Help sorting GSXR front end search

Hello All,

Gotten to the point where I need better suspension. My GSXR shock and Sonic springs were good for a time...

Did a search, but still need help focusing.

Got a naked 2000 SV650. Looking at GSXR front-ends. That's my Road-Knife, but it's strickly a track-bike now.

Yesterday, at the track, another fellow told me that if I do this upgrade, I would need to press the original spindle out of the SV clamp, add some material to the bottom, lathe it and press it back in to the new clamp. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

My search revealed some good theads with lots of choices. Looks like almost any year 600 or 750 will do it. Is that true?

I see mention of K1-K3, K1-K4 and SRAD. I don't know what this all means yet.

Also I see mention of yokes - is that a reference to the triple-clamps?

Should I worry about the inverted / non-inverted issue (I am a novice racer, but plan to put some time in and try to move up fast).

Thanx for helping me sort this out. I want to have this done in two weeks and get back on the track.
BTW - this is what my bike does now every time I move my fat ass.

Have a look here http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.p...ght=SRAD+front

Thanks for the help Billy. Found a gold and black inverted front end complete with wheel, rotors, radial calipers and triples for $700. Conversion bearing kit add $50. Upgrading with correct springs and Racetek kit with valve extenders to get back some length.

Whole deal is under $1200. delivered with new pads.

Spending that $ I don't have - again.

Thanx,
Denis

But don't forget when you sell the SV front end bits you will recoope some if not all what you have spent!

Originally Posted by BILLY

But don't forget when you sell the SV front end bits you will recoope some if not all what you have spent!

Umm - I didn't think of that...

Here's some pics of my SV at a Louden, NHIS trackday. As you see I'm not a Kneedrager yet, but I'm on my way. Good photographer there.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by JuicyGuzzi

Thanks for the help Billy. Found a gold and black inverted front end complete with wheel, rotors, radial calipers and triples for $700. Conversion bearing kit add $50. Upgrading with correct springs and Racetek kit with valve extenders to get back some length.

That'll probably be the most recent GSXR 600 or 750 front? You'll need to figure out something for hte lockstops there, plus the parking lock won't work I think. But not neccesarily a big deal for you.

Very good forks, though, for a large volume production bike. I'd probably suggest you try it as stock first before fitting the extenders though, with a 120/70 front tyre you end up with about a 12mm drop in front height, and a slight reduction in both rake and trail, which personally I've found beneficial- I'd dropped the front with the SV forks anyway. But I do like my bikes to be fast steering, more so than most folks.

this should help a little svrider has a lot of info to help out too http://gregmli.blogspot.com/search/label/motorcycle

Originally Posted by kcowgergmm

this should help a little svrider has a lot of info to help out too http://gregmli.blogspot.com/search/label/motorcycle

Wow! 'Atsa some document for me right now. It would make a good sticky.

Thanks to all who helped. Will report back here when job is done so as to add to data for future searches. Cheers!

So much for my quest for a GSXR front-end. I just got off the phone with the "Thermosman"--a suspension wizard. He said not to put a GSXR front end on an SV650 as it is too stiff (upside down forks even stiffer) and this is not what the bike was designed to have. He suggested a new spring if needed to correspond to the riders weight and fork emulators; his cost for parts and labor is about $450.00. I think Racetech charges for parts alone about $280.00 + shipping. His recommendation for a shock replacement was an Ohlin (new: $1100.00). He indicated that racers that have tried installing fork internals from a Honda F4i did not report seeing a significant change.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by pilot

So much for my quest for a GSXR front-end. I just got off the phone with the "Thermosman"--a suspension wizard. He said not to put a GSXR front end on an SV650 as it is too stiff (upside down forks even stiffer) and this is not what the bike was designed to have. He suggested a new spring if needed to correspond to the riders weight and fork emulators; his cost for parts and labor is about $450.00. I think Racetech charges for parts alone about $280.00 + shipping. His recommendation for a shock replacement was an Ohlin (new: $1100.00). He indicated that racers that have tried installing fork internals from a Honda F4i did not report seeing a significant change.

Lot of s**t frankly, cartridge emulators underperform compared to a stone stock GSXR front end, even the KYB ones. They're not bad, though. He's on the right track in theory with the stiffness- if the SV was designed to make use of the flex in the stock forks it'd be a bad idea to lose it.. But, it's really not- the SV forks are flexible as a result of design limitation not as an end in itself. In practice, the SV has way more flex than it needs, and stiffening things up is a bonus not a disadvantage.

The GSXR forks are ideal for an SV swap, for the simple reason that the applications are so similiar. The bikes weigh similiar amounts, and have comparable frame flex. Once you steepen the head angle you also have quite comparable geometry.

I can totally understand how he's arrived at this opinion... A lot of fork swaps, especially on older bikes, don't work out well. But for the SV it's tried and tested.

Also, odd that he recommends Ohlins over Penske- the Penske twin is just plain beter than the Ohlins for the SV, it's more durable and has better base settings. The triple is better still than the basic Penske.