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...