Staff Stuff

STAFF STUFF

STAFF:

Don Canet

STUFF:

2000

Husqvarna

SM610R

FROM THE ARCHIVES:

“There are plenty

of reasons

to thank the

French. Aside

from fries,

champagne,

Bridget Bardot

and that big

bronze dame

residing in

New York Harbor,

there’s super-

motard.”

-Cycle Morid, January, 1999

EACH MONTH, A STACK OF European motomags arrives here at the CW offices. We routinely skim through the foreign press in search of that exclusive Euro-only model we all swear we’d buy if only it were imported to this country. I also grew increasingly envious of another aspect of twowheeled sport abroad.

Supermotard, the flamboyant French adaptation of the defunct ABC-TV “Superbikers” events held at Carlsbad Raceway in California nearly 20 years ago, was the object of my desire. Action photos of motard maestros Stephan Chambón or Jean-Michel Bayle hanging the rear end of a slick-shod motocrosser way out entering a paved comer had to be the sickest thing I’d ever seen. My kind of fun, in other words. So I acted out of desperation and put together a stateside race series called SuperTT.

What began as a couple of loosely organized races in 1997 has grown into the SuperTT American Racing Series, or STTARS, with more than 20 events held annually. Thus far, I’ve managed to not only wear the promoter’s cap, but a motocross helmet as a competitor, too. In the early days of SuperTT, I rode the Honda CR500 featured in April ’97’s “Superbikers Revival” story. It was only when former Superbikers champ Eddie Lawson offered me the use of his Husqvama 610 that I became a four-stroke convert.

While a Thumper’s improved tractability is nice, it was the engine’s braking effect when backing it into paved corners that really won me over.

After scoring several wins on Eddie’s Husky and enjoying continued success aboard an Up-Tite Racingprepped TE610 fitted with 17-inch wheels and a larger front brake rotor, I made the switch to the production supermotard model featured here. Husqvama USA imported a dozen 2000 model-year SMólORs to test the waters before fully committing to this emerging market. The powersthat-be apparently liked what they saw, because for 2002 greater numbers of the restyled and renamed SM570R supermotards will be available, going price $6799 each.

Even though the bike comes equipped with headlight, taillight and a sidestand, it’s sold for competition use only in the States. Husqvama USA (a.k.a. Fast By Ferracci) gave my bike the basic race-prep treatment by removing the lighting and respective wiring harness and fitting a TC610 front numberplate. Suspension was also recalibrated to factory race specs claimed to be “Chambón’s setup.” Seeing as how the pint-sized Frenchman weighs about 40 pounds less than me, and races a bike with different suspension components, I was a bit skeptical. FBF also gave the 576cc motor a slight increase in compression and installed a Pro Circuit pipe. With 55 rear-wheel horsepower to play with and more than 11 inches of suspension travel, the Husky is one wheelie-prone machine.

I’ve yet to win aboard my latest ride, and even sat out the first few events of the 2001 season due to the broken leg I sustained while testing sportbikes in Spain. Without the pressure of a championship points chase, I’ve had loads of fun competing on a race-byrace basis. And I recently enjoyed a personal victory at the expense of co-worker Mark Cemicky.

It started with the young gun Assistant Editor spoutin’ off around the office about kickin’ this of man’s butt. Maturity prevailed, though, as my bony backside was all he saw from the saddle of his Honda CR500 at the very next race.

So what if my result displaced Cemicky to the third step on the podium and also cost him the series’ points lead? All’s fair in inter-office warfare.