallel twin. An awesome cross between a SuMo and a standard.

Edgy looks, lots of suspension and more revv'y than a single can be..  It was described to be an entirely different power plant than the one it was derived from (BMW).










Very rarely (I can't think of another example) does anyone take a street bike and convert it into a full on dirt racer.  This only further shows how robust of a design this was.







Sure, there are lots of guys that can take a street bike and make a really cool knobby tire clad motorcycle with it, but none that are race ready...

This Yamaha SR 400 is a bad ass custom conversion from Street to Dirt but nobody is blitzing the whoops on it!

The NUDA, while still at the top of my list of bikes to have, will be problematic because A) I can't have it; and B) it was only made for a few years and getting parts for it will get harder and harder.


Then I looked really hard at this:



The Aprilia SXV 550
Super light V-Twin Supermoto MADNESS!!!! There was even one for sale, here on Maui. It is virtually brand new, so what's the deal?  So I hit the forums.  I found out that it has a VERY high maintenance schedule and you have to drop the motor out of the frame every time you do it.  I read several stories about those who did not keep up that schedule:

Hmmm.  Should have done that valve check last night....

I have never learned how to do valve checks, so I leave it to the professionals and the cost of doing that every 20? hours of run time is extreme.

Then, just before I dropped the Deposit on the 701 I looked at every other bike that will be offered this year.  The only other bike that I found that can handle what I want to do (in stock form) is this:

The Ducati Hypermotard:
So much sexier than the 701, in my opinion.  The sound, the looks, EVERYTHING!!! It's not THAT much more initial cost. BUT despite the significant increase in power so is the weight.  I feel like if I throw that down the road it would not fair as well as the 701.  Plus, here on Maui, it would be hard to find a reliable mech.  I cannot express how much this affects decisions like this, here on a secluded island.  It's hard to find a reliable mech. for a Honda Accord. Forget about a much less common HyperMotard! But make no mistake, if I had a Ducati Dealer on Island, this would be a real contender.  It's plenty stout, time tested, and has lots of aftermarket goodies available for it.

Finally, I looked at Craigslist.  I could always convert a MX bike, many guys do. But the simple fact is that decent used bike are SO expensive here AND with the costs of a new wheel set and some other simple mods; this costs get really close to a 701.  In addition, the 701 already has a slipper clutch, ABS, and ride by wire.  Don't get me wrong, I had always dreamed of getting a 17" wheel set for my CRF450R, and you could put together a bike that is a lot lighter and has almost as much power.  But maintenance costs are also big on those motors.  They are not made to be ridden on the street and valve adjusts/valve and valve seat replacements would be very frequent. Just look at the single cylinder MotoGP bikes here.
They have a completely different motor configuration. Bore and stroke are created to allow the motor to have sustained red line revs.  MX bikes are not made for that, and roads eat MX motors.

So I put down a deposit for the first 701 I could get.  Hopefully it will be here in 90-120 days.  I can't wait!!!

Opening Stages...

     I AM a Moto Rider. That is how I self-identify the most.
     This spring should be the end of a 2+ years (the longest period of my life) that I have been without one.
     So that's what this blog is going to be about.  Blasting around Maui on a badass Supermoto or SUMO.  Its should arrive here in March"ish".  That is when things are going to get exciting!  I have not been this amp'd up for a long time and this is/will be exciting to me for many reasons.  Hopefully I find some like minded individuals out here.
   
Background on things:
     When I moved here brought my father's old ('83) BMW R80RT.  It was utilitarian and good for cruising around.  I even ran some curves on it but it had issues and ultimately died a slow death.  
     What I didn't bring was a 2006 GSXR 1000,  a 2006 GSXR 600, a CRF450R, and a Suzuki GSF 600 (Bandit).  None of them really made a lot of sense living on a small island with lots of ruff backroads and very few highways.

God !!!!!  I miss that GSXR 1000.

     It was a beast... It Growled and Snarled and Barked.  I can't even explain the love I have for that bike.  SO FAST!!! and handled so well, even bone stock.  BUT it makes no sense on Maui.

What is THE Best Motorcycle for me and for here? Some thing that is really quick, not fast.  Can handle really ruff roads, and really tight turns.  The ruff roads is the hardest variable in equation.  The back side of both east and west Maui are the equivalent to an extremely uneven cobblestone road in texture but akin to a cart track version of the Isle of Man, in the number of turns that it has.  It would shake/vibrate a full fairing bike like crazy.  There are cattle guards and G-outs that would sink most bikes, if hit at full speed.

Maintenance costs are also a huge factor in picking a bike.  The more cylinders, typically the more $$ to do valve adjustment on a bike.  Most have to have that done every few thousand miles.  Also, finding a qualified mechanic for anything other than what the dealership carries could be a big problem.  Luckily they sell and service LC4's.

I didn't get another bike, until now, mostly because I couldn't get the scratch together for it; but when a friend of mine started talking about getting one, I started looking at what's out there and what might be fun to have.

Then I found THIS:

DAMN!  That is a sexy beast.  Thanks to the help of a few very generous people I am able to put the cash together for this: The KTM 690 SMC R.  PERFECT for this island, it has lots of suspension, is a light package that can handle sharp corners and is super quick.  The single cylinder also makes maintenance costs minimal.

What??!!?? its not available in the United States/North America?  LAME!
I kept digging and digging and found out that KTM bought Husqvarna from BMW and they are releasing the same motorcycle, their only one that will be street legal, (with a 1 litre larger gas tank) with the Husky Badge!

I live in a motorcycle paradise.  Its warm here, ALL YEAR.  Police presence on some of the best roads is minimal if not non-existent.  It would also appear that they have a no chase policy, because unlicensed dirt bikes cruise the roads ALL THE TIME. Then there are the ROADS... Super curvy-EVERYWHERE!!!  Really tight turns on some of the most remote roads seem to be heaven on Earth to anyone who love to runs curves.

So STAY TUNED! I am going to figure shit out and report back.  This is going to be amazing...