What pleases thee sir...What pleases thee?

[flytoolow]

I think you need to understand how Much Ras spent on his bike before considering going down that route Bartek.

If you want to do it on a budget then this would be a good starting point but even this isn't going to be cheap. For my money id buy a Suzuki DRZ front end (not the upside down ones). This bike has exactly the same frame as yours. A G/s subframe. The swinging arm and driveshaft is extended (this is where the money goes).

I guess this thread is more about self - analysis than anything else

OK so the short question is : When starting a “project or conversion”, How many of you have a fixed vision of what you want, costs be damned, or does the “This is available - Ill use that” scenario usually take over?

I hang around here since Im fascinated by the “before and after” conversions, modifications and the like. The “rust abound and neglected look” to the “personalised” machine is seemingly what appeals. The “open cheque-book” approach doesn’t really appeal since we don’t do these things for any financial gain, just personal satisfaction .

I guess thats why Im here and not a few forums up, where every other rant is about the trade-in cost to get the latest A.B.S, E.S.C or T.W.A.T electronic gizmo. Anybody with a credit rating can walk into a dealership and walk out with an exact copy of what the previous guy walked out with. There is no “Ive created this” appreciation so to speak.

I enjoy(ed?) “Top Gear” but even if I had the dosh - I could’nt spent it on such fascinating & depreciating assets…

So, Ive been toying with the idea of creating a Kalahari replica (see thread elsewhere) and Ive been checking out appropriate costs..So here is a rough basis of what I have found..

Tank, subframe, solo seat : 2 grand.
1000cc upgrade : seibenrock - 800 quid
Brake upgrade : 300 quid..
Fairings and stuff : 500 quid (++??)
paint : 500 ??
…so we’re talking 5K plus (Im not one for going into this eyes closed..)

Whilst, at the same time trawling the internet…

GSPD (not GS basic 96) solo seat and rack : 200 (ish) euros (eBay)
45L alu sauer tank painted (if its still in the shop??) : 500 euros..
1000 cc (BMW GS 2nd hand) pistons and cylinders (eBay) : 50 euros..will need rings and stuff ..
…etc etc…

There is a vast difference and Im starting to think about where I would derive my “…pleasure…”, either from “Hey, a Kalahari” or “..thats unique…and I did it”

…Does this make sense…??

So…where do you guys fit in…and lets not get into a “my bank balance is bigger than yours” thats exactly what I want to avoid.

Do you prefer the “searching, renovating, personalising” approach - or the “original had this, so thats what I will have” approach???

 

[litelfun]

Welle die to the cheep Euro you could buy one of my bickes of me they have had a full Engineering Report Don
On them you World sage you self aboute 8 grandiosen as well

 

[litelfun]

Welle die to the cheep Euro you could buy one of my bickes of me they have had a full Engineering Report Don
On them you World sage you self aboute 8 grandiosen as well

 

[flytoolow]

Welle die to the cheep Euro you could buy one of my bickes of me they have had a full Engineering Report Don
On them you World sage you self aboute 8 grandiosen as well

...tryin to find a "top o' th'road" to english translation..even though I was born in Salford Royal n lived in Seedly...

 

[litelfun]

Ah sorry the Problem is
i am rightIng in englisch but the Phone
is German Set up i live in salford also

 

[ChasF]

Building a replica is always going to be costly.

The Sauer tank and single seat look good on a R100GS so no need for the Siebenrock upgrade. As far as I can see with a few cosmetic touches you have your kalahari look alike for half the cost.

 

[Ras Thurlo]

glad to see i'm quoted as being the highrolla here

I think you can go as far as you want to go, but beware that you initially think of taking a modest bite and end up eating the whole cake. But it seems to hurt less than you think, as at that point your mentally committed/obsessed

I personally think that on airheads addressing the suspension is the single biggest thing, everything else is a luxury


I paste a recent post on costs of HPN style conversions:

I don't think that creating an HPN-like bike needs to be that expensive

you can get there with 3 steps:

- fleabay front end + fork overhaul/respring
- extended center/side stands
- extended rear end + new shock

Rob is right that the rear extension is the hardest/most expensive of the above to get right.

Costs go up if this is a pretext for a bike refurb and you start thinking "while i'm at it..." and you get carried away with engine mods etc.

I am not convinced you need the frame reinforcements. Sure there is no downside to having it done, but for solo ridding w/o heavy luggage I think you can get up and running without.

 

[Rob Farmer]

I really didn't mean it like that Ras

what at I was alluding to was that to get the quality parts (like your bike has) and then get them to actually work well together takes serious cash and time. we both know how much an engine to do the whole thing justice can cost.

i was concerned that Bartek was just seeing the headline price for a set of wp forks, say £150. A bit of welding from his mate on the swinging arm and frame and hey presto he's got a HPN replica for a few hundred quid!

 

[ChasF]

All depends if you want a bike that looks good and works as well as a standard GS or if you're trying to build something special in terms of performance or off road ability.

Setting up any bike to work well off road can be costly just with an airhead you have to fit better forks and lengthen the swinging arm before you start.

 

[Ras Thurlo]

sure getting it right takes time+money, then ride for a bit and go back again to dial in right (with more time+money)

but you should be happy in the knowledge that expensive in airhead-land is still a drop in the ocean compared to a new 1200GS

and I know which I would rather have

I tried taking a friend's 1200 off road and it sucked