DualSport Seca2

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dirtbikedave
New to XJR
New to XJR
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Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 6:16 pm

I posted this in members rides, but quickly realized that this would have been much better suited for the projects area...

Hey guys!
I know I have seen a lot of guys out there wondering if this DS setup has ever been done. I figured I'd make this post so people know it's actually pretty easy and relatively affordable.

Specs:
1995 Seca 2
KLR 650 Front End (Forks, axle, wheel, rotor, caliper, brake line, brake lever, master cylinder, headlight, headlight bracket)
2008 R1 rear shock
Shinko 700 series DS tires

Before:

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After:

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Background:
I love street riding. Always have, always will. However, my roots started in the dirt. I love exploring, camping, etc. Naturally, I wanted the best of both worlds. However, there really isn't a 50/50 street/dirt bike that's made. I wanted something that would be able to keep up with my group of friends who street ride, but also be able to do moderate trail riding with my other friends who prefer dirt. Most people I talked to said go with the KLR. I'm not going to bag on the KLR (OK, maybe just a little) but extended riding on the highway totally blows. It's a great bike for what it is, but being able to comfortably do 85 is out of the question. The Seca was one of my first street bikes, and man that thing took a beating and still ran like a champ! So, I arrived at the idea that I would use the Seca as a base platform for a dualsport conversion. After endless hours scouring the interwebs for details, I found some good information to give me a jump start. The KLR and Seca fork diameter are the same at 38mm. So the forks are direct bolt on, no modifications. I also found a fellow member of the forum who had done some suspension mods to get more ride height out of his bike. (Thanks MrT for the help!) I used the same shock MrT used. 2008 R1 shock. That took some modifying to get it to fit, but after drilling out the center mounting spacer that's pressed into the bushing and some added spacers, it bolted on with no problems! Anyways, rewinding back to the story, I found the bike in Flagstaff, Az for sale for 500 bucks, non running condition. Picked it up for 470. I sourced the rest of the parts from ebay, and all in all, I'm into this bike for still under 1000 bucks including the bike itself!

The bike still needs a few things done, like paint, aftermarket tach and speedo mounted and wired, front turn signals, skid plate, luggage rack, bags, engine gaurd, and some others I am sure I am forgetting. But, for now, she runs strong and rides as smooth as a Cadillac.

The bike is still very streetable. It picks up speed with no issues, and it drops into turns naturally with no walking etc. I am surprised how far over I can comfortably get it at it's current height!

I will be hitting some trails very soon, I'll keep everyone posted on how the off road performance is!

Feel free to share your thoughts or ask questions!!

Cheers,
dirtbikedave

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