V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner

I knew it was molded from a Saturn bumper... but only because Dave told me at some point when we were hanging around in Labrador, Newfoundland, or Nova Scotia in September.

--mark

that's because you're thinking about those girls at the Algarve or Costa do Sol, now they're beautiful.

this is just a bike, but yes, they're fun to build.

true, mark has a custom front end on his wee strom and we were comparing notes. that Saturn bumper thing is always good for a laugh or two.

Rustlers. Your kidding right!?

Transit will take a week for the forks, and they just got them Tues. I assume it will take another week until they get to them.

David

ok, no bike rustlers.

...but there has been a resurgence of the regular kind of rustling all across the west. you'll see even more when beef prices go through the roof again. wheat above $8 again in your neighborhood, must be plenty of new ranch pickups on the roads.



weather finally cleared here, going to turn the key on this thing in an hour or two, see if i put everything back together correctly so it will start.

Horse rustling is a loosing business since you can't turn them into dog food anymore. What do you do with a horse you can't get along with?

Cattle rustling is more profitable, depending on if you can get to market with the critters. We are a little farther from the packers and feedlots, which makes it a little more difficult. But it is still something to consider. Outsiders on bikes may be looked on with more suspicion than in the past. I'll have to trade my red Darrien in for some brown Carharts.

Can't wait to hear it run.

David

me too, so i finally got around to doing something about that.

read on.

i was anxious to see if the bike would start and run after stripping the parts bike to the bare frame and moving the engine and all the components over to the bare Versys frame.

drained and then refilled the coolant, hooked up the instruments, and then put the 650R parts bike tank on the Versys. connected the fuel line and power to the fuel pump.



the fuel tanks are interchangeable, but the 2006-08 650R tank doesn't have a fuel level sending unit like the Versys. you would still have a low fuel light with either tank. the seats do not interchange, so you would have to deal with the seat fit up against the tank.

turned the key and hit the button. the engine cranked for a fraction of a second, then fired right up like "what's all the fuss about?"...it ran like it had never been touched. i hadn't screwed anything up after all.

some guys like the looks of the smaller 650R tank on these bikes.



i need the fuel, so i'm staying with the larger Versys tank.

drilled the used Fastways to accept the 12mm footrest pin used on the Versys, and then trimmed them to fit the mount. drilling the stainless Fastways isn't hard to do, but i can see how they could get messed up if you don't take care. these are darn nice, and a big improvement over the stock footrests. checked the fit, then everything gets cleaned up for paint.

left side



right side

What kinda paint did you use on the frame

that's acrylic enamel. i would have sprayed urethane, but it's some evil crap indoors with no booth or piped air.

Nice job. I love what you've done.

Now all you need is some spoked rims. Those things on the bike are going to get all bent up.

thanks. i could have spokes i guess, but i don't want 'em for this bike. cast wheels have survived 6000 miles of gravel road in just the last two seasons with no problems. good enough test for me. besides, i want tubeless.

i took a minute to check the fit on the sidestand. no good, the one used last time is way too short and needs another 2" at least.

I am diggin the bike, but that mirror arrangement reminds me of "My Friendly Martian" lol
http://www.crazyabouttv.com/Images/myfavoritemartian.gif

Keep up the good work and thanks for all of your research, I hope some day soon I can complete my project.

ya don't like my fancy KTM folding mirrors? damn, i thought these were the hot setup...



that is until i found out that these Italian manufactured mirrors have a little design defect. by looking at the 10mm threaded mounting stem, you might assume the 10mm stem continued all the way to the elbow. not exactly. immediately inside the molded plastic elbow assembly, the stem reduces to a mere 6mm. that's all that attaches the mirror to the bike, about the diameter of a cocktail straw. you can't see it until it breaks.



both of my mirrors fell off in Labrador, that 6mm section wasn't up for the travel on gravel roads.

i did notify the ADV vendor when i got back, and he sent two new elbows for the cost of postage. the concept behind the mirror is great, they just need to make them stronger.


since you have the Versys, many of the changes can be done in a couple hours. get goin' on that thing.

back to the R1 shock, time to get that thing mounted. as mentioned the stock bushed ends are 10mm and need to be taken out to the 12mm bolt diameter Kawasaki uses, which is not exactly 12mm. check it.

the conventional end can be drilled VERY CAREFULLY, careless and you will ruin the piece. the bushing on the needle bearing end needs to be bored, i don't think you can touch it with a twist drill.

bored left, stock right.



the shock mount on the 2009 650R swingarm needed to be clearanced another couple mm on the lip, but otherwise the R1 bolts right in.



quite a change. the plastic trim will need to be cut a little to clear the reservoir.

Any chance the stock bushings would fit in the R1 shock?

The stock bushings fit in the honda shock I'm using.

coincidendal that you ask. i did put the caliper on the bushings and it looks like the small conventional end of the 650R shock might swap, but i didn't bother to press it out until i run the R1 for some miles. then i'll pull the R1 back out, check the ends again, and go from there. the Versys and 650R have different ends, so there may be a combination of bushings that will fit.

i looked at the ends of my Versys shock to check for any obvious wear, and they're good despite plenty of hard miles.

i've had a whole bunch of stuff apart over the last several years, and a wacky record setting pile of junk lately that needed to be assembled. i've used the regular Loctite for decades but switched to gel recently. this stuff is very handy to use, and doesn't drip like the standard liquid Loctite. holds fasteners really well.



if you're planning on pounding along across those gravel roads, best glue the old bike together, or bring along a coffee can full of spare bolts.