Naked & Old School

GraniteGray

GraniteGray

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Said to heck with it and went naked and old school, just for fun...

FZ1Streetfighter07.jpg


FZ1Streetfighter.jpg
 
Thanks, guys.


You have any details on your build?
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I was going for a kind of old Bandit 1200 look. Most streetfighters I've seen have twin headlights, so I figured I'd go for a different spin on the idea...

The headlight and mirrors are from a Honda 919. I bought them cheap from my buddy. The light looks like a heavy old school pot, but in fact it's all plastic, except for the chrome trim around the lens, so it's nice and light. Plus it runs a standard H4 bulb and gives off plenty of light.

I fabbed up all the brackets and mounts myself, from 1/8 x 3/4 alloy strip stock. I used all stainless steel bolts and fastners, and was able to keep the stock wiring harness intact, without having to cut any wires. So the nice thing is, since these mods were all non-destructive, I can put it all back to stock form pretty easily, should I want to.

It's so much more fun to ride, now. Reminds me of riding my 1981 RD350LC, which was my first brand new streetbike when I was a 19 year old kid. I was surprised how many guys stopped and asked me about the bike, while I was on my travels over the weekend, too. It gets a lot of double takes.

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When I converted my FZ6 to streetfighter I had the same experience.. VERY fun to ride and had a lot of people ask me about the bike. The only time I wasn't thrilled with it.. cold weather + highway riding.
 
Erci said:
When I converted my FZ6 to streetfighter I had the same experience.. VERY fun to ride and had a lot of people ask me about the bike. The only time I wasn't thrilled with it.. cold weather + highway riding.
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Yea, naked bikes are surely fun in the Summer. I wouldn't mind having a naked bike to ride around occasionally, but when it's start getting cold there goes the fun :(
 
I wouldn't mind having a naked bike to ride around occasionally, but when it's start getting cold there goes the fun.
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If you have the right gear for it, it doesn't really make much difference whether you have a screen and a faring or not, in my experience. Especially the stock quarter fairing and screen on the FZ1. It basically does little or nothing to protect you from cold weather. It's a myth.

I was riding my naked FZ1 all weekend, in temperatures near the freezing point, here on the Island of Newfoundland. The fun of riding a naked bike far outweighs any weather protection you might think you get from the fairing. Trust me on that.

:tup:
 
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NJFZ1 said:
Yea, naked bikes are surely fun in the Summer. I wouldn't mind having a naked bike to ride around occasionally, but when it's start getting cold there goes the fun :(
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Having commuted a winter on my FZ1 with a tall screen and a winter on my SV with nothing at all, I think the difference is minimal. The parts that truly get cold are the parts no fairing will cover anyway.

Mind you, I would never ride in this weather without my heated vest, winter gloves and neck warmer
 
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GraniteGray said:
The fun of riding a naked bike far outweighs any weather protection you might think you get from the fairing. Trust me on that.

:tup:
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I must disagree. My eyes would start to tear up 3 minutes into the ride on my naked FZ6 when the temps would be just above freezing mark.

On FZ1 with ZG touring screen, wearing same gear, I can ride for 30 minutes at highway speed and only my finger tips get cold.

Fairing does a pretty good job of keeping your core warm.. that's what really counts when it comes to staying warm. Drop core temp and body will start cutting circulation to extremities.

Sure there's a way to get around it.. heated vest + heated gloves would do the trick, I bet.. I never tried though.

Having said all that.. more power to you for doing the conversion and awesome if you can ride a full naked bike in the cold without getting cold! :tup:
 
That thing looks great. I too am amazed how the mounts for the headlight and gauges look stock. That round light sure changes the whole look of the bike. It reminds me a bit of the XJR1300 even though the round headlight is about the only thing in common.

Yamaha_XJR1300_2002_motorcycle-pictures_1.jpg


Have fun riding naked. Thanks for the photos!
 
Erci said:
I must disagree. My eyes would start to tear up 3 minutes into the ride on my naked FZ6 when the temps would be just above freezing mark.

On FZ1 with ZG touring screen, wearing same gear, I can ride for 30 minutes at highway speed and only my finger tips get cold.

Fairing does a pretty good job of keeping your core warm.. that's what really counts when it comes to staying warm. Drop core temp and body will start cutting circulation to extremities.

Sure there's a way to get around it.. heated vest + heated gloves would do the trick, I bet.. I never tried though.

Having said all that.. more power to you for doing the conversion and awesome if you can ride a full naked bike in the cold without getting cold! :tup:
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+11111 ... I went through all the trouble to go back to fairings. I had the euro naked kit for 1.5 years lying in my garage as I was afraid that going naked while looking supercool would be impractical. Finally my crash prompted to try the naked route and it didn't work out when you hit straights on backroads at 125-140 mph and anything above 70 mph on the istate commutes. Installed back the fairings and the kit was sold on the forum within a few hours of posting it.

BTW GG, it is high time you get some frame sliders and ditch that rear fender. That fender looks even more a mouth ulcer with the naked thing going on...
 
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