convert an Uly XT to just a plain old Uly X

[steve.m]

so i'm curious if the front shocks are the same from bike to bike.  i seem to remember the XT having a slightly narrower fork tube.

basically i'm wondering if i can buy the standard Uly springs, shock and duckbill, spoon on some dirt tires and have an adventure bike, or is it more complex than that.  been looking at offroad tours and would like to bring the uly, but with the limited suspension travel of the XT i don't see it doing all together very well for itself.

also, if you guys think this kind of swap would run more than say...1000 bucks, i'd be inclined to buy myself an enduro and just haul it to the trails.  there's an overabundance of 250 2 strokes in texas to be had cheap cheap cheap.  basically rich folks buy them, take them for one ride, get scared and downgrade to a 125.  buyers market  

[whodom]

so i'm curious if the front shocks are the same from bike to bike.  i seem to remember the XT having a slightly narrower fork tube.

basically i'm wondering if i can buy the standard Uly springs, shock and duckbill, spoon on some dirt tires and have an adventure bike, or is it more complex than that.  been looking at offroad tours and would like to bring the uly, but with the limited suspension travel of the XT i don't see it doing all together very well for itself.

also, if you guys think this kind of swap would run more than say...1000 bucks, i'd be inclined to buy myself an enduro and just haul it to the trails.  there's an overabundance of 250 2 strokes in texas to be had cheap cheap cheap.  basically rich folks buy them, take them for one ride, get scared and downgrade to a 125.  buyers market  

I looked seriously at going the other way (converting my X into an XT) a couple of years ago.  You have to swap the front fork tube assemblies (complete), rear shock and adjuster, front fender, and kickstand.   I got my info from a knowledgeable Buell tech/rider I knew fairly well.  The total price for these parts was around $1100 ~2 years ago; hopefully it hasn't changed much.  If you use 08-up X model forks, you'll have to add 08-up triple clamps with the increased offset to match the offset axle clamps on the fork tubes, which benefits you by providing significantly greater steering lock.  

Supposedly you can't just swap the fork internals as there are quite a few different parts.  Note that the 08-up X models have larger diameter forks than the 06-07 X models.  However, all fork tubes are the same sizes where they are clamped in the triple clamps so any year fork will work on any year Uly.

This still leaves the beefier X model wheels, which have a little more thickness in the rims to make them more resistant to abuse.  If you want to do those too, that'd probably add another $800 or so to the conversion.

So you're looking at somewhere between a grand and $2k to do the conversion.  You may be able to find used parts, which I'm sure would save you a lot.  An even simpler solution would be to find someone who just wants to swap an X for an XT.  

[steve.m]

eh, i can find a KLR or DR 650 for less than the cost of the conversion, same for the straight enduro bikes.

thanks for the info

[R Doug]

eh, i can find a KLR or DR 650 for less than the cost of the conversion, same for the straight enduro bikes.

thanks for the info

Those are much better horses for the courses anyhow.  Plus, just look how much you'll save if when you drop the dual sport off road.  I hear the Uly crashes well, but the KLR and DR are much cheaper to fix.  

[steve.m]

Very true, been wanting something purpose built for dirt anyway.  Just another excuse to expand the garage.  Although I do want a track day bike as well.  Hmm...

[R Doug]

The more the merrier.  

[sprint EX]

You could try Badweatherbikers.com and see if anyone would want to swap parts.

[steve.m]

true but this is more of a temporary thing.  thinking about doing a part of the TAT or possibly an offroad "excursion" trip in Utah.  was hoping the swap would be simple but from the cost i've seen, i'm better off getting something specifically for dirt, the rental rates aren't really worth it, can dig up a used 250 enduro for about the cost to rent for 2 trips.  If i converted the uly, i'd want to swap it back to stock when i got home.

[BobW]

I'd take the XT keeping in mind there are very few people that can do "real" off road on any 1200 c.c. "big girl", regardless GS, X, Stelvio, MS, etc. They are a bunch of fun up to a point and then...........  The 180 rear tire is very limited in aggressive off road tire choices, you can stretch some of the 160's, but I wouldn't recommend it. The 90/10 tires like the Scorpion Syncs and Dunlop 616's are about it for radials in proper fitment, but I have also gone for miles on dirt and gravel on regular street tires with many of my "road" bikes. If you don't get too crazy and into real bad mud, etc., I 'd say a decent rider taking his time could do a bunch of exploring on the XT, it works for me on the Stelvio.

Cheers