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I remember the older Triumphs, BSA's, Nortons, Gold Star's, and other British bikes that ran the BAJA 500 and 1,000 races as well, mostly TT bikes with altered suspension, different bars, and off-road tires. They worked well, as they didn't have the raw power curve the Kawasaki's did. We wven saw a few Kawasaki 650 twins in the mix. They were soft on tires, and were usually way up in the packs, won some times. The Yamaha XS twins did the same later.
ANYTHING like that set up for street would be a class act all the way. With the right tires on the street, one cam get the full feeling of how to slide the rear, and push for front, or, both at the same time, on the street, full-on all the way around.
What makes some of the best road racers in the world is, that they used to be old TT and dirt track racers, and have an infinite feel of what they can get away with at the very edge of traction with any bike. Roberts, Romero, Adana, Lawwill, and a hundred more like them that raced dirt track of all types, were simply the best pavement people we ever produced here. Even race schools like Rich Oliver's, use dirt bikes, and teach slides and getting away with all sorts of sliding, traction abusing formats, to make better riders.
There used to be a guy that ram a full on KX420 dirt bike, with slicks on it, at Sear's Point for the AFM races. It was always entertaining seeing him go trough turn 11, a full on 180 degree right hander at the pits, with that 21 inch front wheel wwwwwaaaaaaayyyyyyy out there in front of the bike. He always lead, and won, and never did fall off that thing, and we were all scared to death that wheel so far out there ahead of that bike was going to give away EVERY lap. It never did. It was way past full on impressive.
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