Yamaha, Gilera, and KTM were the first factories to see the potential of the supermoto genre on the road. These early examples are still rocking good bikes for pure fun
Few motorcycling hybrids combine such contradictory disciplines as supermoto. The marriage between motocross and road racing really shouldn’t work, but from the moment the Americans came up with the idea in the early ’80s it was obvious they were onto something big and exciting.
The whole thing started with Superbikers, a televised race series that pitted road racers against off-road stars in the name of entertainment. And it worked. Guys like Jay Springsteen, Steve Wise, Eddie Lawson and hard charging motocrosser Danny ‘Magoo’ Chandler all competed in the series that took place on half asphalt, half dirt tracks aboard MX bikes wearing road race-sized wheels/brakes shod with flat track rubber.
It made great TV, plus the fans and riders loved it. Before long, stars from both road racing and the MX GP circuit were going head-to-head in end of season supermoto exhibition races. By the mid-’80s the sport had become big in Europe, particularly in France where it was called ‘supermotard’.
Road-based replicas were inevitable. Yamaha was first out of the stalls with its TDR250. Although not completely true to the motocross inspired originals, the influence of supermoto on the TDR is obvious. Later factory-built offerings, like Gilera’s Nordwest and KTM’s Duke were much closer to the spirit of the genre.
Off-the-shelf supermotos are now common – their combination of punchy, accessible performance, light responsive handling, and their sheer fun factor make them brilliant town bikes and backlane scratchers. Of course, the same is still true of those pioneers of the road-going supermoto scene. Here’s how to find yourself a truly super classic supermoto.
YAMAHA TDR250
Yamaha’s TDR250 isn’t a supermoto. It’s not a race rep or a trail bike either. And that’s what left so many confused when Yam’s ‘Ultimate Dual’ tagged creation first appeared back in 1988. The TDR was like nothing else, a class all its own, drawing elements of sportsbike and off-road together in a unique package. One thing that everyone could agree on, however, was that the TDR was an absolute blast. And perhaps the most exciting 250 ever built.
Whoever came up with the concept, no doubt over a liquid lunch of sake by the pint, was a genius. And brave. On paper the idea of shoe-horning a 50bhp TZ
