Matris vs GSXR

Right, time has come to start thinking about my front end in more detail.
I've been looking around and been offered a matris cartridge kit for similar money to the gsxr front end that I like. What are the benefits/disadvantages of both and are both DIY jobs?
Cheers
Dan

One disadvantage is that insurers seem less bothered by upgrading suspension with parts designed for the bike, rather than shoehorning parts from another bike on. With my insurer at least, the Matris internals would add nothing to my premium, whereas they wouldn't insure me at all for the gsx-r front end.

[yorkie_chris]

Mine added a little on for the GSXR bits.

However, due to the fact that you can sell the SV parts, when I get rid of the wheel and yokes it will have worked out to being an almost free upgrade.

My GSXR conversion cost me no extra with insurance but you must inform them as you could end up with invalid insurance after an accident for example!

As Chris said above, you can get your money back from selling the OEM front end. My complete GSXR front end only cost me ten pound I think after I sold the SV front end and had the GSXR revalved and set up for me, bargain!

The Matris kit is supposed to be good but its best to wait for a response from someone that has it fitted, have you considered going down the Race Tech valve line?

[northwind]

One advantage of the Matris kit- and likewise racetech emulators- is that the GSXR forks are good, but won't come set up for you, so if you're outside of their working weight range they'll be good forks working badly, which IMO is worse than bad forks working well. But this would depend on your size to be fair

[jambo]

Something that has been discussed to a reasonable degree lately is that the GSXR forks are all shorter than the SV ones, leading to you changing the geometry of the bike by quite a way regardless of whether you'd usually want to.

Jambo

well I weight in at about 11.5 stones but i'm only 18 so it'll change i'm sure.

Originally Posted by carsounds_dan

I've been looking around and been offered a matris cartridge kit for similar money to the gsxr front end that I like.
Dan

matris is not cartridge.gsxr forks are.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by carsounds_dan

well I weight in at about 11.5 stones but i'm only 18 so it'll change i'm sure.

GSXR then IMO (I'm in the unusual position of being too light for my GSXR forks at 10 stone but your well in the range where most will work decently well without tampering. They always benefit from being breathed on but tbh it's already a huge upgrade. The actual suspension guys would no doubt want to do more to them but even standard they feel good to me. Much nicer than the one SV I rode with emulators, though that's unfair, it might just have been set up differently to how I like it.

Jambo's right, the GSXR forks are lower, even with the 120/70 tyre clawing back half an inch you still lower the front a bit. Doesn't bother me in the slightest, I already had the SV forks lowered anyway to speed the steering slightly, standard SV geometry is very safe, to avoid scaring noobs and overstressing the stock suspension I think. But your mileage may vary. I like mine to be very quick steering, bordering on twitchy, it covers up my poor corner entries

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah the lowered ride height from the GSXR forks, SRAD600 anyway, doesn't hurt the SV. Even on standard rear shock. I found the slightly quicker steering very nice.