Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

G'day! As some of you may or may not know, I copped a 5 year licence suspension (long story not for this thread) and I have about 2 years to go. To keep sane and to reduce levels of frustration and anger, I subscribe to the MotoGP, tracked Tyra and take her on Eastern Creek as often as I can afford, watch and read everything I can related to bikes and keep myself busy with other large projects and activities. I have almost completed my most recent project and after some (read: just a little) planning I have decided to turn Tyra, a perfectly good road/track bike, and turn her into a scrambler.

My reasons are:
- I love projects! Learning with a goal and reward at the end is the best!
- I have 2 years to finish it and I need a bike to get around town on.
- I want to take Tyra places she really wasn't designed to to.
- It seems like stupid fun to take a ZX-10R and make her dirt-worthy.
- I love the Aussie bush.

What I plan to do is:
- Remove the engine to change the head gasket and While it's out get any other required engine preventative maintenance done.
- Extend the forks and change the rear link for more ground clearance.
- Change the triple tree so I can mount bar risers and a flat bar.
- Remove all fairings and change the location of the wiring.
- Have bash rails & plate made up and certified by an automotive engineer.
- Have a rear rack that can take 4 x 10L cells for fuel where pannier go mounted to the existing or new sub-frame, also possibly requiring an engineer.
- Have 2 sets of wheels. The current road and a set of spoked 17s with a larger sprocket on the rear.
- Put a smaller sprocket on the front.
- Install a new speedometer, front light and possibly a screen, making the ram-air intake the feature of the front end.
- A few other bits and bobs, like a custom seat, blah, blah blah.

So I am going to start soon. Here are a few pictures of Tyra to let you know what I am starting with and I plan to post up my progress as often as it occurs. I aim to have this done in 12 months depending on finances but, from experience, things always take longer than you think. Wish me luck!

Crazy. Rather get a ratty early ZX9 and do it to that. Any difference in power will not be noticeable in the dirt and the finished article will look the same and do the same.

My 2c...

King Nicholas wrote: I have decided to turn Tyra, a perfectly good road/track bike, and turn her into a scrambler.

My reasons are:
- It seems like stupid fun to take a ZX-10R and make her dirt-worthy.

Sounds like a great but expensive idea

You can start by putting some Shinko 705, it works on mine

BrettZZR wrote:Crazy. Rather get a ratty early ZX9 and do it to that. Any difference in power will not be noticeable in the dirt and the finished article will look the same and do the same.

My 2c...

I have a ratty 02 ZX9 which is complete with raceglass so no road gear $999.00

For the record, I know:
- Tyra will not be a top enduro bike
- That this is not the most sensible idea I have ever had
- It is easier and cheaper to buy an actual dual purpose bike

On the flip side:
- This project is so ridiculous it will make me laugh (and/or cry) the entire time
- I imagine I will continue laughing every time I ride it, on or off road
- I will learn more about bikes through 'wrenching'
- I will take her where no Ninja has gone before
- I have the time

1st job is to take the engine out to change the head gasket.

The motor has done 60k km. Can anyone recommend any preventative maintenance I should undertake while I have it out?

I am seriously looking fwd to following this thread

Gos turned a ZX10R into a Dirt Bike with his mate!

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=25232

tim wrote:Gos turned a ZX10R into a Dirt Bike with his mate!

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=25232

It was Laurie Smith that built that bike, Gos just showed everyone what the mad bugger did. It ended up too insane in the dirt, so he kept it as a motard. I'm not sure what's happened to it in the last few years; you'd have to ask Gos to find that out.

King Nicholas wrote:The motor has done 60k km. Can anyone recommend any preventative maintenance I should undertake while I have it out?

It depends how far you are pulling the engine apart. If you are just pulling the head off, check valve clearances, cam chain, bore condition etc. If you are already replacing the headgasket, you might as well get a KIT thinner headgasket to bump your compression up a bit. You could also dial your cams in while you have everything apart.

how would the frame cope with stresses that it wasn't really designed for? There are plenty of stories about where frames have cracked from 'wheelie abuse' and I can imagine what off road stresses/impacts would do to a street frame.

Interesting project and would be curious to see how it ends up

Thank you for your advice, tips, etc.

I started pulling things off, bagging the parts with labels and I momentarily had one of those, "What have I done?" moments. It happened with my last project too so I wasn't as concerned. This is what happened.











Over the holidays I spoke to some older, more experienced and mechanically minded rider friends and my wife. I am now aware of more things I need to consider such as:

- Changing the ride height changes the angle of the chain and I will need larger sprockets to compensate.
- Sportsbikes are designed to have lots of air rushing into them so at low speeds it will overheat and the type of radiator and oil cooling systems I will need are out of my price range.
- "If this is going to cost a lot of money, just buy a dirt bike."

While I figure out how to get my engine out with a friend's assistance and do valve clearances I will research what cooling I will need, do a cost/benefit analysis and consider just turning Tyra into a naked and buying a dirt bike.

Research and decisions...

I think you're slowly coming to realise the reality of the situation. Also just consider what else you could be spending your time doing.

.. just mad dude!

but pharkit! just keep going

OK. A lot has happened since I last posted. Not on Tyra but other (amazing) bike stuff.
A 'mate' on this forum sold me drugs and I loved them. I do not know if you have had them before but this particular batch is called RMX 250. I was expecting mild buzz but after having my first hit on Saturday I am still buzzing so if you see any going around, I suggest you give them a go. It blew my mind! I wasn't planning on buying any RMX 250 but it was from a friend and it was at a price I could not refuse.

So, what is happening with the project you ask. The answer is nothing for 6 months. Wifey didn't take any RMX 250 but she will be taking a different drug this weekend called DR 250. It is not supposed to be quite as strong but again, it was dirt cheap and families that play together stay together. Due to the finances being drained by two new (2nd hand) bikes and all of the gear, Tyra will have to wait for another 6 months. All I will be doing until then is taking the engine to have the head and cam chain sorted before putting it all back in and starting to reroute the electrics before looking at what I need to do to turn her into a naked bike. Who doesn't want to see Tyra naked? The new plans are as follows:

-No fairings, even on the tail
-rerouted wiring
-Making the ram air intake the feature of the bike
-new triple clamp, bar and bar risers
-dodgy metal coolant bottle
-maybe a steel subframe with welded luggage mounts
-front light
-new seat for 2 that doesn't destroy a pillion's perfectly good vagina in under an hour

The look will be ugly and patchy as hell but the plan is to make it look like it was supposed to be that way, a fine balancing act. The go will be all ZX-10R with full Akrapovic system, K&N air filter, PC3 and dyno'd. If I make it ugly enough, maybe no-one will steal it. If I just commute and tour on it, maybe I can keep my licence forever and keep on taking that new RMX 250 drug to get that 'Bleeeeeah' out of my system.

I am sorry if I have disappointed you with my change of direction but never say never...

This is Daisy Duke, the remainder of that dirty RMX 250 drug I took:

King Nicholas wrote:... that doesn't destroy a pillion's perfectly good vagina in under an hour ...

Pics, or it didn't happen!

That's gonna spoil your dirty weekend for sure!

(-&'