Supermoto Set Up Qs

I have a 2015 YZ450 I’m putting together as a Supermoto. Minus the wheels (which I still have to get and don’t know if I should do the 4.24 or 5 inch rear wheel)

Can someone give some insight on setup up and must have parts, safety wiring/ catch cans etc. I do plan on having the suspension set up professionally (factory connection front internals and stock rear shock) and I’ll be running Metzelers. Ive read the master cylinder is half decent on these and I’ve already ordered the front oversized brake kit from Galfer. I know you can go buck wild on putting money into supermoto stuff but I’m looking to do the bare minimum to be able to do a few track days on big bike tracks and kart tracks. Might even try to race it on select weekends for the hell of it. Just need some guidance on where to start

Thanks everyone

 

So, really, wheels, 320mm rotor and matching caliper bracket, and go rip. Just starting out, you don't even need to bother with the big brake if you don't want. The only other area you need to put time/money into is containment, catch and overflow bottles.

 

For what I paid for the oversized brake kit it was worth it.

What containment/cans do you have to do? I know safety wife all fluid stuff I get that.

 

Crankcase vent(s), carb vent(s)/drain(s), and radiator overflow are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I used two Motion Pro catch bottles on my machine, one mounted to the radiator air deflector as a proper overflow, the other mounted in the 'crotch' of the front frame downtube ahead of the engine for my crank vent. My carb vents directly into the airbox so I didn't have to do anything with it.

 

Also, on the Metezlers, their Sumo 17" rear works just fine on a 4.25" rear wheel.

 

My bike is fuel injected so no carb can for me. I saw a set up of someone pipe clamping a overflow to the down tube of the frame. I might be able to do something like that. .

 

These seem to work well on modern Yamahas: https://www.motostrano.com/UFO-Supermotard-Catch-Tank-p/ac02086380.htm

 

16.5 front wheel and 5 inch wide rear for sure.

 

I thought 17 was the front to have?

 

Keep an eye out for a bigger fuel tank. I’ve seen comments about running out of fuel during races on big tracks.

 

Not for track, at least not on the kart track. 16.5 turns better and has a better profile

 

All the AMA Supermoto guys use the 16.5 front

 

Metzler makes a 16.5 and 17 front. I'd do a 5" rear for sure but did someone say the metzler slicks will work on a 4.25" ?? I have a 14 CRF250R Supermoto and I have a 4.25" rear wheel and I was looking at tire options and they don't seem to be all that great.. not really wanting to go 5" and get chain rub since its just a 2fiddy.

 

I've heard of Metzeler tires but never Metzler?

 

I run a motion pro generic overflow bottle for the radiator. I run the carb lines to the airbox amd the crank breather to the carb. I also run a skid plate with the holes patched with plastic welder as a pseudo "belly pan." Passes tech.

 

I built a 2013 YZ450F Supermoto just a couple of months ago. Still tweaking on it to get it where I want it to be.

While the stock master may be decent, the caliper and pad selection for that caliper suck (assuming that the '15 is close to the '13). At least they did for me. They'll be glazed over and worthless with just moderate braking. I opted for an OEM first gen R6 master that I had laying around and sourced a Brembo 4 piston caliper off of a 07 KTM 690 SM, which I was able to find some great pads for. The difficult thing with all of that is getting a relocation bracket for whatever caliper you use. The bracket that will come with the oversized rotor will only work for the stock caliper. I wound up fabricating my own bracket to use.

You'll also need to play with your gearing, depending on what track you're on. I currently have 15/38 on mine, but have 13,14,15 and 38,40,43 to change around with. I'm headed to Road Atlanta with it in a couple of weeks and picked up a 16 front to try there. Not sure if it'll pull it or not. We'll see....

I dropped the forks 3" internally and put in shorter, stiffer springs. Dropped the rear 1" with a new set of dog bones and put on a stiffer spring. I still have the stock internals in both, but rebuilt them with new seals, bushings and o-rings. My forks don't have a preload adjustment on them, I have to do it with spacers on the springs, which means having to tear them down to make any changes. Sucks...

I've got a 4.25" rear on mine. I've been running a 150 slick, but put a 165/55 slick on it last night and it seems to fit fine. It's taller than the 150, which should help with top end, but it's going to mess with my geometry a little bit.

I picked up a motion pro overflow bottle for the radiator, mounted to the front of the frame, with the overflow tube running into my bellypan. I just have the crankcase vent hose running into my bellypan as well. I picked up a Cycra plastic skid plate and glassed over the holes and made a back piece for it for a bellypan.

My water pump seals went bad, so I upgraded to a Boyesen oversized impeller while I had it apart. Not sure if it was necessary, but figured it couldn't hurt.

 

Not true. 16 inch rims are used also.

 

True, but with 5 back to back AMA Supermoto championships in the premier class since 2014 a 16.5 Metzeler front seems to be the dominant tire

 

Metzeler SM tire data is attached for those who need to peek at it

 

The 17" SM Metzler rear works beautifully on a 4.25" wide rear rim. On avoiding chain rub: Talk to Rebel Gears, ask them to make you a sprocket from a 530 blank, back cut to cut it down to 520 width. You end up with an offset sprocket setup that doesn't require spacers or any other fiddly bits. They've made a few for me so it shouldn't take too much explanation time to get what you need.