Best bike for multipurpose racing?

Ok so after the great bank withdrawal of 2016 I realized that I'm not going to become a better rider by simply road racing. It's too expensive to get enough track time per season. So, my plan is to get into flat track, dirt, mini moto, etc... But I want one bike that I can simply swap wheels and some other parts before racing a different series. Or would it be better to just have two separate bikes? (dad wouldn't like that, he already hates the one bike I have and me racing in general. I have to keep it in his garage.)

So If it's possible, what's the best bike to race flat track, dirt, and possibly mini (depending on the bike of course). Also what other types of racing do you guys suggest? I'm a redneck so I love playing in the dirt, sadly never had the opportunity to ride dirt though went straight to the track. Also can y'all point me towards some good flat track and dirt organizations?
Thanks for the help guys! Can't wait to get some serious experience under my belt!!

 

get a dirt bike with dirt bike wheels. ride in dirt.

then get 17's and put street tires on it. ride on a supermoto track.

then get a set of wheels/tires for flat track. ride on a flat track.

swap per the venue.

 

Different suspension setup and such I'd assume for each form of racing, but the only part to physically take off would be wheels?

 

xr100. boom done all with one bike and even one set of wheels if you have tire spoons..

 

depends on how serious you'd want to get... motocross will have the most suspension travel and smaller brakes... supermotos will have a more firm suspension and one big brake caliper... dirt track (not too familiar here) don't have much suspension travel at all and sometimes no brakes.

if you're just starting out i'd prob set the suspension up for supermoto (so the middle ground)... supermoto guys still jump... just not 40ft triples (usually lol)... the big front caliper won't hinder you off-road... at that point, just swap wheel sets.

supermoto is a jack of all trades, master of none really... guys road race with them, run on cart tracks... run dirt sections with them, etc.

 

hmm... actually... the big caliper may not clear on the 21" front... some of the supermoto guys will run a "sportsman" setup with a larger rotor and caliper relocation bracket and the stock dirt bike caliper... this setup is plenty for a beginner and will save you money.

 

yeah, to gain skills and have fun you really cant go wrong with an XR100

use OEM trailwings made for XL100s (dualsport tread) and start in playing in dry dirt somewhere until you have a good feel for the bike sliding around on loose surfaces then get in the mud and then wet grass if you can.

after you feel comfy and skillful in those conditions on the trailwings, then get an XR80 front rim and a set of street tires or slicks.

now start over. first dry dirt, then mud, then wet grass. once you feel comfy with all that, then start doing it roadrace style with kneedown instead of foot out.

get to where you can do figure 8s in wet grass on an XR100 kneedown style without crashing and you will have some serious skills.

only skills left to learn then would be MX

you can jump an XR100 a little bit to get a feel for jumping but youll need at least a 250 MXr to get any real experience with air time. its addictive but not for everyone.

thats just my idea of a fast track to high level of moto skills YMMV

minis are definitely great training and sometimes more fun than the big bikes but to get the most out of them you need some friends to bang bars with. forget about racing them untill you can ride them fairly well. dirt is not as easy as pavement to learn on.

 

pretty good advice if you dont go the mini route except that big supermoto front brake gets real touchy in the dirt and causes unnecessary face plants sometimes. LOL

so yeah, supermoto FTW except its not easy learning dirt on slicks. probably not too bad if you dont have another frame of reference but crashes will certainly be occurring.

actually, the original idea for supermoto/superbikers was that was how to determine the master of all forms of moto

 

I agree with this method, plus street tires on dry dirt is so much fun when you get use to it.

 

not quite what i meant.

you're not going to be the fastest around a full size track, not going to be the fastest on a motocross track... not going to be the fastest on a dirt track... but you can do all three with minimal setup changes.

other variables notwithstanding.

 

oh i got ya.. yes, but supermoto machinary is master of supermoto racing! ;-)

dont know if you follow it as a sport but its now loosing popularity in Europe while at the same time making a (another) comeback in the USA.

the last supermoto world championship race only had 9 entries and only four race venues this year but AMA supermoto seems to have started thriving again. USA is so out of step with all things moto in the world but in this case, thats finally a good thing!

 

I know this will be blasphemy on the beeb, but have you don't any track days? When you are talking about $/lap, track days are a good bargain (relatively speaking). I started doing TDs before I got into racing, and I have only been on something other than a sportbike once in my entire life (when I did the American Supercamp last year).

It is possible to make big improvements (especially if you are just getting started) at track days. It is a calmer, more relaxed environment. You can experiment with things, try different lines, work on stuff etc and aren't worrying about losing a tenth if it doesn't work out right.

I know TDs aren't like racing. But in either case you are riding your same bike on the same tracks, at speed. You can latch onto a faster rider and try to follow him (or her). To get better at dealing with the intensity, aggressiveness and pressure of races...you need to race. But if we are talking about getting seat time and getting better at simply piloting the motorcycle around a track, you can do that at track days.

 

Yea I was already planning on that @Chaotic. What I'm looking at is maybe 2 trackdays per month on a 650 or 600 bike when I get one, and two mini,dirt, or flattrack events per month depending on whats scheduled and road races when money and time allows. Hopefully at least two more this season. Half of my reasoning is money and the other half is I really want to be a good/fast rider and even at the motogp level you see these guys practicing in the dirt. Oh and the third half (yay math) is that it just looks so fun. May not be a realistic goal but that's where I'm gonna start and see how it works.

 

In reality of other stuff will make you a better on track rider, no question but you still need track time one way or another. Sounds to me you are not financially ready to go racing. It's a commitment to the wallet. That being said if you have to hold off racing get an XR as mentioned. Cheap, fun and you will be shocked at what you learn.

 

do you have some woods nearby that you can ride on? its' getting tougher, or an mx track you can hit up that has practice days ? no doubt about it, a dirt bike is the cheapest form of motorbike riding you can do on a regular basis. Supermoto is gonna get expensive when you factor in motor rebuilds, but throw some of those in when you can. Track days are awesome on the road race bike, but is WAY more money than just throwing a dirt bike on a small trailer or in the back of a truck, and brapping some laps. Even if you crash a dirt bike, few parts break, if any. plastic is mega cheap to replace, and it's awesome for staying in shape too. just ride at your ability level. Lots of guys and gals end up banged up from mx track misshaps. I love woods riding. Tires last a long long time, you can't rev the motors really high all the time, et.c

 

I'll be in Greensburg IN this summer which is new to me, but it seems pretty rural. I'll have to look up what's close by.

 

http://www.midamspeedway.com/classes.php Idk if an xr100 would fit in there...

 

having a local place to ride, preferably freely, is most helpful for developing riding skills.

I kinda think this might be a large part of the reason moto racing has become less popular. if you must pay for seat time then your skills will be limited by your budget. so now a guy who wants to be a winning roadracer, unless he has a place to ride in his backyard, has quite a handicap to overcome.

and yeah woods riding is great too! some of the skills you learn in the woods you really cant get anywhere else, stuff like learning how to cross diagonal roots in the middle of the trail going up a steep hill or getting over fallen trees without even stopping, and countless other obstructions. not to mention being out in nature itself except you can cover 100x more ground than you can on foot or even with a pedal bike.

I kinda take it for granted since Ive always been able to ride right out of my garage into the woods most of my life but definitely get some woods skills if you can. its getting hard to do freely now unless you have property or know someone who has.

forest service roads can also be lots of fun or even old dirt roads. we do all this stuff on supermotos with street tires, even the woods riding but I wouldnt recommend it for a complete novice. it is probably the most challenging riding you can do and you will get into some situations if you get caught in a rainstorm in a mountainous area while riding on street tires. never been completely stranded and have made it through some stuff that seemed impossible. (up steep wet hills with no knobbies)


yeah, find out how to get the most seat time and then decide what bike will work best for that.

 

the mad dog class.