You guys interested in seeing a non car build ? A full build of a streetbike converted raptor ? There's not alot of other places I would post this build other than my SF family :eek4dance
This story goes like this - My buddy started taking me on weekend trips to ride quads in the sand dunes in exchange for helping on some of his 4x4/car projects.
Originally he had an 02’ raptor 660. He purchased a blaster so he had a second quad, and myself or his nephew could ride that. I used to ride dirtbikes back in the day and I still ride streetbikes.
Quads in the sand are a who-notha’ level of fun (mad tv reference).
After a few trips he decided to upgrade to a raptor 700 and I got to ride the 660. Much better.
After a guys trip earlier this year with 6 quads and three dirt bikes outfitted for sand ….
One of which is a FZR600 carbed banshee.
I got back home and decided it was time to build not buy, a ride for myself.
I searched craigslist and cycletrader, every good deal was gone within hours.
I found a quad with a blown motor which was just perfect for me since I wanted to bore and stroke the motor to a 686 or 727.
I picked up this 01’ 660 for $500.00 and it came with 75% of a second motor. I got it back to a friends house until I could figure out how to tell my wife that I purchased a quad without talking to her about it, while in the middle of my GS300 build…
At this point I had been doing research for a few weeks and decided on which parts to go with.
The supporting mods for the original parts would require larger carbs and other supporting mods to make it reliable. Carbs are simple, but I look at them as difficult. Im an EFI and wiring guy.
I would rather hit the go button and… well… go.
My friends were trying to talk me into a streetbike conversion and I kept saying no.
While looking over the carcass at my buddies house we started to realize the quad had a bunch of aftermarket parts on it. Most of which I didn’t care for. A ghetto supertrapp muffler. A hydraulic clutch conversion… the bug hit me.
If I sell off all these crappy parts, and buy gaskets to build one good motor, I could sell the 660 motor and pay for some of the parts I would need for whatever direction I go.
My friends were sending me craigslist ads of other quads and streetbike motors...
I ended up looking as well...peer pressure is a biotch...found a guy parting out his race bikes/trailer etc. He had a spare motor from the previous season and wanted to clear everything out of the garage.
I assembled a stock motor, sold it for $400 within two days and used that money toward this impulse buy of the K7 gsxr 600 FI motor.
I didn’t want to do an R1 motor because I don’t feel that I need that much power on a quad.
Too much is almost enough you say… true story but not a necessity in this case.
Got the motor home and quickly realized there was zero hope of getting the motor to live in the frame without mods.
I’ve done tons of motor swaps and other crazyness but never worked on a chassis.
If I know one thing, its that once you cut the frame and it springs out of place – your hosed.
So I set out and learned about jig’s a little. For the purpous of this home brew quad, I built my own frame jig with steel frame and wood platform up on sawhorses.
I thought what the hell you only live once, so after a lot of measuring and test fitting I make the first cuts on the frame.
My buddy was sand blasting some parts while I screwed around with the frame
The beginning of some front upper motor mounts to triangulate the frame
Trouble shooting the torchmate while cutting some parts for the mounts
To make these
This was the first time I’ve tig welded steel. After some recommendations from my a friend Ron R on the forums. I picked up a gas lens and got a little better at welding. Came up with this
After deciding to fabricate a air box over the ITB’s I decided to reinstall the upper frame.
I sleeved the upper frame rails
At this point I needed to figure out wtf I was going to do with the lower frame.
The oil pan is so damn deep on the K6-K7 motors that I needed to build the chassis around the motor.
I broke the rule of removing the frame from the jig. Though on the same token, that’s partially what the jig is for, to be able to put everything back as it was. Which it did, all of the parts I had mocked up still fit perfectly after I reinstalled them.
If im going to build this thing, its going to be overbuilt, opposed to being thrown together and/or underbuilt as most of these conversions are that I’ve seen.
Alex, no plans for FI....yet... that would have made the build easier due to laying out the exhaust/air box and intake.
This thing is plenty fast. I just have to gear it so I can hit some hills with more speed. Right now its gear so low all I do is spin 10 paddles.
Need some 12's even though I hate the way they look. Oh and yea, I love fab heavy builds as well. Thats my motivation for being a photo posting whore.
There's always more time and always more metal to build other systems, sounds like you're enjoying it now, so why dismantle a good thing? I can only imagine how much fun this thing is.
The only pics I really post anymore are TIG pics; now I need to get my good camera back so I can stop using this shitty cell camera.
Moving on... the stock 32hp 660 engine on these short wheelbase 660’s is already a problem. That would prove even more problematic when you add a 124hp 600cc 4 cyl into the mix
Mocking it up just to see if I like the length before I built a jig for the arm. Decided on +8
Gotta have a chain guide so I don’t kick that sucker off and wrap it around a body part
At some point in the build, I figured since this was a street bike conversion I should ditch the crappy levers off the quad and get some bitchin adjustable pazzo knockoffs on some gsxr pedestals.
It would have been easier to have a whole bike than to have to keep buying parts off auction sites but in the end im really happy with the total cost of the project and how it turned out.
SICK !
I’m thinking “Sh1t this is gonna feel like im on my 750 !”
I saw some of your alum tig pix in your thread. Very nice. I've welded with a mig for twenty something years but this tig is a whole nother animal.
I dont claim my welds are pretty by any stretch of the imagination but im getting better. Someday, maybe up to Ron's level... phsyc. In my dreams.
This thing is way more fun than I hoped it would be. I actually think im only going to ride it for one or two more trips. Then sell it to finish my GS300 build and make it to SEMA 2013 !
At some point a while back my ankle started hurting like a mofo, but being a guy I just said fawk it. It’ll grow back… till I stepped off a curb and felt shooting pain up my spine. Thought “sh1t I should prob listen to the wife and get this *ish checked out”
They found a couple of bone fragments that look like they may be the cause…
In fact that may be why…no shiz
The stock front shocks on these 660’s feel like you’re on a hay wagon with the spring on a stick pogos.
So my buddy Eric that takes me on these trips picked up these piggyback semi-remote res YFZ450 shocks