Motorcycle Racing Forum

Motorcycle Racing => Wrenching => Topic started by: Court Jester on January 27, 2007, 02:06:46 PM

Title: Motard transformation???
Post by: Court Jester on January 27, 2007, 02:06:46 PM
 

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Hey all. I have an XR-400 dirt bike. No title so it limits the places I can ride cause a lot of stuff requires it to be registered. So I'm looking into the motard thing.
QUESTION:
1) What is required to transform this thing into a motard? I know nothing about that stuff.
2) Outside of tires, what make a motard different from a dirt bike???
3) What will I have to get for this thing to be a true motard???
Title: Re: Motard transformation???
Post by: benprobst on January 27, 2007, 09:11:49 PM
to be a truly motarded your first step would be to sell the xr and buy a motocross bike. plain and simple.....


however if your just looking for fun then yeah set of wheels and tires and your good to go, but if you looking to go track riding then good luck. to be honest, no motorcycle is further away from being competitive in its respected class than a dirtbike in a motard class. real motard bikes have stiffer/completly redone suspension, 17 inch wheels front and rear, with a wider rear wheel to allow 150/60 motard tires, a new front brake/mount/rotor/master cyclinder and so on and so forth. as I said nothing is further away from being competitive, buy a gsxr 600 and your 700 buck away from being competitive, buy a motocrosser for motocross and your 300 bucks away from being competive, buy a motocrosser for supermoto and your normally 2000 bucks away from being competive (yes there are exceptions, but you get my point). And in your case, your a new motorcycle and 2000 bucks away from being competitive. that being said it looks like a blast and as stone cold reliable as the XR's are you will probably have a blast for many years to come with just a set of sticky 17 inch tires.
Title: Re: Motard transformation???
Post by: Court Jester on January 28, 2007, 12:14:04 AM
i don't plan to race it by any means. maybe a few track days and goofing around on. i could care less if it's competative. if i wanted to race it then yeah, i'd buy something more in tune with that sort of action. just something to play with and slide around.
my main thing would be something safe to run through the turns real hard without sending me sailing.
Title: Re: Motard transformation???
Post by: cbirk on January 28, 2007, 11:10:24 AM
You can buy the rims and have them spoked on to your hubs.  It would  be cheaper than buying the whole combo.
Title: Re: Motard transformation???
Post by: kylbie on January 28, 2007, 12:22:00 PM
i just sold an 05 ktm 450smr man it went cheap too.

if you planned to ride it on the track you would need the basics, rims for 17'' or 16.5'', handle bar guards, oversize brake conversion (rotor, caliper, m/c), recommend a  newer gear box with 6 gears, definately get some motard suspension work done.... all in all you would probably come out better selling your dirtbike and buying a purpose built motard w/ or w/o a street title