Sick 4 Supermoto
CW COMPARISON
Sick 4 SUPERMOTO
Where dirt ends and pavement begins
DON CANET
DO YOU DROOL OVER PHOTOS OF dirtbikes performing perverse acts on pavement? Search the pages of Cycle News in hopes of finding a SuperTT race report covering the likes of Kevin Schwantz or Nicky Hayden backin’ ’er in? Stay up late at night surfing websites dedicated to the reincarnation of ABC’s Wide World of Sports old “Superbikers” series? If so, you may already be showing early symptoms of supcrmoto sickness.
Me? Hey, I’m full-blown. As the man behind the SuperTT American Racing Series, 1 offer the following disclaimer: By any name-supermoto, supermotard or SuperTT-this is a highly addictive activity that can be contagious on contact. A lap of the Cycle World offices turns up a half-dozen strung-out staffers who have partaken in STTARS competition. What begins innocently enough, spooning a pair of dual-sport tires onto a standard off-road bike for some lighthearted fun in the Novice or Sportsman class, soon leads to unabated slick-shod obsession. The fix comes not from pure speed as in many forms of racing; the thrill and appeal here is drifting into and out of corners, accented with crossed-up wheelie exits and a host of tire-torturing antics.
To help you get the drift, so to speak, we’ve corralled a trio of limited-production competition models that represent the current state-of-the-supermotard-art. And with three factory specials in hand, we sought out some factory-level talent to join us in a day of slipsliding pavement play.
Who better than three-time AMA Grand National Champion Chris Carr, best known as the “Prince of Peoria,” with 13 national wins at America’s most prestigious TT event? Carr’s long and illustrious career also includes competing in the final running of the “The ABC Superbikers” and a few seasons aboard Harley-Davidson factory Superbikes. Also joining our slidefest was 2000 Grand National Champion Joe Kopp. A TT specialist in his own right with a Peoria win, Kopp’s road skills come from competing in a number of SuperTT and paved-oval events.
Now for the real stars of our show!
Unveiled at Germany’s Intermot exhibition two years ago, the Husqvama NOX was a show-stopper. Dressed in sexy carbon-fiber, menacing black rims, and studded with titanium and blue-anodized aluminum bits, this 576cc package was bad to the bone. Only 300 NOXs were slated for production, with customer orders processed factory direct via the Internet. Deposits were taken and soon all bikes had been spoken for, yet projected delivery dates came and passed. The NOX’s belated arrival finally took place earlier this year. Has the NOX lived up to its
drawn-out hype as the ultimate supermotard?
Yes and no. Much has changed since the NOX’s show debut, with high-end offerings from competing manufacturers arriving on the scene in recent months. KTM has long been a driving force in supermoto with its Duke II and LC4 640 models spearheading the Austrian company’s probe into the street market. Like Husqvama, KTM has achieved much success on the European supermoto racing scene, but until now, hadn’t sold what it races. The LC4 660 Supermoto Factory Replica changes all that. More than a simple mockup, the Replica is said to be 98 percent identical to the official KTM factory team bikes.
VOR, an Italian company specializing in off-road models, has also added a purebred motard racer to its line for 2002. While spotting the Husky and KTM a bit of engine displacement, the VOR SM530RC (as in “Racing
Competition,”) is compact in stature and powered by an electric-smooth 525cc engine. The VOR’s nimble handling and manageable power delivery pay dividends on tighter, technical circuits where KTM’s thundering Thumper can be a handful.
Snaking through California Speedway’s Lot 12, our test track was an abbveviated version of the SuperTT course used during the Fontana AMA Superbike weekend. Comer combinations included a couple of 180-degree hairpins, some quick flip-flop transitions and a fast dogleg kink. Lap times were in the 45second range. While a typical SuperTT course includes a dirt section and jump, our test track had neither.
This negated the need to bust out the tire-groover and cut tread into the 250cc GP roadrace slicks that come standard on the rear of these three machines. While the KTM also wears a soft-compound slick on the front, the other two bikes come with treaded front rain tires-a good choice when a dirt section is in the mix. While modem 250 GP bikes run 5 slotting such a fat rim onto a swingarmand chain-clearance problems. The KTM’s 5-inch hoop spreads its 165/55-17 Dunlop skin quite nicely, allowing full use of the tire, as evidenced by surface scrubbing all the way out to its shoulder. The 160/63-17 Michelin radial fit to the VOR’s 4.5-inch rim is pinched a bit, leaving a quarter-inch of unused rubber on the outer edges. The NOX wears the same-sized Michelin on a narrower 4.25-inch rim, leaving a half-inch of virgin mbber on the edges of the tread. While the NOX’s narrowed contact patch does reduce grip, it also makes the bike easier to slide. And slide we did, backing it in and burning the tire on exit. By noon, the NOX’s soft-compound radial was looking pretty spent, forcing us to replace it with a street tire just to finish out the day. A medium-compound slick-same as the VOR’s-mounted at a later date proved to be reasonably durable. Husqvama’s factory racebikes use a 5.0-inch wheel within the same swingarm, but the NOX is sold as a street-certified model for the European market, and only the narrower wheel has been homologated for the road.
HUSQVARNA NOX
$9050
Weight....... 249 lbs. ▲ Best of Show styling Fuel capacity ... 2.4 gal. ▲ Light and stable handling Seat height.....36.3 in. A Lots of goodies included Footpeg height.. 14.2 in. A Cool-ass owner’s manual Ground clearance 10.4 in. Wheelbase.....58.5 in. Downs Spotty performing front brake Qnlrl nut hofnro it pupn ramp
Dialing-in a racebike can be an arduous task; try tackling three in a day! All three machines feature fully adjustable shocks with clickers for highand low-speed compression damping, rebound damping and a spring-preload collar. While each bike employs an inverted fork with compression and rebound adjustment, the KTM’s also includes springpreload adjustment. The NOX and KTM both have a lowfriction titanium-nitride coating on their lower fork tubes. Slick stuff! The KTM also has a clever eccentric top shock mount for altering rear ride height. We started with baseline suspension settings, making a few minor tweaks to spring preload and damping to achieve a suitable compromise for Carr, Kopp and myself.
The KTM chassis clearly feels the most rigid. We each found it difficult to trust at first, but gained confidence in the bike once in the saddle for a spell. “The harder I rode this bike, the better it was,” commented Kopp. “It’s not made for a beginner, it’s very unforgiving ner, very unforgiving unless you ride it hard and slide it around.” Of the three bikes, the KTM was the most difficult to pitch into a smooth slide entering comers, often resulting in wheel hop and chatter. All agreed that the KTM is a powerhouse loaded with potential, but would also be most taxing on the rider over the duration of a race. It’s physically larger, heavier in handling and driven by a powerful motor that vibrates like it means business, all conspiring to work your forearms.
VOR SM530RC
$10,699
Weight....... 253 ibs. ▲ Jack-be-nimble handling Fuel capacity ... 2.4 gal. ▲ Buttery-smooth engine Seat height.....35.2 in. A Trick perimeter frame Footpeg height.. 13.7 in. Ground clearance 11.5 in. Downs Wheelbase.....57.9 in. T Jack’s got a nervous twitch T Forward kickstart is awkward at first
Carr took a liking to the VOR, observing that the fork felt a little soft while the rear seemed on the firm side. “As with any racebike, though, the harder you ride it, the better it feels,” he said. “Because the VOR has the smallest engine, you certainly don’t feel as big a hit off the bottom, but I found on this track that this engine was the easiest to ride.” While sacrificing some grip, the VOR’s firm rear suspension allowed the back to slide easier; this, along with the controllable spread of power, made negotiating the hairpin comers a snap. While I, too, appreciated the VOR’s light and nimble handling, I found its lack of stability at speed a little unnerving. Perhaps riding with one hand tucked in out of the wind on mile horsetracks has made both our GNC guests comfortable with high-speed weave?
By contrast, the NOX has an ultra-stable chassis, while still offering agility that’s on par with the VOR. The NOX’s suspension is uncannily compliant over bumps; however, as we upped the pace, it proved to be spmng a little too softly for our asphalt-only test course. This may well have been the preferred setup had there been a bumpy dirt section to negotiate. Power delivery is crisp right off the bottom with exceptional low-end gmnt and a very linear spread on through to the top end.
While each of these bikes uses the same high-quality Brembo radial master cylinder and billet four-piston caliper up front to put the squeeze on a 320mm stainless rotor, the rotors are unique. All offer enough braking power to buck you over the bars with a two-finger effort, but the Husky’s 4mm rotor thickness proved too thin to stand the heat. Hard use spotted the rotor, causing a variation in friction throughout its rotation, resulting in a bite-slip-bite condition when maintaining even lever pressure. A supermoto’s long-travel fork only accentuates such a problem, which can lead to front wheel hop under hard braking. Husqvama says that it’s currently testing other rotors.
Back at the office, we put some numbers to the bikes. As expected, KTM’s rally-derived 653cc engine is the brute of the bunch, pounding out 64 rear-wheel horsepower and 48 ft.-lbs. of torque on our dyno. Carbon-fiber bodywork and a titanium exhaust shaved its weight down to 264 pounds without fuel. A titanium muffler and magnesium engine case are the only exotic materials found on the VOR, which weighs-in at 253 pounds and produces 47 horses and 37 ft.-lbs.
The NOX earns featherweight honors at 249 pounds while laying down 56 ponies and 40 ft.-lbs.
So, if you’ve caught the bug
KTM LC4 660 FACTORY REPLICA
$19,998
Ælps Weight....... 264 lbs. A Motor pulverizes the Fuel capacity ... 1.5 gal. competition Seat height.....36.0 in. A Easy to start Footpeg height.. 14.5 in. A Fat rear wheel really gets Ground clearance 11.0 in. a grip Wheelbase.....58.9 in. Downs ▼ Jackhammer engine vibration ▼ A pricey piece to toss on the ground
have to have one of this tasty trio, get in line. Since the NOX and KTM are both sold-out, your best bet may be to speak to your local VOR dealer. At $10,699, the SM530RC carries the heftiest price in VOR’s line, but has every-
everything you need to line up at a SuperTT event. Listing for $9050, the Husky NOX offers everything and more, as a very extensive spares kit and complete street conversion package is included. Word has it that an SM570RR is in the
pipeline, basically a NOX without the carbon-fiber and titanium bits, nor the street kit. At 20large, the KTM Factory Replica puts a hole in your wallet to match the size of the lead you can expect to pull on high-speed circuits. Don’t look for the orange-and-black machines to grace a dealer’s showroom, though; these bikes must be special-ordered through the importer’s race department.
Once supermotard gets under your skin, there really is no cure, only treatment. Any one of these bikes is just what the doctor ordered. Grab the first one that comes your way and let the therapy begin.
