Streetfightering the chopper

[80GS1000]

Guess I missed your post about the bars.

That'll definitely work. I wonder what a cruiserfighter/fighterbobber would look like - sportbike suspension and tires(USD forks and a monoshocked rear) with the bobber styling you've got going. Keep posting, this is cool stuff.

[isaac]

I wonder what a cruiserfighter/fighterbobber would look like - sportbike suspension and tires(USD forks and a monoshocked rear) with the bobber styling you've got going. Keep posting, this is cool stuff.

I, too have these questions. Only money will dictate whether I do a total USD fork/front end conversion. Of course, doing so would necessitate eschewing the 80's blingtastic gigantic front wheel in favor of a 17 incher, which could obscure the bike's inherent and endowed GSness.

Of course, by losing the "GS look" it would almost certainly become more attactive. I do like the idea of adding almost a full inch of rubber to the front end to ditch the faux jap cruiser visage. As is though, I think it looks pretty damn pimp. But yeah, it does need the flatter bar, which I await with impatience.

My gold reflective face shield showed up for my Zeus 508 today, so I essentially look like I'm coming to kill somebody when I ride the bike. The handlebars, I hope, will only further that perception.

[crag antler]

How about handlebar end mirrors??

[beergood]

You are definitely going somewhere interesting. I like it.

[ZOMBIEEATER]

I like it, kinda remindes me of the carbon fiber Exile bike.

[80GS1000]

I see your point about the front end.

What do you think of putting a fat rear tire on the bike? Would look sweet IMO.

[isaac]

I see your point about the front end.

What do you think of putting a fat rear tire on the bike? Would look sweet IMO.

Well yeah, I'd definitely love to put a big rear tire on there. The only problem is (once again) the shaft drive. I could probably put a 140mm tire on there now, but I'd have to section the swingarm to have more room. To get more tire, I'm guessing I'd need a wider rim. Then I have to spacer out the wheel from the drive axle, and find a way to extend the drive axle itself. It gets pretty extensive, though I'd love to see how someone has done it previously.

If I could get 160-170mm on there, I'd be happy. Today I was riding it in what turned into a pretty heavy rainstorm, and even with the unsync'd carbs (and resultant lack of torque below 6,000rpm) I was having trouble (read - fun) with the rear end stepping out sideways when the torque hit. The 130mm tire's pretty new back there too.

[80GS1000]

Easiest way to get around the slippage problem is to put a stickier rear tire on the bike. I am a huge fan of the Pirelli Sport Demon bias ply tire- great grip wet and dry, looks great, and transforms the bike's handling for the better.

A 140 on your stock rim would ruin (read: flatten) the tire's profile and most likely adversely affect your handling.

If you want to get into more extensive modification, you can fit a 150/160 radial on a 4.5x17" (e.g. late model Katana 600) rim. You may (check dimensions first) be able to use a GS1100 GL swingarm on your bike, which would allow the use of that wider rim and the wider tire. The biggest engineering challenge as you mention is the shaft itself - modifying it and the rest of the drivetrain to suit the new dimensions of the bike. But anything's possible.

[isaac]

Dirtbike bars are on. I didn't cut out the crossbar because it clears everything, but I might anyway. I'm also trying to decide on where to angle them. I could even flip them over and have them drop really low, but that could cause tank interference and be uncomfortable as hell.

I painted it black to go along with the theme. They had some sort of silver paint on them before.





I'm probably gonna ditch the mirrors because they're just not working. I do like having mirrors though, so bar ends might work, but those cost money, and these are already the widest bars I've ever seen on a motorcycle. If I added another 2" to each side, this thing would be as wide as an ATV.

[80GS1000]

Looking good. Those MX bars were a great addition.

[bgmart450]

Dirtbike bars are on. I didn't cut out the crossbar because it clears everything, but I might anyway. I'm also trying to decide on where to angle them. I could even flip them over and have them drop really low, but that could cause tank interference and be uncomfortable as hell.

I painted it black to go along with the theme. They had some sort of silver paint on them before.


---Either you are VERY tall or you can jump really high



---Sweet Jeep in the corner, yours?


I'm probably gonna ditch the mirrors because they're just not working. I do like having mirrors though, so bar ends might work, but those cost money, and these are already the widest bars I've ever seen on a motorcycle. If I added another 2" to each side, this thing would be as wide as an ATV.

Do they have bar ends that wrap back over the controls? Sounds like that may not get what you want tho. Maybe some lower mirrors that extend more towards the bar ends instead of up would work?

Interested on seeing how this progresses.

[beergood]

That is definitely a bike I wouldn't jay-walk in front of. Kinda reminds me of Tex Cobb's bike in Raising Arizona. I like it.

On the suggestion on a friend I picked up a set of mountain bike bar ends. They are about 2 inches around, fairly sturdy, black and the hardware all tightens down with allen wrenches. They are only 15 bucks a pop, and easy to find/replace when you do something stupid. Try one on the left side and see what you think.

I didn't have mirrors for a while and it was a situation that I don't think I could ever get comfortable with.

[isaac]

Thanks for the suggestions. Beergood, I'm definitely checking out those mountain bike mirrors.

I flipped the bars over to drop them a couple more inches, and that gave me an inch or so more pullback too. Turns out, it was really the right choice. The ergonomics feel so much better, and the bars are more of a combo streetfighter/cafe height now.

So in the last 24 hours it's gone from this:


to this:

[80GS1000]

You might want to ditch those gigantic stock front turn signals too. They don't fit with the lines of the bike and the look I think you're going for. Try some short-stalk GSXR signals instead like these:

[isaac]

You might want to ditch those gigantic stock front turn signals too. They don't fit with the lines of the bike and the look I think you're going for.

That's definitely in the plans. I think I mentioned it somewhere in here. If I do, I'm probably gonna get some of those LP flush mounts and attach em to the sides of the fork brace. I like them either there or super low profile. Of course I don't mind people being able to tell which way I'm going either.