A few weeks back I got my California Class M license. Initially the intention was simply to rent a bike with my dad while on vacation in Maui (side note : I've been meaning to put some pictures Maui up, but still haven't gotten around to it). Anyway, I've been shopping around for starter bikes now for about a month. I looked at a couple over the past couple days and even rode a few.
Everything I looked at or rode all pointed to a particular bike... the Suzuki DR-Z400, a 400cc dual-sport bike (dual-sport means it's a street-legal dirt bike). As I started looking around at these bikes, I kept hearing about popular modifications people do to them in order to make them better on the pavement. Basically once you take a dirt bike a put smaller slick tires on it and change the rear sprocket so that it will go highway speeds comfortably, you have just created a "Super Moto" or a "Motard" bike. Companies like Kawasaki, Suzuki and KTM have all observed the demand for this Motard class of bikes and started offering them as stock bikes.
As I looked around, the Motards really intrigued me, even if I had to do the modifications myself. As it turned out, I found a really nice bike for a price I was willing to pay. I ended up buying a 2008 DR-Z400 SM... a stock Super Moto.
http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/DR-Z400/2008/DRZ400SM.aspx
I've been out riding it for a few hours and the thing is a blast. Plenty of power for my uses, and actually rides comfortably on the freeway. Although, 65 mph starts to wind the engine a little tight. I can't wait to get it out on the hills for some swervy roads.
