Need opinions on front fork mod, for the 5th gen whats the best front fork/end swap?

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by hollenbeck, Jul 25, 2013.

  1. hollenbeck

    hollenbeck New Member

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    I did the 929 mono shock conversion and rode up to my buddies house to borrow chain breaker anyways, he was looking at my bike and said my back was a lil low so we did some measurements and sure enough it's off so hes making a new bracket for me, but he told me to sit on his bike and the setup feels really good, so I took it for a spin and that thing handles beautiful, it's perfect so my have to have kicked in lol, and I plan on doing it soon just wasn't some opinions on what's the best conversion for front end, I know alot of people have done different setups so I wanna see what my options are and exactly what all do I need as far as parts besides the forks and a conversion that would de-link the brakes would be a major plus. But mines a 01 vfr 800 and does height and weight play into this equation? correct me if I'm wrong but higher in the back and lowered in the front is the way to go right or should I leave front stock depending on what I get. Thank you any advice would be greatly appreciated and sorry for the long ass write out
     
  2. hollenbeck

    hollenbeck New Member

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    This is off subject but has anyone ever had there shifter kinda rattle when you take it from neutral to first, mine seems like it's trying to fight me sometimes and when I start the bike and shift into first it thumps, thats the best way I know how to describe it, any info would help thanks
     
  3. JJFlash7

    JJFlash7 New Member

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    Looks like you’re into some suspension upgrading…

    When you did the 929 conversion, did you re-valve and re-spring the shock for your weight and riding style or did you do a straight swap? And you are right; the shock is too short and needs a modified mounting bracket. Check out Jamie Daugherty's 929 conversions and the modified bracket. Daugherty Motorsports - Motorcycle Suspension Performance and Modification .

    IMO, the biggest bang for the buck is getting the spring rates right. It is counter intuitive but too low a spring rate makes the suspension harsh while a correctly sprung suspension is firm but compliant. If you are running the stock springs and weight more than 140 lbs with gear it might be worth your time to change out the springs and adjust the damping. Once you have the spring rates right, it could be interesting to try dropping the front end a little if you still need a quicker turn in. Five millimeter seems pretty common. Be careful about going too much further due to clearance issues.

    I think that for us mere mortals that’s about as good as it gets. Delinking the brakes reduces the weight somewhat, fully adjustable forks and shocks are great for setting the suspension up for different track conditions, upside down forks reduce the unsprung weight a little. With my level of ability, these things just don’t make a big enough difference to matter.

    So my opinion is, before throwing a new front end on, make sure you are getting the most out of your existing front end. I run a Penske rear shock with an 1100 lb/in spring and a stock fork with .95 kg/m springs and Penske valving. It really transformed the bike. One last thought, my rear shock is a fully adjustable Penske 8987 and my forks are only adjustable for pre-load. Once I had the suspension sorted out I haven’t had to make any adjustments. So for the street you may not need fully adjustable rebound and compression on the forks and shock.

    Back to your original question. Just search “fork swaps” and/or “brake de-linking” and you will find a tremendous number of threads on how to do it.
    Good luck.
     
  4. hollenbeck

    hollenbeck New Member

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    yeah I just did a straight swap and I had a fabricated bracket for the shock made, only the guy's measurements were off, but at least now I got a guy who knows what he's doing and already knows the measurements, I have the front lowered about a 1/2 inch, wich suits me pretty good but I'll see how it turns out after the mono shock is re done.
     

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