Well the pansies over at a certain KLR forum didn't like me to much. But that makes sense since the average KLR rider is 40 pounds overweight and spends more time bitching on adventure rider forums than actually riding.
I'm not turning my bike into a street fighter per say but I am stripping it down to bare minimum to create a street/flat tracker, vintage/modern enduro inspired bike.
My biggest inspiration has been the nx650, roughly hondas version of my bike:



My Favorite:

I started off with a pretty setup KLR that I used to tour around baja with while I was living San Diego, but I just moved to Chicago to continue my education and didnt really need a touring beast. Since I moved to a place that doesnt have the best riding weather for half the year I wanted to make something that stands out and is more fun to have a chick on the back of.

So I took off the plastics, metal bags, all the CAL emissions junk, and tore out the airbox and replaced it with a UNI air filter.

Loading her into the back of the 1981 toyota pickup and heading off to chicago!

tore down the bike to install my new vapor trail tech computer, get rid of all the extra wiring that connected the dash controls, removed the second light circuit and installed new turn signals, a new head light, and a new tail light.

Looks pretty mad max right now!


I have to get a new welding set up, I left my oxy and acet tanks in San Diego, but I feel a little mig would be best suited for this project any way. I want to cut the sub frame tail off and shorten/flatten the tail and also match the two subframe support bars so they aren't asymmetrical along with grinding off all the extra mounts.
Then I want to relocate the radiator to under the seat and build a "tall can" inspired coolant reservior. I then need to get my hands on a vintage metal dirt bike fender and mount that up. I have an old honda xl500s tank that I even got painted in a pretty porsche silver before leaving san diego(i was working in a bicycle frame building and resoration shop). But i was an idiot and didn't see if it fit on my frame before spending all the time refinishing it. so I am contemplating either hammering the bottom section of the tank so it fits over the cylinder head or selling it on ebay and finding a better tank...dilemmas.
Finally I want to build a new front wheel (probably a 17" that is wider) and rebuild the rear to match the front and then through on some continental tkc80 tires on their. ultimately too I do still want this bike to be able to do road touring, so I want to build a less cumbersome pannier system out of easily detachable knobs that screw into large ny-lock nuts that I will be welded to the frame. the knobs will be inside old ammo cannisters that are readily available at most army surplus stores. this i hope will be similar to the happy trails boxes I once had but not over engineered.
Thanks for looking, should be a really fun project. Let me know if you have any suggestions for the bike. peace! -Zach
I'm not turning my bike into a street fighter per say but I am stripping it down to bare minimum to create a street/flat tracker, vintage/modern enduro inspired bike.
My biggest inspiration has been the nx650, roughly hondas version of my bike:



My Favorite:

I started off with a pretty setup KLR that I used to tour around baja with while I was living San Diego, but I just moved to Chicago to continue my education and didnt really need a touring beast. Since I moved to a place that doesnt have the best riding weather for half the year I wanted to make something that stands out and is more fun to have a chick on the back of.

So I took off the plastics, metal bags, all the CAL emissions junk, and tore out the airbox and replaced it with a UNI air filter.

Loading her into the back of the 1981 toyota pickup and heading off to chicago!

tore down the bike to install my new vapor trail tech computer, get rid of all the extra wiring that connected the dash controls, removed the second light circuit and installed new turn signals, a new head light, and a new tail light.

Looks pretty mad max right now!


I have to get a new welding set up, I left my oxy and acet tanks in San Diego, but I feel a little mig would be best suited for this project any way. I want to cut the sub frame tail off and shorten/flatten the tail and also match the two subframe support bars so they aren't asymmetrical along with grinding off all the extra mounts.
Then I want to relocate the radiator to under the seat and build a "tall can" inspired coolant reservior. I then need to get my hands on a vintage metal dirt bike fender and mount that up. I have an old honda xl500s tank that I even got painted in a pretty porsche silver before leaving san diego(i was working in a bicycle frame building and resoration shop). But i was an idiot and didn't see if it fit on my frame before spending all the time refinishing it. so I am contemplating either hammering the bottom section of the tank so it fits over the cylinder head or selling it on ebay and finding a better tank...dilemmas.
Finally I want to build a new front wheel (probably a 17" that is wider) and rebuild the rear to match the front and then through on some continental tkc80 tires on their. ultimately too I do still want this bike to be able to do road touring, so I want to build a less cumbersome pannier system out of easily detachable knobs that screw into large ny-lock nuts that I will be welded to the frame. the knobs will be inside old ammo cannisters that are readily available at most army surplus stores. this i hope will be similar to the happy trails boxes I once had but not over engineered.
Thanks for looking, should be a really fun project. Let me know if you have any suggestions for the bike. peace! -Zach