JP's Street Fighter or Cruiser...

Okay.. the winter project is...

KZ1000p conversion -



I was thinking about getting something like this K1000 police special, without the gawd awful fairing and boxes and Cr@p ..

Powder coating the tank Gloss Black, matting out the finish on all the aluminum (using scotch bright, wd 40 and some elbow grease)
I don't know if I'm up for a complete strip down of the bike at first, probably just thorough detail, polish and wax on the frame and wheels..




Seat something like these




4 into one exhaust..



Black is better, right?



Okay-- so I found these full dress bikes, too -



I'm still in a quandary..

Stopped by there today, and they were making this bike for someone (Saw the parts a few weeks back) but that person's deal fell through.. SOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooo they're selling it for now..










I think this looks pretty nice actually - they're asking around 4500 for this thing..

But.. the bike is HEAVY.. yet it's a cruiser.. I'm thinking the street fighter naked could be better.. I don't have time to go to ballys to work out enough to lift this pig.. LOL
My questions are..

1. Seat question... is there a direct bolt on dual seat that works well that anyone knows of?

2. Weight.. these things feel pretty heavy (being used to a sport bike or an MX'er) Of course, I'd go after the frame with a grinder and cut off everything that wouldn't be needed.. Someone had mentioned the wiring harness to me is an extreme source of FAT on the bike..

3. Engine vibration - HOLY COW do these thing vibrate compared to my 600... feels like a giant vibrator!

4. Shocks - I was thinking of going with some Works Performance (cheapest that will work on it..)any ideas?

5. I'd probably go with an all black and polished aluminum look -

Somethign along these lines..




Whatcha think?
If any of you know of a cool mini-fairing / dual light combo aftermarket kit - let me know, please?

Thanks!


Finally - am I just NUTZ to take on this project? The real goal is to have a cruizer that's got some punch to it.. but that's different.. and my budget is limited..



** note -

Engine would look like this -




Forks like this -

Post edited by: JPinLA, at: 2005/11/21 00:37

Well, you are being fairly ambitious but it is a do-able project...but it also might involve a bag of money...others in this forum should post today or so. Several people here have made police bikes look very interesting as cruisers, I don't recall who they were but if no one responds to your question, I'll do some digging in the archives.

What sort of riding do you plan for it? End result of your two proposals differs and may not suit.

I ask because I have a GS1000GT with the big fairing and it's no fun for riding around town(ft500) and day trips(kz1000). It's OK on the freeway, but I don't even like taking a car on the freeway. Prefer US and SR. Personal preference. I know guys who ride around town on big electro-glides.

If you were local, I'd make you a deal on the GS!

As for vibration. IMO, these bikes are smooth. Suggest you look at some others examples for comparison, before you buy.

-Duck

I vote for the top fairing ( the rifle one) and some other kinda seat.....never liked them double-bucket looking things. The black/aluminum look has potential, I think. Make D@MN sure you have a "P" model manual.....lots o' xtra wiring on them things!!
Keep us posted as ya go!

My first suggestion would be to not powdercoat the tank. Powedercoat looks great but it is hard to get scratches out of it and nicks are impossible to cover up. With a good black paint job you can wet sand and polish to make it look new again. Just a thought.

Gotcha on the paint.. I do like powdercoating as it's durable, but your points about nicks, scratches are well taken.

I have a sportbike, now. She's like an F16 so speak, what I'm hoping on this project, is to have a nice cruiser, that's black, runs well, comfortable to ride and looks great -more of like a nice lear / gulfstream jet.. still fast and reasonably nimble, but nice on the highway.. (hence the smaller fairing / shield.. )

Weight is a concern, of course, so as I get into it, I'll cut / grind off what's not needed for the bike.

Regarding the Vibration, I'll check out some others as well.. (perhaps I'm just spoiled by the 600?) To me, at first, it felt like it needed some sort of counterbalancers or maybe just engine mounts needed tightening, I'm not sure.. I just know it "FELT" as if shook a lot compared to what I'm used to. But then what do I know, right? LOL.

Shocks...

WP's seem like a nice option -- I don't need a full race bike type shock as I'm never going to be stressing it through the "canyons" or twisties... but ride is important..

I also saw some NEW OEM shocks on EBAY - what are you thoughts on the factory dampening? I'd imagine once all the crap is off the bike, they could be too stiff - plus I'm about 170 with full gear on.. I ain't the biggest guy, for sure..

I'm so glad to have found this forum. I usually am on over at sfvbikenight.com or socalsportbikes.info
The input has been terrific and I look forward to this project -- Knowing the experience that is here, really makes for the comfort factor if I should get stuck..

Holy CRAP!!!! That a shyte-load of P-models! I guess I would expect it in the land of CHiPs, Though! Bitchin'! Best of luck with the project.

Oz

If you think it vibrates now, wait til you put that v-twin in there...BTW, I wouldn't go to the trouble. Smooth rules!

Whoops, I meant engine would have the scotchbrite pad / wd40 + elbow grease look of that satin aluminum / steel. I wouldn't put an S&S in there, no way.. Sorry for the confusion.. **the pics of that Red bike were in there only for the look I wanted on the forks / engine**

Ya know, I was thinking..



What about a look like this -
I'd have to black out the engine (no problem.. LOL - VHT paint) then powdercoat the covers on the sides..

I love that look.. Or maybe a totally blacked out engine?

Thoughts?

Suggestions?

**What about shocks?**

Post edited by: JPinLA, at: 2005/11/22 00:54

Post edited by: JPinLA, at: 2005/11/22 00:55

Was thinking about a couple of ideas..
Whatcha think about going with the Fairing / windscreen off of a Z1000s?

I was thinking about maybe going with the Z1000S fairing / windshield..

Thoughts? Ideas?
Input?

Okay, I guess I could have thought about that a little longer, and figured that out...maybe... I can be a little slow :laugh: . The blacked out look is good, too. Have a ball with it, Looking forward to the progress pics.