V649HP-Kawasaki's new gravel runner - Page 88

jdrocks · 03-08-2012, 05:12 PM

18 months ago i got on the phone and called Berg Briggs, interesting guy doing some interesting things. we talked about what i wanted to do, and after satisfying himself that i wasn't poaching his products, he agreed to sell me a couple components and shipped them right out. great, that's a start, except that i was moving many directions, had some time constraints, and never found another piece of the puzzle...at least not cheap. you should know by now, it has to be cheap if you're going to use it on a budget build. Berg's parts have been collecting dust for a year and a half.

out of the blue, the missing pieces at the right price (thanks Mr. Inmate, ya know who ya are), got Berg's parts off the shelf, now i'm ready to fabricate, starting with these...

bodie1 · 03-08-2012, 06:04 PM

Those look interesting. Man im having one heck of a time locating a dl1000 front wheel.

donny662 · 03-08-2012, 07:49 PM

Soft bags?

Those are the loops for the Wolfman soft saddlebags.

jdrocks · 03-09-2012, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodie1

Those look interesting. Man im having one heck of a time locating a dl1000 front wheel.

not easy to find and there are others looking. that said, i bought a near new 19" wheel a short while back real cheap. keep looking.

jdrocks · 03-09-2012, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donny662

Soft bags?

Those are the loops for the Wolfman soft saddlebags.

there's someone out there with a sharp eye.

bodie1 · 03-09-2012, 05:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdrocks

not easy to find and there are others looking. that said, i bought a near new 19" wheel a short while back real cheap. keep looking.

Yeah tell me about it ive called and/or e-mailed around twenty places. And with probably half of them they either told me somebody else had inquired about that part or they were looking for one for a friend/relative.

Soft saddle bags interesting choice what made you decide to go that route.

jdrocks · 03-09-2012, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodie1

Soft saddle bags interesting choice what made you decide to go that route.

weight saving over my other custom bracket/pelican setup primarily, but this setup will also allow me the flexibility to mount rotopax cans on each side if needed. i don't need two cans of fuel, but i did find that i could have used both a can of fuel and a can of drinking water on my trips.

i sold a 19" DL wheel earlier this year for a fair price, but you weren't looking then. remember, the KLR uses the smaller axle, so the DL650 wheel works for that one.

bodie1 · 03-09-2012, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdrocks

weight saving over my other custom bracket/pelican setup primarily, but this setup will also allow me the flexibility to mount rotopax cans on each side if needed. i don't need two cans of fuel, but i did find that i could have used both a can of fuel and a can of drinking water on my trips.

i sold a 19" DL wheel earlier this year for a fair price, but you weren't looking then. remember, the KLR uses the smaller axle, so the DL650 wheel works for that one.

A little more versatile and save some weight i can understand that. Also having some water on hand when its nice and hot out is always nice.
I actually was looking for the wheel when you sold yours its just by the time i found that thread it was sold i was literally a week late but thats how it goes. Luckily i dont plan on starting on my bike till fall (gotta finish wearing out those spendy scorpion mt60s) so ive got time to be patient got a call from a salvage yard today they have dl1000 wheel, but its $350 for a bare wheel plus shipping so im gonna hold out.
I had noticed axle bearing sizing with the klr and dl650 front axle, but my buddy is set on a spoke 21" front.

ktmklx · 03-09-2012, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdrocks

thanks, what ya been doing on the bike? going back to montana?

There is some bike work going on, I' ll have to post some updates soon.

No Montana this year, either Colorado or Wyoming maybe both. Been working on some routes, may try to incorporate some of the TAT into them.

Where is that white horse going to roam this summer?

jdrocks · 03-10-2012, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodie1

Luckily i dont plan on starting on my bike till fall (gotta finish wearing out those spendy scorpion mt60s) so ive got time to be patient...

gives you some time to source everything.

jdrocks · 03-10-2012, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ktmklx

Where is that white horse going to roam this summer?

PM sent.

fredgreen stopped by yesterday, down from Nova Scotia. we might hatch a plan.

jdrocks · 03-12-2012, 07:32 PM

in the junk box was the wire headlight guard from the old Buell setup. this guard was smashed out in Montana in 09, and until i got home the last i remembered seeing it was lying in the gravel along with the rest of my junk. i never picked it up, but one of those old ranchers did and stuck it in with the rest of my gear. i found it when i got home.

i got it out, stuck it in the vise, pulled and twisted, got it to fit, repainted.

another resurrected part...

nononsense4857 · 03-12-2012, 09:44 PM

Hi JDRocks,

My heartfelt congratulations on your enviable trip and more so on your gravel runner. Very few have the privilege of going out on a dream ride on a vehicle designed from scratch to their liking. This was a bullet proof build.

Its been close to five hours of pure joy reading your build thread. To me this was like a movie with a good build up and then it gets you going through the intermission - still stuck to your seat with a can of popcorn and soda and finally a happy ending by giving out a detailed post ride report of how your bike fared at everything that was thrown its way.

You've got a new fan in me and though i've toured a lot, i come close to this "video gamer" you were mentioning at the start of the thread when you were referring to the damaged stator cover.

I'm from India and here we use two wheelers as our daily commuters. The weather permits us to be this way all year round. I was introduced to the world of biking through a 100cc bike that gives a 80 km to a liter. It was a proud moment when i purchased a 220cc "tourer" for 1000 USD, for most of us here this is royalty. I've dreamt of owning a "big" bike some day and it became a reality after all the years of savings when i finally took the keys of the 2011 Kawasaki 650R. Its been four months and a steep learning curve. I had to get accustomed to 65% increased displacement and more than 70% of increased power compared to the previous bike i owned. The ride so long has been very educating and a joy too.

We do not have a lot of choices here in India due to the fact that any bike imported comes with a default 300% customs duty and any bike lesser than 800cc has to undergo a mandatory homologation by a government appointed organization.

So when we had the chance to grab a street legal 650, the lucky few grabbed it with both hands. I had to tell you this because given my taste for long distance touring and my deep desire to visit what most of us bikers call here the holy grail of biking - Leh (home to the highest motorable road in the world) - you would have advised a Versys over the 650R.

I had most of the touring exigencies taken care of with my previous bike. I'm ready to do what ever it takes to learn the same for the 650R too. But my previous bike had a good ground clearance and did not weigh as much as the 650R. Also, i'm close to just 5'7" and that is not encouraging for somebody who wants both feet on the ground while on a ride. I do not have much liberty when it comes to increasing the ground clearance due to my height disadvantage.

This thread is proof that nothing is impossible and if one wants a mod they might as well have a quality mod much higher in standards than the factory stock. I'm not as lucky as you when it comes to resources at your disposal, but i am willing to explore my options. Thanks to you and this thread.

jdrocks · 03-13-2012, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nononsense4857

So when we had the chance to grab a street legal 650, the lucky few grabbed it with both hands. I had to tell you this because given my taste for long distance touring and my deep desire to visit what most of us bikers call here the holy grail of biking - Leh (home to the highest motorable road in the world) - you would have advised a Versys over the 650R.

glad you enjoyed following along with the build. you've made a great choice in your purchase of the 650R, ultra reliable, and with the smaller/lighter rider they are rocket fast. as you transitioned to the 650, you would not have been happy with a bike that didn't allow you to get your feet down. now you're ready to start your own adventure touring, i'd be interested in knowing how it works out.

safe travels.

jdrocks · 03-13-2012, 04:13 AM

off with the footpeg mounts. i had a mounting pad welded to these struts on the old pannier racks, but those aren't needed now. due to the design of the Versys subframe, these struts are structural when carrying a load, although i ride without them when no panniers are mounted.

03-08-2012, 05:12 PM	#1306
jdrocks ^OP Gravel Runner Joined: Jul 2007 Oddometer: 2,766	18 months ago i got on the phone and called Berg Briggs, interesting guy doing some interesting things. we talked about what i wanted to do, and after satisfying himself that i wasn't poaching his products, he agreed to sell me a couple components and shipped them right out. great, that's a start, except that i was moving many directions, had some time constraints, and never found another piece of the puzzle...at least not cheap. you should know by now, it has to be cheap if you're going to use it on a budget build. Berg's parts have been collecting dust for a year and a half. out of the blue, the missing pieces at the right price (thanks Mr. Inmate, ya know who ya are), got Berg's parts off the shelf, now i'm ready to fabricate, starting with these... __________________ Canuckistan/Alaska, 2009; Exotic Eastern Canada, 2010; “It’s got a cop motor…” TAT, CDR, FTR, Yukon, 2011; Travels With jdrocks, 2012 V649HP Bike Build

03-08-2012, 07:49 PM	#1308
donny662 Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Apr 2008 Location: Michigan Oddometer: 337	Soft bags? Those are the loops for the Wolfman soft saddlebags. __________________ Calvin: I think people worry too much about the little things. All they do is make themselves unhappy that way. Why get an ulcer over things that don't really matter? Hobbes: Like that book report you're supposed to be writing now on the book you haven't read? Calvin: Exactly. Case in point.

03-12-2012, 07:32 PM	#1317
jdrocks ^OP Gravel Runner Joined: Jul 2007 Oddometer: 2,766	in the junk box was the wire headlight guard from the old Buell setup. this guard was smashed out in Montana in 09, and until i got home the last i remembered seeing it was lying in the gravel along with the rest of my junk. i never picked it up, but one of those old ranchers did and stuck it in with the rest of my gear. i found it when i got home. i got it out, stuck it in the vise, pulled and twisted, got it to fit, repainted. another resurrected part... __________________ Canuckistan/Alaska, 2009; Exotic Eastern Canada, 2010; “It’s got a cop motor…” TAT, CDR, FTR, Yukon, 2011; Travels With jdrocks, 2012 V649HP Bike Build

03-13-2012, 04:13 AM	#1320
jdrocks ^OP Gravel Runner Joined: Jul 2007 Oddometer: 2,766	off with the footpeg mounts. i had a mounting pad welded to these struts on the old pannier racks, but those aren't needed now. due to the design of the Versys subframe, these struts are structural when carrying a load, although i ride without them when no panniers are mounted. __________________ Canuckistan/Alaska, 2009; Exotic Eastern Canada, 2010; “It’s got a cop motor…” TAT, CDR, FTR, Yukon, 2011; Travels With jdrocks, 2012 V649HP Bike Build

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03-08-2012, 06:04 PM	#1307
bodie1 slightly unbalanced Joined: Feb 2012 Location: Iowa Oddometer: 12	Those look interesting. Man im having one heck of a time locating a dl1000 front wheel.

03-12-2012, 09:44 PM	#1318
nononsense4857 Adventurer Joined: Mar 2012 Oddometer: 25	Hi JDRocks, My heartfelt congratulations on your enviable trip and more so on your gravel runner. Very few have the privilege of going out on a dream ride on a vehicle designed from scratch to their liking. This was a bullet proof build. Its been close to five hours of pure joy reading your build thread. To me this was like a movie with a good build up and then it gets you going through the intermission - still stuck to your seat with a can of popcorn and soda and finally a happy ending by giving out a detailed post ride report of how your bike fared at everything that was thrown its way. You've got a new fan in me and though i've toured a lot, i come close to this "video gamer" you were mentioning at the start of the thread when you were referring to the damaged stator cover. I'm from India and here we use two wheelers as our daily commuters. The weather permits us to be this way all year round. I was introduced to the world of biking through a 100cc bike that gives a 80 km to a liter. It was a proud moment when i purchased a 220cc "tourer" for 1000 USD, for most of us here this is royalty. I've dreamt of owning a "big" bike some day and it became a reality after all the years of savings when i finally took the keys of the 2011 Kawasaki 650R. Its been four months and a steep learning curve. I had to get accustomed to 65% increased displacement and more than 70% of increased power compared to the previous bike i owned. The ride so long has been very educating and a joy too. We do not have a lot of choices here in India due to the fact that any bike imported comes with a default 300% customs duty and any bike lesser than 800cc has to undergo a mandatory homologation by a government appointed organization. So when we had the chance to grab a street legal 650, the lucky few grabbed it with both hands. I had to tell you this because given my taste for long distance touring and my deep desire to visit what most of us bikers call here the holy grail of biking - Leh (home to the highest motorable road in the world) - you would have advised a Versys over the 650R. I had most of the touring exigencies taken care of with my previous bike. I'm ready to do what ever it takes to learn the same for the 650R too. But my previous bike had a good ground clearance and did not weigh as much as the 650R. Also, i'm close to just 5'7" and that is not encouraging for somebody who wants both feet on the ground while on a ride. I do not have much liberty when it comes to increasing the ground clearance due to my height disadvantage. This thread is proof that nothing is impossible and if one wants a mod they might as well have a quality mod much higher in standards than the factory stock. I'm not as lucky as you when it comes to resources at your disposal, but i am willing to explore my options. Thanks to you and this thread.