The annals of music historical past are affected by bands whose third albums didn’t fairly handle the success of their debut and sophomore choices. That development was on the forefront of Rick Hannah’s thoughts when he got down to construct his third Kawasaki W650 desert sled.
A South African ex-pat at present residing within the UK, Rick works within the tech business—however he’s a petrolhead at coronary heart. Working underneath the cheeky nickname of Soiled Dick’s Motos, he burst onto our pages a number of years in the past with a picture-perfect Kawasaki W650 scrambler within the type of classic British desert sleds. He adopted it up with a equally styled W650 a yr later, leaving him with greater than sufficient knowledge to construct a 3rd.
Rick’s greatest problem was determining the right way to repeat his success, with out getting carried away. “I approached this sled like Metallica’s Grasp of Puppets,” he tells us. “Metallica took what that they had, introduced in outdoors assist, and made positive that their third album was tighter, louder, had extra targeted lyrics, and delivered an hour of thrash metallic bliss.”
“I had thought I couldn’t push the desert sled idea additional after the second, however then I spotted I used to be fascinated by it incorrectly. There was no must push the technical points any additional. What I wanted to concentrate on had been the design parts—taking one of the best elements of each earlier W650 sleds and dealing these into a motorcycle I’d be actually pleased with.”
This time, Rick gave himself a leg up by beginning with a low-mileage donor bike that was working properly. “It’s all properly and good rescuing a motorcycle and turning an unsightly duckling right into a swan,” he says, “nevertheless it takes an unlimited period of time. And to be trustworthy, I used to be uninterested in battling issues that had been invisible once I began!”
The 2001-model Kawasaki W650 was stripped right down to its bones in order that Rick may assess which elements to refresh, and which to toss within the bin. The body was de-tabbed, chopped, and handled to twin tail loops. One loop follows the standard scrambler type, whereas the second sits behind the seat, completely aligned with the body’s rear downtubes.
Shifting to the remainder of the chassis, Rick relied on his tried-and-true arsenal of Kawasaki W650 mods. A burly CNC-machined swingarm does obligation on the again, propped up on a set of Hagon shocks that measure an inch longer than inventory.
You’ll discover new billet aluminum yokes up entrance, designed with an offset that lifts the entrance finish to match the rear. The forks now sport an Andreani cartridge equipment, including full adjustability and significantly better dealing with.
Rick needed to retain the Kawasaki’s 19F/18R wheel measurement configuration, however the inventory rims weren’t as much as the duty. So he stripped the wheels down, had the hubs powder-coated silver, and re-laced them with wider Morad rims measuring 19×3.00” on the entrance and 18×4.25” on the again. They’re wrapped in Heidenau K67 and Mitas Terra Drive tires, respectively.
The W650’s OEM rear drum brake provides a traditional contact to the bike, however the entrance wheel now makes use of a Soiled Dick’s Motos Huge Brake Equipment. Developed by Rick, it combines a six-piston caliper with a 320 mm floating disc from EBC.
Rick outfitted the W650 with high-mounted fenders and a diamond-stitched solo seat, all of which hit the mark for a neo-retro desert sled. The unique gasoline tank remains to be in play, however he’s modded it in myriad delicate methods.
“Considered one of my favourite elements on the W650 is the tank,” he states. “It’s such a traditional form, so it baffles me why Kawasaki makes it ugly with large knee pads and big plastic badges. To point out off the curves of the tank, I eliminated the brackets and welded the seams.”
“The trick right here is to not minimize the seam and weld it as you go, however to fill the hole between the tank and seam with an extended bead of weld, after which easy it down. This fills within the ugly space of the stamped seam with out eradicating the nose-to-tail line of the tank and seat.”
Rick additionally moved the gasoline filler to the correct aspect to imitate classic Triumphs and added a knurled aluminum cap from Motone.
Additional ahead, you’ll discover a color-matched headlight mounted on handmade brackets. Tiny Kellerman flip indicators are mounted on to the headlight brackets up entrance, and tucked underneath the tail loop out again. The taillight is a Motone half.
The cockpit makes use of traditional Western-style one-inch handlebars, fitted with Ok-Tech brake and clutch controls, a brand new throttle, Biltwell Inc. grips, and neat micro switches. A Motogadget speedo sits entrance and middle, housed in a mounting that, just like the prolonged handlebar risers, is a part of the highest yoke.
Elsewhere, Rick put in a burly sump guard and lengthened the bike’s aspect stand. Each aluminum half was polished, the body was nickel-plated, and the engine’s valve cowl was ceramic coated. The kickstart lever wears a brass kicker from MotorRock in Japan—an element that’s now discontinued.
The actual magic right here is how properly every mod harmonizes with the subsequent, none of them hogging the highlight. This was a deliberate transfer on Rick’s half; “The design needed to be as slim as attainable with no busy design parts, as I needed to emphasise two elements of the bike above all the things else.”
“First, the exhaust, which is a stainless-steel marvel of straight traces and curves, snaking its manner across the aspect of the bike. The sound is incredible, with a deep and mild lopey lope at idle which rises right into a Spitfire-like howl at increased revs. My buddy Dave outdid himself right here—it’s his finest work but, and possibly his final as retirement swiftly approaches.”
“Secondly, the paint. Arnie at Kustom Tech has laid down essentially the most unimaginable layered and sparkly purple I’ve ever seen. My temporary was to take the manufacturing unit Kawasaki purple from the 70s and make it 10 occasions blingier. Arnie delivered—there isn’t a single angle the place this bike doesn’t look unimaginable within the sunshine.”
If Rick’s newest Kawasaki W650 desert sled tickles your fancy, it’s currently for sale through the Bike EXIF Classifieds. However you’d higher hurry… as a result of it’s additionally his final.
“That is the sort of desert sled that I’d construct for myself with no compromises or ‘protected’ design decisions,” he explains. “There may be nothing delicate about this bike, the type, the colours, the sound, all the things is the epitome of ‘higher, sooner, extra.’ That is nearly as good because it will get, and I’m not going to attempt to prime it.”
“Extra importantly, Soiled Dick’s Motos will shortly be closing down for the foreseeable future. There will likely be a swansong, however this would be the final W650 sled I construct.”
“It’s been an unimaginable decade; I’ve met some great individuals and constructed some cracking bikes. I bought to stretch my expertise and concepts and put them into apply, and can at all times be pleased about that. The time has come to maneuver onto pastures new, so thanks all for the help and appreciation!”
Dirty Dick’s Motos Instagram | Photos by Mihail Jershov | Buy this motorcycle
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