View Full Version : Frankenstein's front end changes again
northwind
13-10-07, 10:34 PM
OK, so. As of yesterday, my front end consisted of:
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/Northwindlowlander/dymag/spotthebling.jpg
GSXR SRAD 750 yokes
GSXR K2 750 forks, mudguard and calipers
A titanium SRAD axle I got off 21Quest :cool:
Fireblade fitment Dymag 3-spoke front wheel
Honda SP-2 discs
But those forks needed rebuilt, and they were in a pretty sorry state cosmetically, so instead of throwing good money at them I've replaced them with a set off a K4 750, along with calipers off... somethingorother. I thought they were GSXR but, more on that later.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/Northwindlowlander/dymag/Front%20end/Wide.jpg
Blech, gold. I don't like gold forks... Especially as they don't match my wheel. But the black lowers are nice. See the benefits of working in a tidy workspace :mrgreen:
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/Northwindlowlander/dymag/Front%20end/Closeup.jpg
Something odd here though... K4s use 300mm discs, don't they? But as you can see this is all lining up without spacers on a 320mm disc. It looks like the calipers, whatever they're off, are built to sit 10mm further out than usual. Anyone know what they're off? They're 2-pad, 4 piston numbers, not the nicer 4-pads ones. Mudguard nearly fits, but not quite, which is irritating... But it's good enough for now, my old forks had 3 broken bolts anyway so it'll have one more than usual.
The caliper bolts bottom out too... I need to find a washer the right size to sit between the bolt head and caliper, probably. Those bolts are off a K6, though my 2006 R6 bolts are also too long.
Incidentally, I wanted to fit my R6 calipers- they're way lighter (I think about 300g the pair), and generally well regarded. But they have a little collar built in that should sit into a recess on the forks, and while the K6 GSXR forks have a recess for that that, these K4 ones don't. I don't know if the little collar is removable, I gave one a little poke but it wouldn't shift. Well, anything's removable but I don't want to maul my calipers!
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/Northwindlowlander/dymag/Front%20end/padclearance.jpg
Gap between discs and pads. Not big. These are low mile pads but I've got a wee suspicion that brand new pads might rub. This is obviously a worry... Some people would worry about having the discs offset within the pad run, I don't, it's a hydraulic system so it shouldn't mind if the start points are different. One set of pistons will be a wee bit more exposed to the elements. I could shim the discs out by a mm or so, that's definately a possibility.
Will it work with other parts? I think so, but I want to try it tomorrow with an SRAD wheel and discs. I think it'll be even tighter, so spacing the discs out might be mandatory.
Not ridden on it yet, as you might be able to guess :mrgreen:
Scooby Drew
13-10-07, 11:03 PM
Was going to pop round for a cuppa - would have been an entertaining afternoon ;) Is it running or not?
northwind
13-10-07, 11:16 PM
Running, yes. Brakes? Not so much... There wasn't much to see this afternoon, I was off shopping ;)
21QUEST
14-10-07, 12:53 AM
Gold is the new Silver you know......just clearing that up :p
Calipers I reckon are GSXR1000 K5/K6...don't quote me but pretty sure they are. The Kwaks use Gold calipers but the GSXR1000 K5/K6 are definitel Black.
Also the GSXR K5/K6 I believe have Ally inserts(in fork bottoms) which are threaded. All that can be checked if you are curious as I know a man with a complete GSXR K6 front end :)
Probably worked out that all you need for the mud guard is a strip of thin metal drilled at opposite ends. Self tapping screws(or bolt and nut) to attach one end to mudguard and bottom half bolts on with a bolt to the fork bottom...infact that's how mine is secured.
Sounds like it all went relatively nice and easy. If you decide you need to space out discs, let us know. I'll be getting some made for that wee project of mine so possible to sort an extra set ;)
Ben
northwind
14-10-07, 01:44 AM
Also the GSXR K5/K6 I believe have Ally inserts(in fork bottoms) which are threaded. All that can be checked if you are curious as I know a man with a complete GSXR K6 front end :)
Makes sense, there's definately some sort of inserts in the K6 fork bottoms, I think they're just push fit but to be honest, I can't remember.
All very easy really, but then, if it wasn't it'd have screwed up somewhere I suppose :smt101 Now, getting the forks set up will probably take me another 6 months.
Incidentally, as a result of some other stuff today, the Bandit 12 rear wheel plan went out the window... But I might have some machining work for your mates, for a caliper hanger. Not quite sorted the back end stuff yet though. Anyone want some Bandit wheels?
northwind
14-10-07, 07:03 PM
Got it all properly back together. The suspension is much as i remember it from the last set before they went off- my front-rear bounce is gone, which is nice, and it's tracking much better in wobbly corners. I just copied my settings off the old forks, finetuning still to come, but even on my shakedown ride I just felt completely at home. Lovely.
Brakes... Well, usual "new fluid" disclaimer applies. Not totally happy with these to be honest, I'm so used to the old 4-pots that any change always feels odd, and these are a wee bit more on/off. Still totally usable and controllable but right now I'd sooner have the old ones :smt017 I'll give that some time. Actually, I've got no idea what pads are in them, I'd assumed it'd be the OE but maybe not- could be there's some daft aggro compound in there. The "across" brake hose is too short, the banjos are further down on these than they were on the old ones so it won't sit in the right place. Annoyed.
Pics:
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/Northwindlowlander/dymag/Front%20end/goodpc.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i264/Northwindlowlander/dymag/Front%20end/pretty.jpg
Note to self: When you decide to take some pics with which to show off the bike, remember to take the camera bracket and luggage rack off first :oops:
This really makes me want to get a nice front end on my bike, shame I've got neither the time nor the brass for it!!!
Looks pretty swish though, bar dodgy rack at back... ;)
northwind
14-10-07, 09:57 PM
Rack? What rack? I can't see any rack.
It's cheaper than you'd think... Obviously mine's got out of hand but the first time, it cost me about £100 including powdercoating after selling the SV bits and I did it in an afternoon ;)
John 675
15-10-07, 08:41 AM
whilst on the subject northwind i have been offered a k5 gixxer thou front end at a decent price can this be applied to the sv?
petevtwin650
15-10-07, 08:56 AM
Can't believe you changed all that in a day Northwind.:notworthy:
So the new front was £140. Did that include those calipers too?
My mate has a Gxsr 750 K6 and they only have 2 pads per caliper.
Robw#70
15-10-07, 05:18 PM
Can't believe you changed all that in a day Northwind.:notworthy:
So the new front was £140. Did that include those calipers too?
My mate has a Gxsr 750 K6 and they only have 2 pads per caliper.
The two pad calipers are better btw, no funny pad wear and they dont 'ramp up' at low speeds, plus price up a replacement set of pads, should put you off enough:smt101
northwind
15-10-07, 07:32 PM
whilst on the subject northwind i have been offered a k5 gixxer thou front end at a decent price can this be applied to the sv?
How big is your hammer? :D (I think it will but I'm not so good on recent SVs, I know some bolt straight in and some don't. Thous come with the KYB forks which most people will tell you are lower quality than the Showas on the 750s, though, but they're still going to be a huge upgrade. Nobody knows why the faster bikes get the worse forks, the new Busa has KYB as well :smt017 But I bet you'd still be happy)
Can't believe you changed all that in a day Northwind.:notworthy:
So the new front was £140. Did that include those calipers too?
The actual bolt-up work was about an hour and a half at a nice relaxed pace, plus more time on snags like trying different mudguards and calipers, mucking about with brake hoses... Oh yes, and bolting one caliper up then discovering I'd forgotten to fit the pads. Then bleeding the brakes, which I HATE but which was deceptively easy this time. As much as I'd like to claim I'm awesome, it's actually not difficult this stuff, if you have the right approach and prep.
£140 was purely the forks, the calipers were £70 including a master cylinder, which I sold. For £40 I think :smt017 Ebay's strange.
I think I hate you.
Ah well. We'll always have Paris.
The two pad calipers are better btw, no funny pad wear and they dont 'ramp up' at low speeds, plus price up a replacement set of pads, should put you off enough:smt101
Hmm, interesting... I've only tried them on a 636, where I really liked them, but then it was a bit shonky so that could have hidden a grabbing/ramping up effects (sorry Drew!) I'll remember that, one less option to squander money on!
Oh yes, just the man, could I ask your opinion? What do you reckon would work out better in these forks, the Racetech option or the Ktech street and track 20mm kit? Given occasional fast road use, occasional trackdays, a fair bit of commuting and general riding like a granny. Or are there any other alternatives of note?
Ah well. We'll always have Paris.
That is true... Oh the roses.
Robw#70
15-10-07, 11:13 PM
I'd racetech them, fairly straight forward to fit, you'll probably need to go down a spring size as well, think they've got 9's in and 85's would be better suited for fast road, can be a bit 'knocky' when valved for 9's
northwind
15-10-07, 11:43 PM
Cheers... Are there any special tools needed for these forks? I have to admit I'm not great with suspension setup, I can get a reasonable setup but it's a shame to settle for reasonable with good parts, so I'm tempted to take it to ERS Racing or Youngs and say "Make it better". I prefer doing stuff myself, obviously, but I might have found my level here.
Racetech's site recommends me .81 for my puny 62kg... They reckon it has .85s as standard, compared to .78s in my old ones. I'd been wondering about this, I must have misread it before as I thought they were the same but they certainly didn't feel the same- and now I know.
It's a nice match for my oversprung rear I suppose :rolleyes:
What are you going to be doing with the old forks?
Alpinestarhero
16-10-07, 08:10 AM
looking good northy :D
Matt
21QUEST
16-10-07, 09:10 AM
Cheers... Are there any special tools needed for these forks? I have to admit I'm not great with suspension setup, I can get a reasonable setup but it's a shame to settle for reasonable with good parts, so I'm tempted to take it to ERS Racing or Youngs and say "Make it better". I prefer doing stuff myself, obviously, but I might have found my level here.
Racetech's site recommends me .81 for my puny 62kg... They reckon it has .85s as standard, compared to .78s in my old ones. I'd been wondering about this, I must have misread it before as I thought they were the same but they certainly didn't feel the same- and now I know.
It's a nice match for my oversprung rear I suppose :rolleyes:
I believe it's .85 in those.....but dude, you need to eat some dumplings :p.
Sure ractech recommends .81 for you? Asking as I'm pretty sure for my 80KG, their recommendation was about the .80 mark(can't be arsed to check it now lol).
Ben
northwind
16-10-07, 02:02 PM
What are you going to be doing with the old forks?
Viking funeral... Or, alternatively, depends on what I find regarding the fork tube compatability, I may end up using these ones for parts and practice. They're useful spares for now... But they're in a horrible state just now, if the next question was "Can I have them", you don't want them, they need rebuilding and one of the legs needs replaced or rechromed too- not worth it I think.
I believe it's .85 in those.....but dude, you need to eat some dumplings :p.
Sure ractech recommends .81 for you? Asking as I'm pretty sure for my 80KG, their recommendation was about the .80 mark(can't be arsed to check it now lol).
Aye, just checked it again. I tried it with 50 kilos and it recommends .77 so I think this is probably about as low as it goes. For 80 it recommends .85 btw ;)
You know how fat people say they have big bones? I have tiny bones :smt045
Robw#70
16-10-07, 08:22 PM
For some reason i thought you had thou forks, anyway i dont think we bring in anything less than a .85 in those as all the bikes the forks are originally fitted to wouldn't need them
northwind
16-10-07, 10:27 PM
Cheers Rob. Oh aye, the one thing I still wondered about was specialist tools for fitment, ie, do I need them?
Cheers
Robw#70
16-10-07, 10:51 PM
The main thing you'll need is a way of compressing the spring to get the cap off and torque wrench that reads as low as 25 inch lbs (important for racetech valves).
You can get the cartridge out with a rattle gun if you haven't got a cartridge holding tool (not always req some come loose some dont)
The rest is patience and careful re-assembly
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