Crash Fighters Anonymous

tapdiggy · May 21st, 2009, 12:10 PM

Hello fellow Ninjette riders. My name is Bryan and I like crash fighters. You know the type of bike I mean. It's been dropped, got scarred up, broke some plastic. Now its rider doesn't fix it to stock for reasons of finances or preference. Now, judging from the flaming of these bike owners, it seems that no "sane" or "real rider" could possibly choose to leave their motorcycle incomplete. Well I am one of these "cheapskates". I lowsided my ninja earlier this year. I scraped and shattered part of my upper right fairing section. I still had all the chunks so I bought some plastic weld to glue it back together. It wasn't until I removed the fairing to fix my twisted forks that I realized, "Hey, my bike has nice bones!" Am I the only one who sincerely prefers the nonfactory naked look?

BlueTyke · May 21st, 2009, 12:31 PM

To each their own... As mentioned before... It is the master that chooses the bike, not the bike that chooses the master. If your's likes running around neekid more power to it!

lockie · May 21st, 2009, 01:09 PM

Yeah. I agree. Leave it sans fairings just to confuse all the folks that see you go by. I'd fix mine eventually but there is a certain Je ne sais quoi to riding around naked (one way or the other)

KJohnson21 · May 21st, 2009, 01:23 PM

I believe that that's one of the original motivations for "street fighter" conversions.

Snake · May 21st, 2009, 01:33 PM

Streat fighters can be some good looking bikes if done right.

Alex · May 21st, 2009, 01:49 PM

Were these done right?

SMITTY2.jpg cechie33.jpg

KJohnson21 · May 21st, 2009, 01:55 PM

Oh yeah, there's some nice looking conversions and stock street fighters out there!

I'm just saying that I've heard more than one conversion story that started with, "The plastic costs HOW MUCH!?!"

KJohnson21 · May 21st, 2009, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

Were these done right?

Attachment 2092 Attachment 2091

Did they follow the instructions?

sm0kediver · May 21st, 2009, 03:27 PM

If I crashed one, I'd probably end up with a street fighter, just because I'm a cheapskate and that would offer a practical solution. What boggles my mind is when people make street fighters out of brand new bikes because they think it looks kewl. To each their own, but if my bike is intact I'll probably leave it that way.

tapdiggy · May 22nd, 2009, 03:22 AM

Thanks for the kind words. Most people who see it and think dropped bike, cheap owner.

DerTeufel · May 22nd, 2009, 05:35 AM

Did someone say, "Street fighter"?

It started after I lowsided on a mountain road. I bought GSXR race plastics, mounted lights to it, and ran that on the street for 7 months. I wanted something different, so I bought a set of handlebars, friend of mine donated the risers, and a short while later, I had a naked TL with dirt bike handlebars. The only difference in it from that pic to now, is that I bought some clip-on risers from woodcraft. Eventually I will do something with the headlight..but I am in no hurry.

tapdiggy · May 22nd, 2009, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerTeufel

Did someone say, "Street fighter"?

It started after I lowsided on a mountain road. I bought GSXR race plastics, mounted lights to it, and ran that on the street for 7 months. I wanted something different, so I bought a set of handlebars, friend of mine donated the risers, and a short while later, I had a naked TL with dirt bike handlebars. The only difference in it from that pic to now, is that I bought some clip-on risers from woodcraft. Eventually I will do something with the headlight..but I am in no hurry.

That's a beauty.

jonb08 · May 22nd, 2009, 07:08 AM

It's not a streetfighter if it does not have mechanical upgrades. If it doesn't have mechanical upgrades, it's just a crashed bike with no fairings.

DerTeufel · May 22nd, 2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonb08

It's not a streetfighter if it does not have mechanical upgrades. If it doesn't have mechanical upgrades, it's just a crashed bike with no fairings.

Like what kind of mechanical upgrades? I can provide you with a few very nice examples of streetfighters that haven't had anything done to the engine.

tapdiggy · May 23rd, 2009, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonb08

It's not a streetfighter if it does not have mechanical upgrades. If it doesn't have mechanical upgrades, it's just a crashed bike with no fairings.

Streetfighters are cosmetic first and performance second. Cafe racers are what you described. They are stripped down to nakedness for weight savings and have mechanical upgrades for performance over looks.

mr.jake · June 2nd, 2011, 06:56 PM

he got quiet after that last post lol

bob138 · July 15th, 2011, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

Were these done right?

Attachment 2092 Attachment 2091

Those appear to be Rat bikes.

The technical difference is that a rat bike should really be called a Roach bike seeing as the idea is to just keep the thing running as cheap as possible. I've heard of guys filling in pitting in caliper pistons with JB weld in the name of savings on a rat bike. Farings crack, take them off. Tank rusted out, find something else to hold gas ect.

Fighters are modern day Cafe's. Strip weight and ride it fast and mean. Though fighter motivations does range from performance <-> Aesthetics.

On customfighters.com no one can give the same definition on what a fighter is. All that we seem to be able to agree on is that making the bike look/perform exactly how YOU want is the real important part. That makes the forum real fun because there is more of a "meh that's not my bag but it's cool that your happy" type of place. AND very little serious insults or questioning of why people do what they do.

Kind of like the difference between this forum and the sportbike forums.

BOb

cerberusrex25 · July 15th, 2011, 12:58 PM

Any kind of fighter is ok with me, RIDE NAAAAKEEEEEED!!!!.

alex.s · July 15th, 2011, 01:54 PM

Tony B · August 2nd, 2011, 12:27 AM

This is not a streetfighter, or rat bike or home build, it's a Bohmerland, from Czechoslovakia, built from the twenties to just before the second world war.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/attac...1&d=1242938940

Tony B · August 2nd, 2011, 12:45 AM

Ok, small history lesson coming up .......

The term Streetfighter was first used by staff writer 'Clink', (who still writes for BSH & Streetfighter mags), in an article in BSH in '87 or '89, (can't remember which, but I DO have the issue somewhere at home).
On the internet, if you research, the phrase is often attributed to Crazy 'Odge, (builder of the (in)famous pink Triumph drag bike, but he is quoted as saying that Steve Myatt, (then editor and founder of BSH), was the one who thought the phrase up first.
Now the shock horror bit for any of you youngsters, the bikes that were given the monicker back then, were hard tailed chops, not sports bikes!
In the UK, traditional long forked US style chops were not particularly practical, as we don't have long straight highways to ride on, and the Brit chop riders evolved their bikes with better handling and performance in mind. They were low, (a bit like US low-riders), with tuned up engines, and many were used at events like the Hell's Angels' Bulldog Bash on the drag strip.

Now, I stopped buying custom mags in around 1990, and started again in 2000, somewhere in between, the phrase became synonymous with stripped down sports bikes, someone else will have to fill-in that 10 year gap, as I haven't a clue what happened in the interim

(Bit like that Woody Allen film where he wakes up after many years to find everythings changed!!

).

Oh, and yesterday I bought the latest copy of Streetfighter mag, some bikes are built for the look with standard engines, others are tuned, (and often turboed) for maximum, and often insane, performance. The Laverda RGS fighter from South Africa on the cover is especially nice !

Tony B · August 2nd, 2011, 01:35 AM

And here's that pink Triumph

ducducgooseit · August 2nd, 2011, 09:40 AM

As Alex.s showed with his very small picture

there are now at least one company that makes a line of bikes that they call "streetfighter".

alex.s · August 2nd, 2011, 11:05 AM

hmm... large photo attachments seem to be common for me... must be compensating for something

Tony B · August 2nd, 2011, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ducducgooseit

As Alex.s showed with his very small picture

there are now at least one company that makes a line of bikes that they call "streetfighter".

Yes, I love that old oxymoron, the 'factory custom' .....

cerberusrex25 · August 3rd, 2011, 04:56 PM

I like the whole bobber( a true bobber is just a bike stripped to bare bones essentials, just clarifying), streetfighter, naked craze, i think they are practical because you don't have to waste time removing your fairings for service, they look more agresive and if you are smart, you can bring them back to stock covered when you are ready to resell it, unless you made a complete custom out of your bike. crash fighters are a great way to keep the bike running after other will declared it dead/ totaled, I like the aspect of bringing new life into something that everyone has decided is dead, I even plan to start a shop based on that philosophy in the near future.

LONG LIVE THE STREETFIGHTER(chopper or not)!!!

PS: drunk posting FTW!!!!.

Tony B · August 3rd, 2011, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cerberusrex25

PS: drunk posting FTW!!!!.

I've done that many a time

Good luck with the idea for the shop.

cerberusrex25 · August 4th, 2011, 08:18 AM

Thank you, my idea is to buy not badly crashed but road rashed bikes for a sensible price, fighter them and then sell them. I would also provide this service to the general public, only difference is they provide the bike. I am already in talks with several of my mechanic friends that are currently either unemployed or making ends meet from home. This might be our big chance, wish us luck.

Jinx250 · August 4th, 2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tapdiggy

It's been dropped, got scarred up, broke some plastic. Now its rider doesn't fix it to stock for reasons of finances or preference.

Definitely talking about a rat bike. The general rule being "who cares how it looks as long as it runs?" If you're running your bike without hte fairings cause they got busted then you're just riding naked. If you botched the fairings together and put htem back on it would be a rat bike.

May 21st, 2009, 12:10 PM	#1
tapdiggy Humble Observer Name: Truong Location: Augusta, Maine Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Yamaha XT250 Posts: 612	Crash Fighters Anonymous Hello fellow Ninjette riders. My name is Bryan and I like crash fighters. You know the type of bike I mean. It's been dropped, got scarred up, broke some plastic. Now its rider doesn't fix it to stock for reasons of finances or preference. Now, judging from the flaming of these bike owners, it seems that no "sane" or "real rider" could possibly choose to leave their motorcycle incomplete. Well I am one of these "cheapskates". I lowsided my ninja earlier this year. I scraped and shattered part of my upper right fairing section. I still had all the chunks so I bought some plastic weld to glue it back together. It wasn't until I removed the fairing to fix my twisted forks that I realized, "Hey, my bike has nice bones!" Am I the only one who sincerely prefers the nonfactory naked look?

May 21st, 2009, 12:31 PM	#2
BlueTyke So slow I'm first! Name: Sunny Location: San Jose, CA Join Date: Oct 2008 Motorcycle(s): 06 Kawasaki Ninja EX250 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 10	To each their own... As mentioned before... It is the master that chooses the bike, not the bike that chooses the master. If your's likes running around neekid more power to it! __________________________________________________ Learn from the mistakes of others, you cannot make them all yourself. Save yourself the trouble and Learn.

May 21st, 2009, 01:23 PM	#4
KJohnson21 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ken Location: Indio, CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	I believe that that's one of the original motivations for "street fighter" conversions. __________________________________________________ < ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name?

May 21st, 2009, 01:49 PM	#6
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	Were these done right? SMITTY2.jpg cechie33.jpg __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

May 21st, 2009, 01:55 PM	#7
KJohnson21 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ken Location: Indio, CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	Oh yeah, there's some nice looking conversions and stock street fighters out there! I'm just saying that I've heard more than one conversion story that started with, "The plastic costs HOW MUCH!?!" __________________________________________________ < ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name?

May 21st, 2009, 01:09 PM	#3
lockie ninjette.org sage Name: don Location: Port Elgin NB Canada Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 blue ninja 250R Posts: 742	Yeah. I agree. Leave it sans fairings just to confuse all the folks that see you go by. I'd fix mine eventually but there is a certain Je ne sais quoi to riding around naked (one way or the other)

May 21st, 2009, 01:33 PM	#5
Snake ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Alexandria, Louisiana Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 05 Blue Ninja 250 Posts: Too much. MOTY - 2017, MOTM - Jan '19, Oct '16, May '14	Streat fighters can be some good looking bikes if done right.

May 21st, 2009, 03:27 PM	#9
sm0kediver one disaster at a time Name: Jody Location: West Georgia Join Date: Aug 2008 Motorcycle(s): EX250J9 Posts: 411	If I crashed one, I'd probably end up with a street fighter, just because I'm a cheapskate and that would offer a practical solution. What boggles my mind is when people make street fighters out of brand new bikes because they think it looks kewl. To each their own, but if my bike is intact I'll probably leave it that way.

May 22nd, 2009, 03:22 AM	#10
tapdiggy Humble Observer Name: Truong Location: Augusta, Maine Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Yamaha XT250 Posts: 612	Thanks for the kind words. Most people who see it and think dropped bike, cheap owner.

May 22nd, 2009, 05:35 AM	#11
DerTeufel ninjette.org member Name: Aaron Location: Wildomar Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, 2009 KTM 690 SMC, 2001 Suzuki GSX-R 750 (track bike) Posts: 172	Did someone say, "Street fighter"? It started after I lowsided on a mountain road. I bought GSXR race plastics, mounted lights to it, and ran that on the street for 7 months. I wanted something different, so I bought a set of handlebars, friend of mine donated the risers, and a short while later, I had a naked TL with dirt bike handlebars. The only difference in it from that pic to now, is that I bought some clip-on risers from woodcraft. Eventually I will do something with the headlight..but I am in no hurry.

May 22nd, 2009, 07:08 AM	#13
jonb08 ninjette.org member Name: Jon Location: Long Island, NY Join Date: Mar 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2007 EX250 Posts: 91	It's not a streetfighter if it does not have mechanical upgrades. If it doesn't have mechanical upgrades, it's just a crashed bike with no fairings.

June 2nd, 2011, 06:56 PM	#16
mr.jake ninjette.org member Name: jacob Location: gaston county n.c. Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1996 ninja 250 Posts: 28	he got quiet after that last post lol __________________________________________________ those who think they can and those who think they cannot are usually right.

July 15th, 2011, 12:58 PM	#18
cerberusrex25 Accesories Guru Name: Dave Location: Centreville, VA Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): '99 EX250(Cafe/fighter project) Posts: 537	Any kind of fighter is ok with me, RIDE NAAAAKEEEEEED!!!!.

July 15th, 2011, 01:54 PM	#19
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	__________________________________________________

August 2nd, 2011, 12:27 AM	#20
Tony B ninjette.org member Name: Tony Location: Surrey UK Join Date: Aug 2010 Motorcycle(s): GPX250 + many others! Posts: 184	This is not a streetfighter, or rat bike or home build, it's a Bohmerland, from Czechoslovakia, built from the twenties to just before the second world war. http://www.ninjette.org/forums/attac...1&d=1242938940

August 2nd, 2011, 12:45 AM	#21
Tony B ninjette.org member Name: Tony Location: Surrey UK Join Date: Aug 2010 Motorcycle(s): GPX250 + many others! Posts: 184	Ok, small history lesson coming up ....... The term Streetfighter was first used by staff writer 'Clink', (who still writes for BSH & Streetfighter mags), in an article in BSH in '87 or '89, (can't remember which, but I DO have the issue somewhere at home). On the internet, if you research, the phrase is often attributed to Crazy 'Odge, (builder of the (in)famous pink Triumph drag bike, but he is quoted as saying that Steve Myatt, (then editor and founder of BSH), was the one who thought the phrase up first. Now the shock horror bit for any of you youngsters, the bikes that were given the monicker back then, were hard tailed chops, not sports bikes! In the UK, traditional long forked US style chops were not particularly practical, as we don't have long straight highways to ride on, and the Brit chop riders evolved their bikes with better handling and performance in mind. They were low, (a bit like US low-riders), with tuned up engines, and many were used at events like the Hell's Angels' Bulldog Bash on the drag strip. Now, I stopped buying custom mags in around 1990, and started again in 2000, somewhere in between, the phrase became synonymous with stripped down sports bikes, someone else will have to fill-in that 10 year gap, as I haven't a clue what happened in the interim (Bit like that Woody Allen film where he wakes up after many years to find everythings changed!!). Oh, and yesterday I bought the latest copy of Streetfighter mag, some bikes are built for the look with standard engines, others are tuned, (and often turboed) for maximum, and often insane, performance. The Laverda RGS fighter from South Africa on the cover is especially nice !

August 2nd, 2011, 09:40 AM	#23
ducducgooseit Name: ... Location: ... Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): ... Posts: 999	As Alex.s showed with his very small picture there are now at least one company that makes a line of bikes that they call "streetfighter".

August 2nd, 2011, 11:05 AM	#24
alex.s wat Name: wat Location: tustin/long beach Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 5 MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14	hmm... large photo attachments seem to be common for me... must be compensating for something __________________________________________________

August 3rd, 2011, 04:56 PM	#26
cerberusrex25 Accesories Guru Name: Dave Location: Centreville, VA Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): '99 EX250(Cafe/fighter project) Posts: 537	I like the whole bobber( a true bobber is just a bike stripped to bare bones essentials, just clarifying), streetfighter, naked craze, i think they are practical because you don't have to waste time removing your fairings for service, they look more agresive and if you are smart, you can bring them back to stock covered when you are ready to resell it, unless you made a complete custom out of your bike. crash fighters are a great way to keep the bike running after other will declared it dead/ totaled, I like the aspect of bringing new life into something that everyone has decided is dead, I even plan to start a shop based on that philosophy in the near future. LONG LIVE THE STREETFIGHTER(chopper or not)!!! PS: drunk posting FTW!!!!.

August 4th, 2011, 08:18 AM	#28
cerberusrex25 Accesories Guru Name: Dave Location: Centreville, VA Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): '99 EX250(Cafe/fighter project) Posts: 537	Thank you, my idea is to buy not badly crashed but road rashed bikes for a sensible price, fighter them and then sell them. I would also provide this service to the general public, only difference is they provide the bike. I am already in talks with several of my mechanic friends that are currently either unemployed or making ends meet from home. This might be our big chance, wish us luck.

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