Whats a ball park figure on luke doing the conversion bud, assuming he can source and supply a front end?
That's tricky to say
Luke sourced these forks from eBay - I think they went for about £250 with the K-Tech mods already done, but perhaps he can confirm that. He sourced all the other parts too, and had the stem fitted to whatever bottom yoke it is; top yoke is from a Fazer 8 I
think. He also found a decent front 'guard and ordered in the correct length brake lines. Add on the ride height adjusters, as I wanted to keep the riding position standard...
Basically, I just threw whatever Luke needed money-wise at him and asked that he sort it all out cos I'm a lazy bugger and he's kind and helpful like that
Added to which, he then swapped everything over to the bike I have now when I crashed the last one, but that deal is another story...
Just one thing I'd add; I did it because after 4 of these bikes on the trot, for various reasons, I'd come to the conclusion that the gen 1 thou is the right bike for me. Never felt that way about any other bike. By the time I decided to start down the road of all the mods, I felt I had a good idea of its potential, and it had plenty of good points to begin with, so I thought this was a bike that was worth it. So I also thought, if I'm going to do any mods, I might as well do all the ones that I thought would really finish the bike.
My last one (remember the yellow one with speed blocks?) wasn't the right one for me - although I loved that (Dream Machine) paint job, I really wanted a late one with the black engine and frame. So throwing the yellow one in a Welsh hedge was actually a positive thing in the end
So what I think I'm trying to say is, it was right for
me to spend the money; I couldn't say if it would be the right thing for you to do the same. But I can say mine is now the best gen 1 thou
I've ever ridden, and it's bloody good
Actually, I'll add one more thing...
All these mods are proven on these bikes. None of them lose you anything, all of them improve the bike. In my experience, you're not taking any risks if done properly. I hope you are going for the Full Monty Ivans - to me, it wasn't worth doing the slip-on one. I control how much I want to use, and it doesn't make the bike any more of a challenge to ride unless you want it to by winding open the throttle. I rarely cane it, it never sees the red line, but it is a whole bunch of fun, and a pussycat when I'm not in the mood for warp speed. But if I
am...