practicalities of supermoto vs commutermoto

[colin1]

I saw a husaberg on ebay that was described as in need of a rebuild. I think it was a 450 that had been modified to become a 470.

He said it was knocking so needed a rebuild.

I was tempted as it also had 2 sets of wheels, one for road one for offroad.

I'd be thinking of 4 possibly 8 miles total commute a day, and a bit of light offroading at the weekend.

I'm imaging the bike had been neglected with no oil changes etc and just ridden as if it didnt need frequent serving in terms of hours rather than thousands of miles.

The question is, would a highly tuned bike that needs frequent maintenance be knackered, if abused, or would a bit of money on a rebuild fix it ?

I quite like the idea of a proper supermoto, but would i be better off with a dr350 or even a cb500 ?

It's probably worth noting that I'm not someone who usually does his own oil changes let alone a rebuild, although I'm sure I could handle oil changes.

The commute is heavy traffic filtering on the return journey, so I like the idea of something with good nippy low speed handling.

I'd get a scooter if I was a bit less image conscious, and in the past I've found a yamaha ttr250 a good option, but fancy a bit more power this time.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[P.]

Few mile journey.

Unreliable and expensive rebuild single cylinder engine.

Services measured in hours.

I'd be going DRZ or XT660X if you reallllly have to.

[stevo as b4]

For every day road use, I'd much rarther have a road biased trail bike, converted into supermoto style spec. I don't think competition bikes generally make for great every day distance road bikes, but a big capacity or multi cylinder road biased bike would make a great SM style fun machine, without losing all the practicality.

[slowlydoesit]

[stevo as b4]

Give us a chance mate!

I'll have a few £££ available mid summer> and a shed to store bikes and bits in. The cheap half assed re-build will then start, providing I don't get side tracked with wanting to fix up my car?

[G]

The Husabergs from the start of the millennium had a listed service interval of 3 hours I believe.
And reliability was akin to bobbing for handgrenades with loose pins.

Fast bikes, however.

CCM404 definitely worthy of consideration.
Or an SV650 for daily stuff and a 2 stroke enduro for off road.

[stevo as b4]

SV650 engine in a 2stroke enduro chassis for daily stuff?

The best supermotard I ever saw, although it would be very un competitive for serious/race use was a DR800 Big with an RG500 motor!

[colin1]

ok so a husaberg has service interval measured in hours.

If servicing requirements are ignored, and it's ridden until it starts knocking prompring a rebuild, will a rebuild fix any wear and tear and the same can be repeated, or will it fail in other areas if not maintained properly ?
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[G]

You'd likely need a complete strip and rebuild for worry that oil contaminated with metal fragments had damaged other components.
Expensive, very expensive. Much better to keep service intervals up.

However, doesn't sound like a sensible choice, personaolly.

[colin1]

Thanks, I'm glad I didn't buy it then.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[G]

Some people do run KTMs and the like with an additional oil radiator to increase oil capacity.
For riding across trails in America, makes sense.

Not sure I'd want to use them for British commuting - lots of warming up and cooling down with possible extended periods of sitting at high revs.

The Husabergs I'd trust even less than the KTMs.

[slowlydoesit]

[stevo as b4]

The seat for the White 125 is arriving next week I hope. Once I've got the kickstart, brakes and seat re-fitted, I'll stick a few pics in the General pictures section.

I havn't the balls to do a show and tell thread, as The extent of my restoration was applying some decals and changing a few fasteners.

[Fladdem]

I don't even like commuting with my TTR. Which would be classed as a commuter-moto if I stuck some 17's on. Even the service intervals on that are too close for practicality. Every two-three weeks is an oil change. Although lower mileage may result in less frequent oil change.

The problem is small sumps. Designed to keep weight low when offroad. But the oil degrades quicker when there is less of it.

Saying that, my mate used to commute 30 miles a day, there and back, to college on a 2013 KTM EXC 125, flat out, with no service, last time I saw it he had stuck 6000 on the clock with the original piston and no issues.

Yes, I always post that when someone asks something similar. I like to think he was just lucky, but maybe engine reliability is improving as the company expands. I wouldn't trust it though as my only transport.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[Fladdem]

I don't even like commuting with my TTR. Which would be classed as a commuter-moto if I stuck some 17's on. Even the service intervals on that are too close for practicality. Every two-three weeks is an oil change. Although lower mileage may result in less frequent oil change.

The problem is small sumps. Designed to keep weight low when offroad. But the oil degrades quicker when there is less of it.

Saying that, my mate used to commute 30 miles a day, there and back, to college on a 2013 KTM EXC 125, flat out, with no service, last time I saw it he had stuck 6000 on the clock with the original piston and no issues.

Yes, I always post that when someone asks something similar. I like to think he was just lucky, but maybe engine reliability is improving as the company expands. I wouldn't trust it though as my only transport.
____________________
Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[G]

2 stroke vs 4 stroke - the 2 strokes have always been better because they're simpler, less moving parts need to have their weight reduced and the 4 strokes are trying to get as close as possible to the 2 stroke weight - they don't need to try as hard to reduce weight on the 2 strokes as they're naturally light.

[Fladdem]

I agree. My boss blew up his 2013 CRF250R a month ago .He never blew up his YZ125, nor his RMZ250, saying that. Well not really blew up, the stop that prevent the kickstarter travelling too far, broke off when the bike kicked back, demolished the engine. Probably not being heavy duty enough for the use.

But very often I consider just getting an enduro bike and just sticking to the service schedule and just use it like I do my TTR. All the power I'll ever want combined with some actually decent ergonomics for lanky people, better parts availability, and more competent off-road. The only cost is slightly heavier maintenance, which if I follow the same as my current schedule actually works out the same. Yamaha recommend 10 hours oil change, the same as a WR450, all the schedule is, almost, identical.
____________________
Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.