Bar conversion with pics

[Jayneflakes]

Grrrr, I am a right grumblebum today, I have just had to replace the blown fork seals on the SV forks before I ride to Cardington with Carol. When I come to sell these forks, they will have brand new fork seals and nice clean oil.

I am so looking forwards to getting the new forks on, the SV one just don't look right on her anymore, but at least they are in good order again. Thankfully I was able to obtain some genuine Suzuki seals for a good price and they slid right back in. The standard forks are so horribly basic inside, I think that my MTB ones are more complex but then they have adjustable damping on rebound.

Oh well, Cardington here we come.

[Geodude]

D'oh typical fix one bit the next weak bit in the link breaks. How was your run out with the new rear?

[Jayneflakes]

Originally Posted by Geodude

D'oh typical fix one bit the next weak bit in the link breaks. How was your run out with the new rear?

I can now write a review of the rear shock provided by the fabulous Mr YC having put in three hundred miles of riding over a period of four days. A quick comment would be excellent, it was well worth the money and the improvement in comfort is clear.

Motorway handling is exceptional. Small bumps at speed are barely felt on the rear now, but the very same bumps through the standard SV forks do jar my wrists somewhat. After forty miles I am usually very sore, however with the new shock I was champing at the bit to keep going.

Moving onto A roads I was hesitant because I was carrying panniers and the extra weight made my bike feel different as I rode along. However even over badly maintained roads, she tracked perfectly and I was surprised at the difference. Again, the standard forks are noticeably poor in comparison and road holding on the rear is fantastic.

At the hundred mile mark I am usually so sore in my shoulder and back that I need to stop riding and rest up for a few days. With the new shock, I was less tired, the bumps through the forks meant that my wrists were aching and my hands hurt, but my back side, lower back and shoulder felt tired but not agonising like they were pre rear end service and shock change.

The freshly serviced bearings combined with a new shock have transformed my bike from harsh painful steed into a comfortable and capable touring bike, the changes I have made to my precious SV have proved themselves. After 160 miles I needed to rest, I needed to stop riding and I needed some dinner, which was provided by a very wonderful friend.

I did need some physiotherapy when I got to my destination, luckily my friend is a wonderful physiotherapist and she was able to help me. However my pain levels were considerably reduced over what they were prior to this work.

In conclusion, it has worked. I am able to ride my bike further than the fifteen miles I was previously able to do. It might have taken me nearly five and a half hours to ride a simple 160 miles home, due to needing regular breaks and I could not ride between the trip up and then the trip home due to my elevated pain levels, but the fact I could ride that far at all is amazing.

See Mr YC for details of this amazing shock, I do not think that I could be more impressed.

[TamSV]

Excellent Jayne. You're going to love the results of the new front end when you get it.

[Bibio]

nice one Jayne. once you get the front sorted you will be amazed at what the humble SV capable of. yes that shock is rather sexy but TBH replacing the bearings will have made the largest difference, you could have put that shock on without doing the bearings and it would have been shizz.

the SV is with good suspension a very balanced and capable bike indeed.

[yorkie_chris]

Bibio you should see comparison of shocks, they do not compare to stock at all, see parts inside. The stock shocks are wank and totally undersprung and underdamped.

jayne re link... your shock is 8983 double clicker not 8987 triple clicker I believe.

[Bibio]

oooo i know how pants the stock shock is

what i was trying to say was that if Jayne hadn't dont the bearings i think the difference would have been minimal. but she done the right thing and replaced them.

[Jayneflakes]

Well folks, I have just had to trawl through this here thread because my photo links broke and all of my lovely pictures wandered off. Hopefully I have put them back in the right order, if not... Sorry


I have some news on the front forks, The dark genius that is Mr YC has finished the job, has made some new bits, added some shiny bits and wee'd his techno love juice into them. Hopefully he will be dropping the R1 forks in SRAD yokes down with me in the new year. Who cares about this Crimbo debacle when I have new forks coming back to play with?

[Geodude]

Woo Hoo

[Jayneflakes]

I have my forks back with me now, so have started the stripping and polishing of the yokes. I am half way through the top yoke, but have sent it away to have some plates made for the back that I can then drill for my custom risers.

In the mean time I have stripped, polished and coated with a protective lacquer the bottom yoke so that it is now and will stay nice and shiny.

sy111 by Jayne Carter, on Flickr

By using various grades of paper and then wire wool, I have got a really nice satin finish which to my view looks lovely, much better than the grey dull things that are standard yokes.

Progress so far on the top yoke, still have a lot of work to do, but am half way there.

sy113 by Jayne Carter, on Flickr