Converted to dual-sport? POST PICS!!

[Bambi]

Hello FatherX,
so we heard and saw the result of your friend's efforts in july this year on the Loreley-rock in the rhine-valley in Germany!
Iris and me have been into progressive rock most time of our lives. This calmed down a bit in the 80's and 90's, as German radio started to refuse playing this kind of music (and still does!). We had to turn to our old records and got nothing new. We even missed the foundation and early success of bands like Dream Theater and Queensryche for excample. The turn of the tides reached us in 2000. Thanks to the internet we're back in the scene again and enjoy our old heroes like Yes and Peter Gabriel plus today's prog bands like Enchant and Porcupine Tree and prog metal like Dream Theater and Pain of Salvation and so on and on. Thanks to music magazine Eclipsed and our now-again growing personal cd-archive I could count and discuss bands for hours and hours ...
(Prog-) Rock the world!
Kind regards, Bambi

[villageidiot]

Originally Posted by Jason F.

Think is a reasonable starting point for a frankendualsport along the lines of those posted in the pages of this thread?
How light do you think I should try to get it or should I even worry about weight if it is under 500lbs?
Any good thoughts on suspension choices?
I have about a month to plan and brainstorm since I want to start in mid November when work slows down a bit for the holiday season.

yes, thats a good starter bike.

go to all balls and see what other bikes use the same steering stem bearings, or call them and they"ll answer some questions on your potential front end bearing diameters etc.

i bet v strom wheels would almost bolt on.

dr 650 forks are good and cheap most the time. dr650 rear wheels also have a street style cush drive, same with klr

[TerraRoot]

Originally Posted by Jason F.

It is pretty easy to modify the rear for height and it is common to swap longer GSXR or Busa rear shocks on the Bandits but that does not actually increase travel. It just gives you more ride height and a stiffer spring. If I recall the eye to eye length of the mono shock is in the neighborhood of 12 to 12.5 inches so if I could find something with decent travel close to 13 inches in length I could make that work even if it means making some new linkage bits.

perhaps find some lowering links out there on ebay, then add a longer shock, end up with the correct chain run and more wheel travel? i got a dead dr750 out back i can measure the head stock length and the the swingarm width, if they fit it would be best to find a dr 650-800 with no engine and swap the bits.

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by Jason F.

How light do you think I should try to get it or should I even worry about weight if it is under 500lbs?

My Bandit 600 is coming in under 400 so far, I'll get back to working on it after the first of the year.

[Jason F.]

Originally Posted by TerraRoot

perhaps find some lowering links out there on ebay, then add a longer shock, end up with the correct chain run and more wheel travel? i got a dead dr750 out back i can measure the head stock length and the the swingarm width, if they fit it would be best to find a dr 650-800 with no engine and swap the bits.

Yeah that would be a great idea. I had some lowering links I machined up when I put a GSXR-1000 shock on the street Bandit. I sold that bike recently but I am sure I saved the program somewhere and have more than enough scrap to machine a second set. With the rear of the bike raised just a touch it had good ground clearance and it actually improved steering response a decent bit on the street.

I know that swing arm swaps are common with these bikes since the different generations as well as the 600 and 1200 arms swap. Busa arms swap with very minor modification. I would bet other Suzuki bikes would swap as well like the DR you mentioned.

[Jason F.]

Originally Posted by larryboy

My Bandit 600 is coming in under 400 so far, I'll get back to working on it after the first of the year.

That is about all the inspiration I need.

So you have more details? Obviously you swapped out the rear swing arm and wheel as well as the front end. What did you source the parts from? The picture is shaded but it looks like you completely changed out the rear section of the bike subframe with a custom piece. What do you have planned for the exhaust and the rest of the rear section?

[larryboy]

Originally Posted by Jason F.

That is about all the inspiration I need.

So you have more details? Obviously you swapped out the rear swing arm and wheel as well as the front end. What did you source the parts from? The picture is shaded but it looks like you completely changed out the rear section of the bike subframe with a custom piece. What do you have planned for the exhaust and the rest of the rear section?

All those answers are here:

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=432320


Some things have changed since that picture...robbed a few parts for other bikes. It was crashed and the neck tweaked, that's why it got a new front end.

[NordieBoy]

Originally Posted by drcoopster

OK, not really a "converted" picture (it's my DR650), but I just want to say that the Shinko 705 (shown below) has much better traction on sand, gravel, and other loose stuff than I would have ever imagined.

Yep. My DR400F is going to get a set of 705's.

If they still make them then...

[FatherX]

Rode with theses guys today





I'm the short fat kid...not the slow kid








Remember (as my wife pointed out) it was the Hobits who saved the world

[ThomasVolomitz]

Hobbits

[FatherX]

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

Hobbits

good point

[TerraRoot]

[TerraRoot]

[EnduroRdr]

Originally Posted by TerraRoot

Sweeeeeeeeeet - now we talkin!

[ThomasVolomitz]

The 1300 Kawasaki is just crazy. Gotta love that!