I’ve always thought the big thumper enduro bikes had a lot of potential as cafe builds. I’m seeing more of them lately.
This one is from Mark Asproyerakas: I replied to another post of a KLR café photo. Thought you would like to see mine. If you want to post go ahead. I can give details of all the bikes features.
Mark
Great Stuff! Must be great in the “urban jungle”.
Motorcycle Photo Of The Day 
Lets have the details!!!
This was built for Manhattan as a street fighter and is a real assassin. Bought it new in 2002. Switched out front drive sproket one less tooth for more off the line responce witch is already great with a KLR. You loose on the top end but this is a city bike only and full throttle on the FDR is as fast as I need. Lowered 1 1/2″ with after market link. I’m 6′ 6″ so to make room for my legs Yukio, a racer in Brooklyn, welded up rear sets 1′ behind original peg position. To move arms forward had bars bent to my spek by a guy in New Zeland don’t remember his name. Stripped off all the plastic so I built a sheet metal battery box and mounted on existing bolt holes. K/N air filter direct onto carb. Tried a Super Trap but lost power due to the better intake at carb so went back to stock and it was good. Ripped of rear fender design from BMW’s GS using a Honda fender welding a brace to the rear wheel adjuster. FT fender also honda and supported off of an after market fork brace. Heavy duty fork springs to take pot holes and stability. 17″ FT wheel with off road rims & 18″ rear with same as the streets kept bending my rims. Stripped off speedo & tach. Battery resivour was made by a Russian guy in Astoria, forgot his name, and it is made from a cut off front fork; its the silver tube on the lower right front frame under the header. Steering damper from I don’t know what bike. Tail light from conversion kit for a off road bike. Seat cut down to solo rider size and extra space on the sub frame turned into a carrying rack. Would have cut down the frame to meet the new seat length for a better look but needed to carry stuff as this is a year around comute bike. Kept the stock turn signals that screem your turning intensions to the sardeen cans your slicing through, and bar ends so you can keep an eye on them. Head light is standard 60’s British. Got the Rickman Matise tank from Hugh at 6TH Street Specials whose British Bike shop is the heart and soul of motorcycles in NYC. With minor playing around it fit on the frame and with the stock seat like it was made for it. BTW Matise in French means mutt, like a mutt dog.
Would have liked to have: larger inverted off road front forks, much larger FT disk & calipers but this is where it stops. When there is $ I plan on building off of an early GS frame using expertice from Tony Foale http://www.tonyfoale.com so from the frame up the bike fits me. Will us a 78 to 81 R100 motor.
for those interested in the KLR and more tech info about them, check out http://www.KLR650.netwhile loierwng links are available for the KLR650, they reduce the travel available for the rear suspension and make the laready weak shock even softer because of how they change the linkage.chopping down the seat, and reupholstering it with carpet padding can help, but a Suzuki DR650 might be a better option for those with a shorter inseam.the KLR has been plagued by a few problems that Kawi has mostly ignored. the “doohickey” or counter balancer adjuster on the older bikes was stamped steel for the first few years, then a horible combination of a stamped part and a cast part welded together. this was prone to grenade and occasionally cause catastrophic damage to the transmission, but usually just causes increased vubration.the ’08+ versions have a new part, but it has a spring that’s too long and a poor fit on the shaft.best advice for ALL YEARS is to upgrade to the billet stainless version. see the link above for more info.the suspension and brakes are also notorious weak points on these bikes. the brakes were improved in ’08, but all years seem to greatly benefit from aftermarket ugrades to the suspension and brakes.the subframe bolts were another weak spon on older designs. again, aftermarket upgrades are available.with a little work they’re great machines.fixer
Details? I couldn’t care less about this unsorted wreck.
The KLR is a monster in of its self,
diggin’ the trailing rear fender.