Dual Sport KX500

[KX500freak]

thank you I have been thinkin of streeting mine.. What is the max distance from home you have ridden it on the road?

max distance for me is 65 miles in one day on dutch roads ,
key to keep the bike alive is to not cruise it at a steady pace.

you need to shift up and then let it roll out a bit and repeat this constant,
this way the engine receives it,s nescessary lubrication .
also a bit of throttleplay while letting it roll out is good for the engine .

Tie-wraps/zip ties (what ever you want to call them) and duct tape got me through the dual sport ride.  My machinist friend said he would help me make some mounts that will work.  The pounding the Kiamichi Mountains dishes out sure put the test to my dual sport kit.  And you guys thought the K5 didn't have a reserve, it's on the rear fender.  I didn't run out of gas this year.  The kit was designed to run the wires on the right side of the bike.  The FMF Gnarly says "no way".  On the left side it looks like it was made for the wiring.  I had to make a few of the wires longer to accommodate running on the left side.

danger ,do i see a horn too 
you are one persistant figure ,doing what u do.

did you use the 17'' rim ?
on the poserpic   i can,t see clear

[Danger4u2]

I should have done the conversion 2 months ago.  I went to put the 17" wheel on and the rotor was bent/warped.  I bought it used and should have checked it for run out. I cut the spokes and sent the hub to  http://store.eastcoastwheels.com/index.html and had them lace the 17" x 3.5 rim.  I reinstalled the sprocket and disk.  When I put it on the bike the rotor was bent so bad it would almost stop the wheel when I would spin it.  Because I had to leave that night I just stuck the MX wheel back on for the ride.  I bought an X-ring chain, it's about 1/16" more wide than a stock chain.  The tire hits on the chain.  I think I can take a large hand grinder (7") and remove the edge of the tire so it will clear the chain.  I'll have someone spin the wheel as I hold the grinder that way I will grind it evenly.

[2 smoke juan]

Dave

That is a peachy bike you've got there 

Cool conversion - i remember reading about a SM conversion that ran an custom alloy auxilliary fuel tank as part of the rear fender - guess it could get away with it with reduced suspension travel, will try and look it out and post.

Ewan

[barryadam]

Danger,

I did the conversion in 2004 while California was still allowing conversions.  I used a BD kit and a small Electrex coil that won't provide enough power to do much.  But I've only gone about 10 miles at a stretch on pavement (between fire roads/trails) and KX500freak is right.  You can't really cruise at a steady 70mph.  My forearm cramped up from the vibes.
Speaking of vibes, in spite of balancing the crank, I wore out the BD headlight kit.  The metal back bracket fatigued into two pcs, the horn worked for about 1/2 a ride, the flasher relay became a bottle of loose rattling parts, etc.  Mirrors are useless except for passing any detailed inspection.  Heck, even my rear license plate vibrated in half!
I have an 18" excel laced to a new hub with some Duro DS tires and tried them once, before putting them up on the shelf and just sticking with my knobby.
Good call on the wheel balancing, though.  I have ALL my wheels dynamically balanced and dont' really want to add an extra rim lock, so it makes for a lot of spoke/stick-on weights.  The balancing is a noticible difference, expecially at speed.
I enjoy riding this bike on all kinds of trails and fire roads along with my son's plated KDX.  I carry a liter of Yamalube 2R and a turkey baster for precision oil measurement.  It looks hokey, but works well.  I have a small dual chamber oil mixing bottle for Sears weed trimmer that I would like to try sometime.  You squeeze the oil into the upper chamber to the appropriate measurement, then pour from that chamber in your tank.  Simple and compact.  Hope it seals OK after I fill it with Yamalube.
I only get about 40 - 50 miles per tank, and I have an additional desert tank that I have not tried yet.  After 1 tank, I'm ready for a break!

Barry

[k5abuser]

kudos danger4u tough ride when you have to do it all last min. looks like fun . i bet it was all worth it and no one beat you .love the excell rims . should be  factory stock on all bikes. you need a bigger horn . what did you have to do to honk at someone . shut the bike off and then honk so they could hear you  or were they all behind you !!!!

[Danger4u2]

If my life depends on that horn I'm a goner.

[barryadam]

This is how the BD kit looks.

http://www.bajadesigns.com/

[KX500freak]

very nice bike 

i run a kit without blinkers and horn,also don,t have mirrors,just look back a bit more.
about the vibration ,i don,t feel it that way ,mine,s exceptionel smooth i guess,it glides.
must say its on 17 sm wheels   

my ride

[barryadam]

Danger,

Great shot of the bike on the DS ride.  Do you have any more of the event?  How about a ride report?
Did you get the brake fixed and the 17" wheels mounted yet?
I really like your radiator/tank shroud graphics.  I'm going to order some of those if I can still get them.  I think of all the aftermarket and OEM graphics, I like the stock Kaw 2004 shroud graphics the best.
With the 3 sets of tires, will you run 3 different sets of sprockets/chains, each with different ratios?
What's next on your project?
I'm going to look for a plain gripper seat, but NOT one of those flat sheets from that auction site.  Something tailored and easier to fit.

KX500freak - If I pull in the clutch at speed and coast with the motor idling, I can separate the feel of the tire vibs from the motor.  I think it's the motor at high RPM that's the killer.  Do you have stock gearing/sprockets?  I have stock sprockets /wheels and no idea what the engine RPMs are at 70 mph.  If you just have 17" wheels, you should be running higher RPMs than stock at highway speeds.

[Danger4u2]

Yes I do run 2 sprockets and a chain for each wheel and brake pads for each rotor..  I ordered a rotor for the dual sport wheel and it has not come in yet.  Yes the motor is the source of my vibration.  My riding area is not as cool as yours.  Yours looks like real mountains.  I'm from Washington State so I know what real mountains are.  Oklahoma calls them mountains but where I'm from we call them foothills.
1st picture is Kevin, this guy had never rode a motorcycle.  Last spring he bought a KLR 650 rode about 300 miles around town and went on the Arkansas Hillbilly Dual Sport ride.  He's got allot of heart.
2nd pic, my bike full of fuel and GPS'ed ready for the 2nd half of the day.
3rd is Gene on his 2008 KLR
4th is Terry on his XR400. Did not get a shot of Nate this go around.  The 5 of us make a good riding group.
This riding area is privately owned and leased by the state from the timber companies.  They upped the cost to the state and the state doubled the rates to $10 dollars for residents and $50 bucks for out of stater's for a 3 day permit.  Last year there were 76 riders this year one out of state guy came, only 34 riders.  Quite an impact to the economy of Clayton Oklahoma and the very small town we fill up at during the half way point.

[tharden]

I think I might look into getting another kx500 to ride to the college and back.  Looking at the frame on the kx500 I think I could put the engine on isolator mounts.  It could be worth looking into, if I find another 500 I will experiment with it.

[The Flyin Hawaiian]

barryadam, what year rear fender did you install on your KX? I have the BD LED taillight on my DRZ, its a nice unit.

[wreck-n-roll rik]

Nice bike - Thinking of doing the same to mine but not sure in Minnesota will issue a title and plate.

[barryadam]

Danger - I see you have the same kickstand as I do - Pro Moto Billet.  I got mine in 2004, and had to wait for the development to be completed.  One of the best investments on the bike, IMHO.
I see you have a RAM mount for your GPS.  How is that working out?  I studied the options and ended up fabricating my own mount that cradles my Garmin 76CS in foam.  I was afraid the more rigid mounts would eventually end up being the demise of the GPS.  What GPS are you using?  Have you checked out GpsXchange.com for tracks in your state?
Is your rear light an LED?
Geez, you have the same skid plate as me, too.  I had some special brackets machined and welded to the fram before powdercoating to mount the skid plate with some little rubber pads so it's about 3/16" below the fram rails.  Doesn't trap water that way.
Hawaiian - the rear fender is a UFO p/n 116277  KA02746021 for a 1992-1993 KX125/250.  $19.99 + $10 s&h back in 2004 off "the world's largest auction site".  I learned about that conversion from the previous incarnation of the KX500 website.  Really makes the bike look more like a current model style, and that BD LED fits nicely.   

[Danger4u2]

I had already bought my kit and then Baja Design came out with their cool L.E.D. tail light.  I have a 250 rear fender,  when I do the mod to the fender I will get the Baja Design led tail light.
http://www.kxriders.com/forums/index.php/topic,3277.0.html

Works very well, I change it from bike to bike.  I have not had any problems.  I like the mount, easy to adjust.
GPSMAP? 76CSx   https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=351