I recently purchased an 86 700F and 87 700F2 donor. The F forks leaked terribly and were way too "soft". I tried to swap forks but found out the F2's were bent in the process. Are there any components that can be swapped to improve the front suspension? I also saw it mentioned here that the F2 rear shock was about 10cm longer. If the whole thing is just swapped does that screw up the ride/balance?Are there any swap options on the rear? I'm not interested in complex rehab but would also like to read more about valves in suspensions. Know of any articles?
Front forks are very similar. The damping was slightly revised on the 87 from 86, but don't expect to feel much difference. Fork spring rates are the similar, if not exactly the same. They were under-sprung and over-damped when new. Rear 87 shock is longer and the "Arm Assy" (with 3 pivots) is different to compensate. The 87 shock got some revised damping as well, but nothing that makes it "amazing" compared to 86. You can put an 87 shock on a 86 for some increased rear ride height, which people did in the day when switching to a 17" rear wheel. Oh yeah, and don't forget, the 87 went to digital ignition, so there are electrical components that are not compatible between the two. Like the Ignition Module.