Small Slice of Supermoto
SMALL SLICE OF SUPERMOTO
Twin-cam tempest
THE MINI-MOTO BOOM IS IN FULL swing, with Honda XR5Os built for big kids buzzing around motocross and BMX tracks everywhere. But for a guy who’s a roadracer at heart, there is something irresistible about the rattle of a dry clutch and the howl of sticky tires on dry pavement.
Thus was bom the Two Brothers Racing Honda XR50R-based minimotard.
TBR’s pint-sized pavementpounder is the handiwork of company top man Craig Erion, whose Santa Ana, California-based company sells performance parts for bikes big and small. Erion caught the minibike bug nearly a decade ago when former factory roadracer Hikaru Miyagi brought over a tricked-to-the-gills Honda Baja Monkey Z50 from Japan. Erion found the assemblage of jeweler-quality performance bits crafted by Takegawa-the top Z50 tuning specialist in Japan-gracing the Monkey too enticing to resist, and has since become the leading U.S. importer of Takegawa parts.
The dohc 124cc Single powering Erion’s mini-motard bike represents the current state-of-the-art, and has boosted the stock 49cc single-cam engine’s 2.7 horsepower to nearly 15 ponies. Harnessing the wild horses is a BBR Super Pro aluminum frame outfitted with a Sano Bombshell fork and Promax disc-brake setup, all of which is available through TBR. Completing the package are Acerbis plastic, a graphics kit and Gripper seat cover atop tall saddle foam.
But looks and performance are not all that’s at play here. The grin on Erion’s face tells all as he blips the throttle a few times, the snappy exhaust note barking, then pulls on the hydraulic lever, disengaging the clutch. A distinctive ringing emitted by the Takegawa dry plates greets the ears, and this alone was reason enough for Erion-enamored with the current supermotard movement-to swap the usual motocross knobbies for road rubber and build a miniature moto.
Street lighting and tags are next on the list, then it’s look out below for unsuspecting SoCal motorists!
Don Canet
American FLYERS
