Suggestions Wanted for New Project

[venari]

Looking for interesting suggestions for a flat tracker style build...

My only criteria are:
> Kick Start
> Not too tall (I'm a short arse)
> Less than 4 cylinders
> Over 300cc
> Not too heavy


Hit me with some options, no matter how obscure or obvious, cheap or expensive!

[stevo as b4]

Most air cooled bikes old enough to have a kickstart and over 300cc will be classic/expensive and cost a fortune for the base bike to chop up?

If it needs to be cheap enough to chop, then your best bet is a big single dirt bike like a 500/600cc Japanese trail bike.

You won't find a nice looking twin or triple with a kickstart air cooled motor, and definitely not anything two stroke for a price that justifies a project.

Might be cheaper to see if you could engineer a kickstart conversion onto a modern engine like say an ER6 lump or similar?

[stinkwheel]

Yamaha XS400 or SRX600

Expensive: Morini 3 1/2 is pretty much a flat-tracker anyway. Or find a Dart and bastardise it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ScottT]

My only criteria are:
> Kick Start. Why?

> Not too tall (I'm a short arse) If your building it you can change the height.

> Less than 4 cylinders, Again why? The most famous flat tracker had 4 cylinders (Kenny Roberts TZ750)

> Not too heavy, your building it, take the weight off.

As previous post said older bikes will cost more, if you want something cheaper get a CBR600, that will make an interesting flat tracker.

[RhynoCZ]

SR400/500.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[G]

[Easy-X]

I'm quite fond of a kicker... but only for sentimental value. I think I've only kicked over a bike twice in my (so far) short riding life

You say "flat tracker" but (obviously being a bit thick here) what sort of terrain are you hoping to tackle and expected range? Just curious.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Bhud]

The XJ600 Diversion makes a cracking flat-tracker. I know you specified less than 4 cylinders and a kick start, but its air-cooled engine is a piece of cake, it's so simple. It's been flat-trackered/scrambled for nigh on 10 years now. All the appearance-related mods and upgrades are known quantities - you can't put a foot wrong.
It would be much cooler making a flat-tracker from one of those than, say, a Yamaha thumper. I'm kind of partial to the XTs and SRs. Those bikes are very well-designed and they have a classic appearance, so if you think you might make a balls-up of a cafe racer/flat tracker, you might be less disappointed if you'd started with a Diversion. Just my opinion... It's your money, you can do as you please.

[Shaft]

400 Superdream.

Find an earlier Dream Twin motor and you get a kick start.

There's enough minters out there that you won't be diluting the gene pool and enough shitters that you will find something cheap enough to butcher to within an inch of it's life.

After you've bought your project, make sure you can grow that fuck off beard and fit in to the skinny jeans that mark you out as a true hipster.
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Things get better with age; I'm close to being magnificent........
20 RE Interceptor, 83 Z1100A3, 83 GS650 Katana
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[stinkwheel]

TRX 850, except no kick-start.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[MarJay]

[Robby]

XBR500

[mentalboy]

[G]

Apparantly you can get versions of the XR750 with a kick starter, but they're silly expensive.

Perhaps though you'll get extra man-points using the original bump-start method?

[stevo as b4]

If I was being daft I'd say I want to see you build your flat tracker with a Honda CR480 or Suzuki RM500 engine, but its not going to happen due to unsuitability but more so cost.

I like the late model Air cooled UJM suggestion like the diversion 600, or a Kawasaki GT550 lump. In fact did the GT actually have a kick start as std?

There's your answer, as think about how much you could dress up an air cooled jap four with paint, polishing and chrome.

And kill and destroy a GT550 well no one is going to hunt you down with an axe, but make sure your GT550 doesn't have a Suzuki badge on the side first to be sure OK.

[Bhud]

The Kawasaki GT550 is a heavy beast at 221kg wet, while the Yamaha is 187kg. Both bikes have a low seat height but the Yamaha is a ball-crusher, while the Kawasaki is as comfortable as bikes get. The Yamaha is OK at everything on the road and not really good at anytging, but the Kawasaki is actually good at a few things. The Yamaha is more reliable while the Kawasaki is a rolling project. The Kawasaki has a long and low feel, it batters down bumps and has more character when you use it in a fun way. The GT550 looks a bit lame without a square headlight but the Yamaha looks good with any headlight. Neither bike will run right without the airbox, but the Diversion's is hidden under a handsome tank. I think the Diversion is therefore the better platform for customisation right now. At least if you buy one you will likely get a functioning roadworthy bike and whip out your angle grinder while in your most carefully vintaged skinny jeans right away, whereas the GT550 will need a lot of things sorted. Just as an example I recently replaced/upgraded the exhaust with a very fresh one from a GPZ, and will probably shell out for a Dyna-S ignition at some point. Happy to do all this stuff because I bought it as a true project anyway, but I probably wouldn't be if I wanted to customise it.

[G]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

w650 fits those criteria
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Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Nobby the Bastard]

[A100man]

[WD Forte]

I hear Cycling Eats, Auckland, New Zealand use cat and dog meat and are very transphobic
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bikers smell of wee

[adam277]

My advice is dont.

eBay is filled with cafe racer project bikes.
A lot of solid 80s/90s bikes have been ruined.


All it has done is made getting a cheap bike that much harder.
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Bikes: Previous Bikes: Piaggio x8 125: 2012/2013, YBR 125: 2013/2013 BMW R1150GS 2013/2017, Honda CBR600RR 2017/2017, Honda CB500 2018/2018, Suzuiki Address 110cc 2019/2020, BMW R1200GS 2021-2023
Current Bike: Honda CBF 125: current

[adam277]