V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner

The suspension did its job. I would say it was better. It certianly didn't make me a Dakar rider though, so I'm a little disappointed. $2000 better? I couldn't tell. The harsh bumps are absorbed better, and it seems more stable. It has some "bling" appeal.

Some upgrades are such a mixed bag. I'm trying different things and seeing what happens. When I'm old and wise like you, I'll know better.

David

lol, I almost missed your "mountains" reference there. Have fun. -David

hey, ya have to be local before you can disparage those, besides, if ya squint a little and use your imagination, they really are mountains.

my rat had some bling once.

i'm thinking of starting a new thread.

Travels With jdrocks 2012

the most recent, i kinda ran outta road...



from earlier...



might be time to write up the stories.

That would be great

I am thinking about painting my ADversys white as well.

The R1 shock is mounted to. Just need to find a roadstar spring and that seems to be kinda difficult here in sweden.

That would be cool JD but you need to get a Go pro so we can have videos of your adventures

WHITE? ok, as long as you're way the heck over there. the bike does look real good in white, i'll admit that.


why not just have the correct spring custom made for you. there has to be some company locally or in the Euro market that can do it for you at reasonable cost, or just order the spring from the States, still cheap for a custom shock. the R1 with the right spring is hard to beat on the Versys, even at twice the cost.

i can't keep the V649 right side up WITHOUT a camera on my head. besides, it would just be one more thing i'd end up breaking.



ok, i wrecked the bike again, but the story of this day starts with SPANX and French Guyana...a GoPro wouldn't help me there.

Hehe. Not all white, I think I will try a combination with white and the blue.

I don not think there is any company locally but maybe further down the country.
There are a few roadstar springs on ebay but they only ship to the states.

What is the cost for a custom spring in the states?

our mountains...



only 300 miles away, not 3000. some very rugged roads that push my skills and the rat's capabilities.

contact these people cannonracecraft.com

they have the build sheet for the 07/08 R1 shock spring, and can wind a spring in whatever weight you want. i'm using a 16kg spring, others have ordered their springs in different rates. cannon will also powdercoat in your choice of color.

if prepaid, no reason they can't ship to Sweden. <cite>


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Ok, thanks

Bravo! That's quite a profound admission.

Same here. I just did 4,000 miles on my minimalist suspension mods and I still don't have a clue but the bike worked fine for the type riding I'm doing. The ergos however, had me suffering toward the end of the ride - so that's what I'm working on next.

They don't need to be tall to be rugged or have difficult roads. Glad your back, and mostly in one piece.

David

Just did 60 miles of sand riding in the Pine Barrens, NJ. The dirt ninja is a handful back there and I couldn't keep up with my buddy on his ktm 450xc but it was still a lot of fun. I'm glad I made it through the "puddle" I decided to ride through, turned out to drop to 2 feet in the middle abruptly, I had muddy water shooting over my head (awesome). I love the sound the exhaust makes when it is submerged, however I definitely need to re-route it since this occurs too often.

i'm shocked.

... I Couldn't keep up with my buddy on his KTM 450xc...

I have the same problem with a DRZ 400 but i did find out if you get in front on gravel 11000 RPMs will keep them off your butt.

GETRIDOFTHAT17FRONT...you won't need anything close to 11,000 and your buddy will have a real tough time back there in the dust. those big tires do raise the dust, and you have enough HP to spin that rear in a bunch of different gears. crack those throttle bodies open, that gravel gets rearranged fast.

i've had to backtrack on some roads during recent trips due to closed gates and also some damn poor navigation. i about have to laugh when i see the tracks the rat bike makes on those roads. lucky it's a road, ya could plant crops in those furrows.

haha I know, very surprising

surprising to find you have a broken arm! hope you heal up quick.

pjm rat bike for sale here...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=805408