Upgradeing my forks

Can anyone give me any help on uprating my forks on my 2000 sv650s. i want to put better springs in and better oil, or replacing them for later foeks with rebound adjustment. any tips please.

[Sid Squid]

Do you mean preload adjusters?

Change the oil and springs and set the preload with suitable spacers, it's not an adjustment that needs to be changed once set right thus adjusters aren't a necessary expense.

[northwind]

Rob has a set of forks with emulators in in For Sale, and there's a set on Ebay- possibly the same ones? That's a much bigger upgrade, and both are at a very reasonable price (when you consider you'll have your standard forks to sell)

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

Do you mean preload adjusters?

Change the oil and springs and set the preload with suitable spacers, it's not an adjustment that needs to be changed once set right thus adjusters aren't a necessary expense.

Unless you've packed on the pounds over the holiday and you can't touch the brake lever without the forks bottoming out

i have adjustable pre-load on my curvy as is a K2 curvy and seems to be one of a few with it, it does make a difference i think compared to before they were adjusted but why not just get ohlins springs, i believe that what a lot fo SVers do

[BillyC]

Ginge

The bottom line is that you'll need to remove the forks from their yolks. This in turn will mean that you also need to remove the front wheel, and mudguard. Again, this means you'll need some method of raising the front end of the bike, which is easier said than done if you don't have the right tools. Investing in a pivot type paddock stand such as NWS or Abba is the best recommendation.

If you work out what oil you're putting in, the air gap, and preload, you won't really need preload caps - however I appreciate that they are a useful as well as luxurious item when it comes to the SV.

The standard forks come with 10w oil as standard, though I think it's acknowledged that it's a pretty watery version. However, it's probably safe to say, that after 5 or 6 years, your forks are probably working something close to 5w

Some folks replace with 10w again, but most go with 15w. This could easily be too heavy, and depends on the kind of riding you do. I'm sure it's possibly to buy or make a 12.5w, but I have no idea how or where.

Most folks go for Ohlins springs, which are as much of a direct replacement as you'll find. I ended up with Maxton springs, which are quite different - much shorter, and come with a very large spacer. The end effect is an extra 10mm of preload beyond stock. This is in addition to the harder spring, and thicker oil.

The result for me was a much harder ride - lovely for tidy country roads, hell on some of London's less looked after streets, or annihilated industrial estates.

Changing the springs and oil is not complicated, but it does require a methodical and careful approach, and all the correct tools present and to hand. Many people fall at the first hurdle, with the 12mm hex bolt to undo the front spindle

[BillyC]

Originally Posted by Andy13_uk

i have adjustable pre-load on my curvy as is a K2 curvy and seems to be one of a few with it...

All K2's came with preload adjusters - it was one of the only modifications for that model. They were included since.

Originally Posted by BillyC

I'm sure it's possibly to buy or make a 12.5w, but I have no idea how or where.

Mix equal volumes of 15 and 10 to make 12.5. Really!

[21QUEST]

Originally Posted by Scoobs

Mix equal volumes of 15 and 10 to make 12.5. Really!

You need to mix two parts heavier oil(15W) to one part lighter oil(10W) to get 12.5W

Cheers
Ben

I would recomend Steve Jordon MC they do a good conversion using Ohlins springs and various other bits and bobs much better than Progressive springs and Oil