Bought an 87 Honda XR600R... Thinking about converting to dual sport

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Picked this up in good running order for $700...old PO's paperwork shows it was rebuilt in 2005 and it has a tune-able Supertrapp exhaust on it. Fires right up even in the cold so I think I made out. Craigslist add was asking for $1200 but the most recent PO couldn't get it started because he had the oil overfilled so after I made a deal and brought the bike home and did an oil change it was all good.



I would really like to use this on the road but after doing some research it really doesn't sound like it would be cheap or easy.

I would have to add...

dual element headlight
dual element tail light/brake light
switch for both brakes to activate brake light
high beam indicator light
front/rear turn signals
fix the broken speedometer
DOT approved tires which means another set of wheels
maybe a DOT approved gas tank (not sure)
horn
high beam indicator light
ignition switch
at least 1 mirror
maybe upgrade the stator for more output


That is a lot of parts and wiring. And then the costly inspection and painful paperwork.
They offer kits to do all of the wiring for $500 but that just wouldn't be fun. I read a guy's story online that did almost the exact same thing I want to do and it cost him $1200 overall. Damn.

So does anyone have a broken dual sport laying around I can rob parts from to save money? If not, I'll be looking for another bike already road legal.

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Here is the conversion story I read... http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...Y7mWRg&cad=rja

[ridgerunner97]

Josh, I read the PA laws, and there are a lot of gray areas. Was that bike available in dual sport configuration from the factory? Do you have the title? The 81 DR 500 I'm picking up doesn't have the title so I'm applying for one etc. I have links saved I'll shoot them to you. Bike Bandit I believe is where I was pricing all the lighting etc. and it was coming out to like 300 TOPS and I was buying the headlight, taillight, turn signals, switches, blah blah blah. I'll get you the links in a bit.

[joshs1ofakindxj]

No title, just a bill of sale. Originally the XL600 I believe was the road model.

[limegreentj]

those are awesome bikes! i rode an xr 200 from 3rd grade until 9th or so, and it still runs.

[trailerrails]

Buying all the parts and putting them on the bike is the easy part. Finding an enhanced inspection mechanic that is willing to do the rest of the work is the hard part. It is best to start with a bike that has a good title already and then go from there. The last bike I owned came from Ohio and a lot of dirt bikes have street titles there. So that was easy. I purchased my current bike brand new here in PA and was not interested in putting it on the road. Someone in the DMV screwed up and sent me a street title back. 95% of KTM dirtbikes come with a street legal title. I used to have a 2 stroke 300 with a plate on it. It was a blast.
If you continue with this project you will have countless hours invested in getting the original title and then sending it back through an ehanced inspection mechanic. If it was me, I would rather find something that is ready to go with the title and spend a little extra money.

[ridgerunner97]

I'm getting the DR for a song so I'm going to attempt to go through with it, Josh is on the bubble with costs as to making it street legal and still making out. I'm calling a few places this week and worst case scenario me and Josh have two big ole mother thumpers to annihilate the woods on!!!

[trailerrails]

The other thing is you could transfer the title to a friend in a state that has lax laws. In Colorado all dirt bikes are street legal, all you have to do is take your title to the DMV and they will issue you a plate. They don't even check the bike over, all they do is double check the VIN number. Once you have a street legal title in another state you can bring it back into PA and they will just give you a plate for it. Ohio is a little tougher, you need to find a state trooper to sign a form for you that says your bike is worthy for road use and then you take the form to the DMV and they issue you a new title and a plate. Both of those options are easier than getting an enhanced inspection mechanic to pass your bike.

[ExplorHer]

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms...edstations.pdf
Is a list of the PA Enhanced Inspection Stations. I used Elizabeth Auto Sales.
To add to your list, I was told to make sure the chain had a guard on it and that there was a license plate light.
I got a Baja Designs Dual Sport conversion kit for a deal on eBay. And used Kenda Trakmaster II tires that are DOT approved.

[ridgerunner97]

^ I was going to PM you, your the one that did up a KLX 110 didn't you?

[ExplorHer]

That's me.

[ridgerunner97]

Good stuff, did you get it through down there pretty easily? Anything else to watch out for? If they were pretty good about it I'll run mine down there and have it done, I work right over in lil boston.

[ExplorHer]

The guy's name is Kevin, he was good to work with, and didn't give me any troubles about it.
I had the bike ready to go, the title, and all the receipts for the new parts.
I did have to get something from the manufacturer saying that the 110 made more than 5hp, but I doubt you'll have that issue.
I took the bike to him so he could do the enhanced inspection. He handled the pictures and all of the paperwork.
After the title showed up at my house with the new MC classification, I took the 110 back to him so he could put the inspection sticker on it, register it, and give me a license plate.

[ridgerunner97]

Saaaaaaaawwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you have to pay pa taxes on the add on parts to convert to street legal? And if you don't mind sharing, roughly how much did the total fees for inspection/plate/etc. etc. run ya?

[trailerrails]

I am interested in hearing about the costs too. I have never heard of anyone having a positive experience with this. All I have ever hear is horror stories.

So you made a KLX110 street legal, that is sweet!

[fast250r]

It is easy here in Ohio. You can even make the 2 strokes street legal. No you dont have to have a state trooper look at it either. All I did with mine was, go to the DMV and sign a piece of paper claiming it to be road legal. Then I took the paper to the court house to get a title and then back to the DMV to get the plate. I did all this with out even bringing the bike with me. It stayed at home in the garage.

[trailerrails]

^^^^^^ This: sign your bike over to him, give him some cash for his time, and when he is done he signs it back over to you in PA with a street title. All you will need to do to the bike is add a brake switch to one of your brake levers, a squeeze ball horn, and a mirror.

[ExplorHer]

I honestly don't know the cost of getting it done. I know it wasn't cheap, so I purposely didn't keep track. I'd suggest calling the place and ask what they charge.
The taxes were paid on the parts I bought for the conversion when I bought the parts.
fast250r - Can you make a quad street legal in Ohio?
Here is a picture of the 110 when I first got it done, but I've changed some stuff on it since.

[fast250r]

Explorher: No you can not make a quad street legal. But they are legal in most townships secondary roads. You are just not allowed to operate them on roads with 55mph or up speed limits. That is a BIG no, no.

[JeepGeneral]

sell it for $1200 and pick up something that already has a street legal title. I thought about building a street legal WR450 supermoto, wasn't worth the time, money or frustration.