SuperMoto has been largely influenced by the Europeans since we Americans dropped the ball back in the 80's. Recently, however, we've really picked up the slack and now have put SuperMoto back into the scene, painted red, white and blue. Fortunately, with the internet, other places in the world have access to our wonderful sport, and we see more and more riders pop up in the most unsuspecting places.
I've had the wonderful opportunity to witness a grassroots enthusiasm emerge for SM in a place that was one of the poorest countries in the world 30 years ago - Indonesia. Still, nowhere near the wealth we have here in the States, Indonesian SuperMoto riders such as Adam Sutawijaya and friends have a "rung what ya' brung" attitude with their wild conversions using dirtbike and scooter platforms.
In our commodity-based American culture, we are so quick to constantly upgrade our bikes by tossing the old and bring in the new. But, there was a time in our motoring history when hot rodders and chopper builders took mom and dad's hand-me-downs or junkyard rust-buckets and turned them into moving, breathing, functional works of art.
Indonesian riders remind me of those past American builders. They don't have the luxury to buy off-the-shelf, race-ready bikes, so they build their own. And, just like our historical hot rod and chopper builders, a piece of their soul goes into each and every one of their bikes. Check out what's going on with our Indonesian friends at www.supermotoindonesia.com
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