Meaning Terraformers 2! Ken Webb and I created a thread on all our Terra modifications a few years ago called Terraformers here on the cafe. I had promised to do a T2 thread when I got around to do further modifications. I picked up a 2011 R1200GS Triple Black and my wife acquired the Terra a couple years ago. We dropped it significantly for her by having smaller wheels laced up for her (19" front and 17" rear), cutting the seat down, softer springs in the front to create some sag, and the lowering link in the rear. Well, it turns out that she never rode it because she was just too comfortable on her little XT250. So now I have acquired it back and I am going to put it all back, but definitely not in stock form. If I am going to do the work, Im going to do it in style! First up was to remove the rear link and replace the blown rear shock. Most of you saw this on the rear shock thread, so I don't think I need to post again. I upgraded to the TT shock with a remote hydraulic preload adjuster. I wish I could tell you how it functions, but I haven't ridden it yet and I am still working out where exactly to mount the preload adjuster. Second it to get a 21" front wheel back on it and upgrade the front suspension. The YZ option is good, but I also wanted a preload adjustment on the front due to constant weight changes I put on the bike. This leaves one option. WP 4860PA's. It is there standard open chamber fork with the preload adjuster option. Here are the differences between the stock Sachs and the WP; Sachs: Upper clamp diameter-54mm Lower clamp diameter-58mm Legs-46mm WP 4860 Upper clamp diameter-54mm Lower clamp diameter-60mm Legs-48mm Installing the WP fork in the stock triple clamps would require machining out 2mm from the lower triple....not going to happen! They are thin already. Plus machining a new axle, brake caliper adaptor, and spacers.....again, not going to happen. So, lets just install some stock KTM billet aluminum black anodized triple clamps. My stock head bearings are shot anyway and the KTM bearings go right in. Then I also have common KTM front end parts and gobs of aftermarket options for steering dampeners and such. Lets do it! I tried to post some pics but am not able to for some reason. The forum locks up. I will try again later.
For risers and sub mount for the steering stabilizer, I put on the BRP isolated system. This is just slapped on for the moment to see what all is going to be needed and how in depth this mod will be.
Now the triple clamps are installed along with the Scott's dampener. The forks are at Durelle Racing to get lowered 50mm and also getting sprung and valved. I should have them back by Monday. I really want this thing done for a Moab ride next week. We will see. It's nice to have the steering all silky smooth again
The $200 wheel, axle, and rotor combo turned out to be a steal! Yea eBay! Sorry guys, I don't know why the pics are turning out sideways.
Stoked about this. I have no plans to sell my TR650, and while I probably won't mod it any further at this time (it's pretty dialed in for what I do), it's always exciting to see what the pros are up to. Thanks for posting.
OH yeah...glad yoy posted this. I'm buying a Terra tomorrow and not real excited about the YZ conversion as I tend to be a KTM guy. I have a complete set of triples with bearings from my 2009 KTM 450 EXC-R, brand new. Are you saying the bearing size is the same as the Terra? Bolt right up? That would be unbelievable fortunate for me... I've already sourced the WP forks from a 450SX ($200).
Welcome! You have been here a long time Next and I know your bike is set up great. I don't expect anyone to do the mods I am for exactly that reason. All this is extremely overboard considering what the bike is worth, but I don't care....It's my bike. Besides, what else is there that will even come close to a perfect mid weight ADV bike? We have tested them and bled with them, we are in the know. Well cool! Yes, the KTM bearings go right in. I can't vouch for the ones you have, but the kit (#22-1026) I bought was about $22 from All Balls. The good thing about it is that it had several seals to work with. You will not want to use the provided bottom seal because it has a spacer and you need that space to get the stem further up into the upper triple. There was a seal in the kit that had a larger diameter than the stem so it was sloppy below the bottom bearing. That is the seal I used. I had to shave the top lip that was against the bearing to make it work. Even though it is sloppy, the rubber still centers it on the bearing cone and then you press it on. The press tension should hold it centered nicely. Just play with it and find the right combo. You may find something different. As long as it seals on the top and bottom and moves freely, your good. The stock seals were of good quality, but they didn't seal at all. My bearings were shot and full of western soil. 2009 is right on the line for the offset of your triple clamps. Are they an 18mm offset or 22mm? The stock TR offset is about 30mm or more. If you only have 18mm you will have less turning radius. Probably not a big deal, but just an FYI. It was a big deal to me. Also on your lower triple, are the clamping bolts on the side or in the rear? If they are in the rear, they will also interfere with your turning radius. Keep in mind you are going to have to work out a steering stop or you will crush your radiator on the first lay down. I have 6mm holes that I have to work with on the top of the clamps I acquired. I have no idea what KTM used those holes for. Note that applies to every TR owner: Someone has already mentioned this before, but the bearings are tight! The factory shoved them in with the powder coating still in the machine surface of the head stock. You will have to apply a massive amount of heat to get the old races out. Drain your oil tank and leave it to drain overnight if possible just for a safety precaution. You don't want to ignite your oil. Some guys run a weld bead on the race and let it cool. I used a tig torch and heat one spot of the race cherry red at the furthest forward point (farthest spot from the oil tank) and let it cool. All you are looking to do is get one spot red hot so the molecules will collapse under the tension and let it cool. If you did it right, the bearing will almost fall right out. Sand, scrape, or do whatever it takes to get the powder coating off before you knock in the new races.
Hmmm...I see maybe not as simple. I have a new stock set of triples with bearings off my '09 as mentioned, whatever the offset is not sure. The shoip that built my EXC swapped them oiut new for the adjustable offset triples. Just as a note on the bearing races, an old trick is to heat it up with a torch and strike it with a cold chisel. Seems to work pretty well.
Sorry RD, I didn't mean to make it sound super simple, though I think the project is only moderately difficult. If you have a vise, a drill, a hack saw, and a welder, it is all doable. The hardest part of the project was figuring out what to do for steering stops. My buddies thought I should utilize the holes in the KTM lower clamp. I just had to figure out how to make them work. Turned out not to be so difficult and I came up with a very simple design. Here is the stop plate that needs to be fabricated. It is not complete and is in the rough. The front fender bolts right up to the two rear KTM fender mount holes, but the front holes will need to mount to the stopper plate. I have a drill bit poking through the front hole up to the plate.
Completed the stop plate/fender adaptor. I am happy with it and it is going to be plenty strong. 7000 series aluminum would have been nice here, but I don't have any and my aluminum welding skills are only so so. Plus the strength in a lay down would have been questionable.
Finally got around to doing Njoytheride's ingenious pod mod and Glitch-Oz's bad ass pre-filter mod! I thought the clearances were way too tight with the red pre-filter foam that came with the Uni-filter so I left it off. I don't know what other people are doing, so let me know if it is a problem. I oiled up both filters and I will keep an eye on them.
You know things are going to get awesome when you pull out a TIG torch!! I cut and drilled a bracket for the preload adjuster to weld to my crash bars and managed to salvage my Husky sticker. Ok, so maybe it wasn't that awesome, but I still had fun. It looks crooked in the pics, but I'm pretty sure its straight... It is hard to tell, but it is tucked in there all nice and protected. I also got a bunch of goodies today!! New wheel bearings and seals, front brake pads, caliper rebuild kit, and a KTM bolt kit to save me a hundred trips to the hardware store. The caliper and bracket was a $40 eBay find. NOT putting it on without a rebuild!!
I have the identical setup. The prefilter catches 99% of the dust. Dirt on the podfilter is negligible. I am sure that you will not cause any detriment by leaving the red prefilter off your podfilter.
...hmmm...so how'd did your airbox look? Dust or? Seems a prefilter over the stock set up would help mitigate if it blocks 99%. I'm considering a pod but I've been told by an X-Challenge owner that the real issue is dust coming up by the throttle body donut seal.
Thats great news...Thanks nev! It was completely horrifying. I didn't really study where the impurities came from because I was almost certain it came from the original filter. That boot was pretty tight and I don't really think it came from there. Here are the pics to study. I know that early on in TR history books that guys would try different things to combat the issue. In the end it was this mod that won in the end due to being inexpensive, simple, and extremely effective.
This fork conversion is a success minus the defective tube that decided to start failing on the first day out on my trip. I picked up the forks from DDR on Thursday and worked steady on it through Friday afternoon to get everything installed, luggage packed, and just make sure everything was ready in general and that the bike was safe to ride after all this unproven work. I only got to take it on a ten minute test ride before I left for a three day trip to the desert. I checked and double checked everything. I literally threw everything at it this trip. Here is a rock climb that we went up and back down because we were lost. It never bottomed out once. I did use 9 out of 10 inches of travel though.
