chopper?

Hi my name is Kris im new here! i just got an 83 kz550 in trade for an old 4 wheeler. i gotta say this bike is nice for putting around town on but leaves alot to be desired when it comes to looks. I have been out of the bike seen for a few years and have been playin around with mini trucks. well my trucks almost done so i need a winter project. so heres my question. how easy would it be to hardtail and maybe rake the forks out a bit? i think im gonna go for the lowered bobber look but not really sure yet i havent been able to find much info on chopping these bikes.

cliff notes!
i want to chop my 83 kz550 and looking for info ideas and pictures

wow 22 views and nobody can through out any info at all! How about swapping forks over from a sport bike? i would like to go with a buell firebol front end with the buell rim! what about info on stretching the rear? what size is the stock tubing on the frame? what size is the neck on the bike? any bikes where parts are a direct swap from one to the other?

del

Chop it! Mine is almost finished. I bent up my own Bolt on Hadrtail Section and lowerd the rear approx. 2"in the process, making the frame rails sit paralell to the ground. I manufactured my own Solo Seat Pan, Added a Sportster Tank, and a flat 16" X 6" Trailer fender for the rear. Raking it would be a pretty big comitment and unless you really know what your doing it can get dangerous (I would not recommend it). How are your fabrication skills? If they are good and you have the common sence to know what you want, go for it. Ill send Pics. When Mine is done.

A wise old man once told me:
"Any man can restore a Bike, but it takes a real man to Chop One UP."

Have Fun with your Project

well actually the bike is in really good shape its nice and clean aluminum has a polished/matte finish all the chrome is clean the seat is still decent the only bad part on the bike is the tank which had a leak and patched with jb weld then it was painted with a cheap semi gloss black paint. the biggest down fall is the exahuast was cut of and 2 little stubby chrome pipes added to it so its loud but sounds nice till you decelerate then it sounds like pop corn popping! and he cut the cross over off and plugged it. i have had the bike for 2 weeks now and im happy with it but its just ugly i like bad looking hard core tear ur guts out on the spiked bars old school bobbed out look if you know what i mean i just dont know where to start with this bike it doesnt have the greatest base to build off of.

hay! if your looking for an all done frame to order and goin t build something you know you have no worris with try these guys

www.cycleonemanufacturing.com/kawasakicu...otorcycleframes.html

or if you want to keep your stock frame and loose the sub frame try this in e-bay

cgi.ebay.ca/Yamaha-XS650-Weld-on-Hardtai...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

a little more work but less work at the sme time, good luck with it either way and keep us posted.

does the 550 and the 650 share the same frame? i saw those frames about a week ago but nothing listed for a 550. i am not to worried about the frame i can build a back half if i can find the parts i need

ya prity sure the 550 and 650 will work. thee nice frams to start with, just bolt the motor in and go from there.

i may just build the back bone! i wanna make this the cheapest project i can i sank about way to much into my truck and thats my baby so extra funds go to the baby then the bike comes second. i plan on doing everything for under a grand i know how to do alot of the fabrication and i can do my own seat, sheet metal, welding, cutting grinding mud and paint. the only thing that i will out source is bending the pipe but i have a buddy on my fire dept that works as a metal fabricator for a living so that should be cheap if not free