Has anyone converted a trail bike into a motard?

Question

I have a XR400 Honda (about a 95 model, been in the shed for a while, I forget!)

I would like to convert it into a motard, as due to my back injury, trail riding is off the agenda. I still want to ride and I think a motard would be a good bit of fun, and you cant kill a XR. Its also got bugger all resale value, so I may as well ride it into the ground.

It will be an everyday rider, riding approx 5km to work, if I take the long way, or approx 3km if I take the stoplights and pretty girls way.

I know that Honda made a XR400 motard in its last few years, but I have heard you can buy road bike wheels and make spacers for them and machine adaptors for the sprockets and rotors. Im thinking this would be the cheaper way to go, and I would prefer to have a mag wheel on the bike rather than spokes.

Also, has anyone fitted USD forks? Is it possible? Im pretty mechanically minded and dont mind a challenge.

And how bout engine work? I dont like a rocket, just a bit more poke.

Answer 1

You can just get street tires for the stock wheels from JCWhitney etc. I doubt you need motard wheels unless you absolutely feel the need to scrape the pegs.  Adding mag wheels will add weight and will hurt acceleration.

I would suggest opening up the intake/exhaust and re-jetting. No point in doing heart surgery with bike that runs fine.

Answer 2

Join the SuperMoto crowd!!!!!

The XR is so popular that you can find a ton of aftermarket stuff for it. Bigger front rotor, almost unlimited exhaust choices, tons of motor mods, all sorts of plastics and graphics...

You need to get the bike legal. You can do this using a kit (Baja Designs: https://www.bajadesigns.com/net/mainfram... You can also do your own if your mechanically/electrically inclined to do so (I did my own for a whole lot cheaper than the Baja Designs Kit).

Stay simple and cheap and run the 21" front wheel if you wish. Many people do and street tires are avail for it. If going to a 17" on the front, you can simply lace a 17" rim to the factory hub, or purchase a second set of wheels already done.

More pep... My father-in-law runs a '97 XR400. He has the 440 kit, some high-rev box to let it turn another 1k higher, filter box mod, full exhaust (not sure what he runnin right now but has 4 different mufflers he plays with for the power, I know he has 1 FMF). Rejet the carb for the increased air flow.

I've seen people run the mag wheels, spacers can be cut, some may be a direct bolt in. I'm still runnin spokes, and haven't gotten serious about the wheel swap (yet he he).