Wilsons Sandbox

It must be winter. I find myself thinking of KLR mods rather than riding. Does the fact that we hit -16F this week have anything to do with it? I've been reading my stash of cycle magazines and other than "more horsepower" the biggest news in motorcycledom this year is the Supermotard. Ducati and Aprilia have a pretty sweet motard. Husqvarna and Suzuki have excellent Motard bikes, although the 'Zuki is kinda smallish and the Husqvarna is pretty much made of unobtainium. At least the parts are. Gets me to thinking about KLR mods'. I have a couple of pictures of motarded KLR's and I really (really) like the look. The big question is, is it worth it? Even a box stock KLR with street tires is pretty good in the smiles department when pushed to the pegs, and the easy mod of an 18 or 19 inch front tire is reported to be significant as well. Is a full bucks supermotard KLR worth the expense? I'm guessing the full mods; 17 inch front, bars, some body parts and such, would probably run about $1500. Add another 500 for a wide rear tire. My quandry is, is it worthwhile? I'd like some feedback from you KLRista who have done something crazy like this, or some opinions from you who have thought about it. C'mon, winter is winding down and I'll be out there riding soon.