V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner

you needed a V649HP, no trailer required.

I can 70 mph on the highway. Good to share with a beginner.

70mph...geeeez, i think that's what happens just as you shift into 3rd on the V649.

But I can pick up the XR250 much easier than the V649HP or the Wee.

And mom wold not be happy if he was doing 70 mph in 2nd gear.

Don't care if he is an adult.

sure ya can, but the 250 is just too limiting for the riding i'm doing...i'll stick with a well configured 650, like the V649, for the places i want to go.

That's why I have he Wee.

sorry, the Wee won't go either...without hurting the poor thing. not a bad motor though, even if it isn't nice and compact like the ptwin.

nothing out there that suits the criteria i've established, and that's why i build things.

Your a legend in your own mine.

you built a bike to satisfy your own criteria, why would there be a problem with someone else doing the same thing?

Not really just a joke... hell i used your thread to build mine.

Yo JD, here's the not-quite-finished product. Still need to mount the lower portion of the fairings to the crash bars. I had to cut them slightly different than I had originally planned. This is the cleanest way I could cut them so they wouldn't look too horribly bad. The little piece covering the coolant overflow tank will be clipped off to match the other side as soon as I make another out of some stainless water bottles. That will have to wait until I have access to a tig welder and a band saw.

For everyone else, this is my '08 650r. It's ADV inspired for sure, but it's not such an ADV scoot. I mainly wanted to change the ergonomics around to mirror the versys, as you'll see with the versys lower controls and ROX 5.5" risers. Yup, 5.5" risers, accompanied by versys cables and hoses. I'm a small, short FF which is why I don't have a tall bike anymore. I have much more fun on smaller, lighter stuff. Sw motech crash bars mounted up nicely with the exception of a notch I had to cut in the OEM fairing bracketry to bolt the left side on. I can still swap over to my full fairings if I decide to.

Wind protection? They still keep a good amount of wind off of my waist and torso area. Below that it's a crap shoot compared to the OEM fairing. Feels like my legs get a lot more air now.

Now you all have somewhat of an idea of what the motech crash bars look like with the ninja fairing. I hoped to keep more of the fairing, but it just didn't want to work, and cutting them this way turned out to be the best looking option in my opinion.

Not sure it's worthy of the "rat" name, matter of fact, I'm not sure what you would call it. I call it "mine" which is really all that matters to me!
Here she is in all her glory.





I made both the front and rear racks. The front one is dedicated to lights and my rain gear for easy access. Mirrors are from an ER6-N, the oem fairing mounted ones are just as useless as the oem rear shock. The mini ooga horn was a joke at work for a few days, but everyone loves it so it earned a permanent place on the bars. I've also got a wolo air horn tucked behind the headlight.

I've been following all the dirt ninja builds, and love seeing all the modifications. It's cool to see how different people put the same puzzle together! My Ninja's suspension won't be modified over stock height, but it will be re-worked as soon as I can afford it.

The only thing I still can't figure out is how all you guys are under the impression that you can have a Kawasaki without it being bright green.

i sent a pair of ER6F mid fairings down to Sean for his project so he didn't have to cut up his good set, but he didn't say how many other mods he'd already made, lookin' good. another example of how versatile these bikes are.

got the cop motor too.

as far as the green, looks damn good in my mirrors.

i found all this stuff on the side of the road...more or less. ok, some fell off the back of a truck too, except one piece fell off the back of a bus.





a big jigsaw puzzle with a bunch of missing pieces.

i guess i better start trying to fit everything together, the latest budget build, number four.

I still have the versys peg mounts if you need them?

You get things to fall out of the truck pretty easily. Can't wait to see the next build shape up.

David

thanks, big favor there.

i got that "fall off the truck" part down pat, it's what fell off the bus that got the ball rolling, another favor extended, much grass...and then i fell into a whole pickup truck load of parts, that helped too. another cheap bike on the way, i just need to find a painter who doesn't mind trying to spray asphalt sealer.

this is what fell off the bus...




time to get the show on the road.