what should my next bike-project be?

[gnyce]

Given the wealth of experience/knowledge here, thought I'd see if anyone wants to weigh in. Still pretty inexperienced with regards to small-engine/mechanical stuff, but so far I've done some minor fixups of an '83 Nighthawk and a '90 suzuki dr100 (for my kid). Looking to pick up a new winter project - minimal initial $ investment, more of a long-term project, learning, etc. Tho' I toyed with the idea of a old bmw->cafe', right now I seem to be fascinated with the early-90s chunky-tail-and-dbl-round-headlight sportbikes (with plastics - nothing naked)... specifically, casting about for either:

- yamaha fzr 600
- yamaha fzr 1000
- honda cbr 900rr

Opinions welcome - they don't even have to be informed

 

[Gary in NJ]

This was my project last winter.




This was my first custom bike project. I had so much fun I made another and right now I'm doing custom work on my FZ6. Be warned, it can get expensive.

 

[gnyce]

That's lovely... truly. One of the more attractive projects I've seen for this style/ethos. Kudos.

 

[Gary in NJ]

Thanks. It was a fun project. Even though the bike only makes 30hp, its an absolute blast to ride. Like the old saying; I'd rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. I did a lot of suspension work to the bike (same work I did to my FZ6 forks) and it handles & rides great.

 

[Motogiro]

Gary that looks so great!

Is it the photograph or is the rear end shifted off to the left side? It looks like there is a spacer on the left shock and the swing arm is aligned left?

 

[Gary in NJ]

The left shock does sit out further than the right. The Savage was originally a belt drive so the shock offset is larger than what you'd typically see on a twin shock swingarm to accommodate the 1-1/4" wide belt. The swingarm itself is properly centered. Here are a few more. You'll see from the rear-side shot that the offset just blends in.

 

[Motogiro]

The left shock does sit out further than the right. The Savage was originally a belt drive so the shock offset is larger than what you'd typically see on a twin shock swingarm to accommodate the 1-1/4" wide belt. The swingarm itself is properly centered. Here are a few more. You'll see from the rear-side shot that the offset just blends in.

Thank you for the info on that. That bike looks so sweet!

 

[gnyce]

<snip>....right now I seem to be fascinated with the early-90s chunky-tail-and-dbl-round-headlight sportbikes (with plastics - nothing naked)... specifically, casting about for either:

- yamaha fzr 600
- yamaha fzr 1000
- honda cbr 900rr

Opinions welcome - they don't even have to be informed

The answer seems to be two-fold.... 1) my neighbor gave he a bike he had languishing in his garage, a project that never got off the ground... a 1982 Yamaha XJ750 Maxim, and then 2) just found/bought a fixer-upper project, an '87 FZR1000 (she's a bit rough, but the plastics are in pretty good shape given the age). Not doing any crazy, or extensive as Gary... the XJ is a straight rehab and sell on Craigslist, and might even recoup enough to cover the FZR1000. Man do I love that shape... and the colors? Bright red rims? Just love it.

 

[zixaq]

Bandit 400 if you can find one. So cool.

 

[swedespeed]

Bandit 400 if you can find one. So cool.

dang those are sweet. 400cc inline4 yes please

 

[Gary in NJ]

Here are a few photos of my latest project. It's a work in progress. While mechanically complete, it is not cosmetically finished.

The project actually started when I found a NOS '73 TS-125 fuel tank on eBay. Then I needed a bike to install it on. I owned quote a few TS and TC bikes in the 70's and I wanted to make a modern tribute to those great enduro's. An Australian company by the name of Elesped took on a similar conversion using a Suzuki DRZ as the bones of the project. What we are looking at here is a street legal 2003 KLX400/DRZ400 that I found for cheap. The bike was in very rough shape, but I was looking for an unloved bike because I was going to make some significant changes to it.



I worked on the bike during the winter of 2017 and rode it for about 500 miles late last summer. I put it back on my bike stand this winter to complete/reshape the plastics at the rear and to rework the suspension. I'm dropping the forks and shock by 2 inches as I don't need 11 inches of travel on the street (the shock is being internally lowered by 3/4" which will result in a 2" drop). The bike is a hoot to ride. It's a bit delayed because I converted my FZ6 into a naked bike this winter as well.