Street Bike Converted to Adventure Tourer.

I have this crazy idea of converting my 1984 VF700S "Sabre" to and adventure touring bike. Its no heavier than a BMW GS, and though it sits lower, I figure it would handle gravel roads with ease. Thought about installing 80/20 street and dirt tires, hand guards, small windshield, luggage rack and panniers,along with a skid plate and maybe nerf bars.

Has anyone out there did a conversion like this and can you show me the pictures?

You can pretty much convert anything...


I am making a Yamaha FZ1 into a gravel road terror using 950 suspension.


http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=672108



Biggest deal is making sure the swingarm will work if you plan on donating. Also I think it is easier to swap in a motocross front end that way you get the tire/rim combo. Problem is that will significantly raise the front of the bike making a rear end swap necessary. And with that you get the rear rim tire etc...

Conversion bearings and friends with machine tools and a welder are all you need. Plus some vision to see it through. I'll be riding mine in a week, fingers crossed

Sweet thread. I have though about doing this with my connie for light adv touring.

WoW!:eek1 Yeah, that is quite a project. I don't think I'm gonna go that in depth with the Sabre. In fact I already have a Fox twin clickeer shock on the rear and progressive springs up front, so I'll leave the suspension as is. I just wanna make it more gravel road friendly and give it an adventure look.

I have a KLR650 for most of my riding. It actually replaced the VF700S after the bike hit 100K miles. The KLR is decked out for adventure touring and I like it allot. Its just not very good for two up riding. So the ole Sabre is just sitting there and she runs great. So I thought why not fix her up and keep riding her.

This sounds like a great project. I always admire a bike that's heavily modified to make it more versatile, especially in light of how narrowly focused many factory bikes have become.

One example I've seen was a Bandit 1200 (the old air cooled version) set up for long-distance sport touring and maybe even gravel roads. It had tires, luggage, big windscreen, relaxed ergonomics, etc. Its owner spent ~ $8000 total on bike and mods, and ended up with a machine that's probably 95% as capable as a new $18,000 R1200GSA. With that ten grand difference, you can buy a lot of gas, motel rooms, campground fees, and park entry fees. You can even afford to eat out at steak houses a lot, but at the end of a day riding that unit, I'd feel it more appropriate to dine on pork and beans, (or even kippers and Ritz crackers).

I say, go for it. In my mind, an '84 Sabre dressed out for adventure touring rates a lot of street cred--on paved or unpaved streets!

I don't get it, what do you need to change on a motorcycle to ride on a gravel road?

Tires, mainly. And it's nice to have some protection for the engine/radiator/sump. If it's a gravel road with potholes, ruts, and rocks, long travel suspension is nice.

But it isn't just about riding gravel roads. Compared to a standard street bike, adventure touring bikes have better provisions for carrying luggage and mounting other accessories, they usually have a more neutral seating position, and (ideally) they carry more fuel.

Although any bike can be ridden on a smooth, graded dirt or gravel road, many riders prefer an adventure bike for their riding style, even on pavement.

Check out this big ol' thread from the beasts forum:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330726

Sweet Thread!!! That Night Hawk and CB919 is exactly what I'm talking about! Though taller suspension is nice, for what I'm wanting to do, I think the lower center of gravity is better. Especially for a heavy bike like the VF700S.

I loved my old '84 Sabre! If some low-life hadn't stolen it, I suspect I'd still be riding it today. I rode it frequently on our rural gravel county roads here in Ct. in box stock form. (with Hondaline fairing!). Admittedly, I was risking severe financial hurt if I dropped it & broke much of that factory plastic, but I was young & foolish (& lucky!). The engine had the factory case guards, & I would never have taken it "off-road", such as plowed fields or hiking trails, but gravel roads & graded 2 track were not a serious problem, even with stock suspension. I suspect that the almost electric rheostat -like throttle response of that V-4 had something to do with it. The power came on so smoothly & progressively, that it was easy to ride fast & maintain a very precise control. You are quite right, wheelbase & weight compare favorably with the modern GS mega trailies. Perhaps the extra suspension travel would help in potholes, but I never found it a problem, & the stock bike is near perfect for the miles of b-roads required to get to the rural gravel. I used "Bagman Premiers" when touring, (throw-over saddlebags, long since defunct) but there are any number of excellent, similar, throw-over bags marketed today that would require very little modification to adapt to the Sabre. Good luck & I'm glad you are keeping the old girl on the road.

Quoted for truth.
Soichiro Honda is smiling at this idea, wherever he is.

I have been thinking about the same for quite some time, I think it could make a real awesome adventure bike.

Someone posted that picture on one of the Goldwing forums. Everybody had a good laugh.

I have ridden several cruisers on dirt/gravel roads with no problems, though not at breakneck speeds. Most streetbikes are just too heavy to ride fast off road. They can get away from you in a hurry. As far as preferring a bike just for it's looks, that's a personal choice.

All you need is a destination!!

I wuz look'in fer a Versys as an adv bike they're hard ta find, 'n kinda pricey. (I had a budget of $3K) So'z I ended up with a little FZ6. I like the low maintenance, and neatly tucked away "up" pipe.

Yeah fer gravel roads ya really don't need ta change anythang; tires maybe? Butt I put plenty a mile on gravel with street tires.
I put Pirelli Scorpions & wider Renthal bars on mah FZ6, and it's a dirtbike!



But ya do need more travel for the gnarlier stuff; I get beat up when do the rocky, rutty roads. Butt then again, I'mma old bastard.

This again?










Just go ride, people. It isn't that complicated.

No under motor pipes, skid plate, crash bars , bark-busters. All these are good things. If it's low , go slow.