FRONT SUSPENSION UPGRADE

hints/tips required on uprating front suspension??
Have read in various mags that just adding a few more ml's of fork oil will improve front damping....
mine's a 99 with non adjustable pre-load?
can i add an adjuster from a later SV?

Also, wots the best way to support bike whilst undertaking a front end strip down?

Originally Posted by jessie

hints/tips required on uprating front suspension??
Have read in various mags that just adding a few more ml's of fork oil will improve front damping....
mine's a 99 with non adjustable pre-load?
can i add an adjuster from a later SV?

Also, wots the best way to support bike whilst undertaking a front end strip down?

Ohhh i'm so glad you posted this. Just what i wanted to ask. I'd like an adjuster and better springs & oil. Best route???

Originally Posted by jessie

mine's a 99 with non adjustable pre-load?
can i add an adjuster from a later SV?

Mines a 2001 model which also had no ajusters, but when I upgraded my springs I got some Fork preload caps from JHS Racing.

£44.20 pair.

If fitting to pre-2002 model forks you will also require a spacer & shim kit at

£18.00.

Now you might be able to get this cheaper from other places which I'm sure everyone else will inform you of. But basicly they are just the caps off a 2002 model so you might be able to get the whole lot from a breakers.

Check out this guide,
http://www.sv650s.org.uk/FrontOhlins.html
I have front Ohlins and pre loads fitted, forget the price at the bottom which is £460, that's the price for the rear shock. The front's cost about £70-£80. Makes all the difference and it is a piece of **** to do yourself, 1/2 hr tops.
sexysi

But only 45 mins to do it properly

(removing the fork legs and draining them)

.

Originally Posted by jonboy

(removing the fork legs and draining them)

A mate of mine that helped me used a big syringe with some tubing and some sort of measure he'd made up.

I,ve got Racetech springs & cartridge emulators. I paid £200 for them 4 and a half years ago, but no on else did anything for SV's then. Vast improvement over standard wasted months experimenting with spacers for preload & oil viscosities for damping prior to that.

Originally Posted by Grinch

A mate of mine that helped me used a big syringe with some tubing and some sort of measure he'd made up.

It works but you don't get all the sludge out that way.


.

[northwind]

I did mine stage by stage, replaced the springs with Ohlins and topped off the original fork oil first- big improvement in feel, but still badly damped. Then I fitted the preload caps- improvement in dive and feel. And then I stripped the forks (I figure if you're going to the expense of the swap, you should do it properly and totally drain the forks, and if you're doing that you might as well replace your oil seals while you've got the forks off, if you've done any decent amount of miles on th current set), changed the seals, put in 15W oil and also had the forks powdercoated at the same time.

Every step gave a big improvement, very satisfied with it as it is. I might try emulators further down the line, but then again I might not. The only thing I should still do is mess with the air gap now, I have mine set as standard but I want to try it at other heights.

[northwind]

Oh aye, and it is a complete piece of cake to do, replacing the seals was fiddly but otherwise there was nothing even remotely difficult. There's a million ways to support the front, I went the whole hog and bought an Abba stand, which is fantastic, but you can do it with a rear stand and a bottle jack, or with one of those front stands that goes under the yokes, or by swinging the bike off the roof or an a-frame ladder or similiar. But frankly, I don't like having the bike on a rear stand when I'm doing any real work on it, never mind then balancing it on a jack and taking off a wheel...

And loosen as many bolts as you can before you jack the bike! Much easier. And undo the bolts on the forks while they're in the yokes and the axle's in, or they'll just turn freely.