okay, who's dunnit

[billy-joe]

hey guys, been a lurker and a member (long time ago) and now i have 80g/s.

what i want to do is upgrade the front end and i want to know bearing sizes and all the ins and outs. i was thinking that if i install a complete front end from a modren bike that things would be easier.

thoughts and opinions welcome

bj

 

[Rob Farmer]

Welcome aboard


A few ideas:-

1 - Cheapo
There are a couple of spacers (one in each fork leg) that can be removed to take the preload out of your forks. The front ends more compliant with them removed.

2 - Cheapish
You can also make the standard setup work much better by using Racetec S3301 cartridge emulators. You have to modify your existing dampers to stop them working, the emulators then take over effectively making your forks work like modern ones.

3 - More expensive
The Paralever front end fits straight in, uses the standard bearings etc and makes a very good, fairly cheap upgrade.

4 - Getting silly
See the Touratech catalogue for a USD kit. Expensive but is a complete kit, just bolt it in and off you go.


DR Forks here http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304234&highlight=racetech
Tarka did a good writeup on fitting different forks into his g/s - I can't find the link at the minute


Don't forget a few pics of your bike

 

[Tarka]

Hi Billy Joe

I fitted a Yamaha DTR 125 front end to my 'LegoBike' modded R80g/s and simply machined 2mm from the bottom of the steering stem then used a stock BMW bottom headrace size with an off the shelf top headrace that matched the Yamaha stem but BMW headstock.

A few years later,I fitted a Yamaha XTZ750 twin disc front end instead.

To do this,I machined a bar to the same upper and lower bearing area diameters as the DTR one,but with a base diameter the same as the XTZ one.
This meant it was just a matter of pressing out the XTZ stem
(It needed 20 tons of hydraulic pressure on the press ) and fitting my custom made stem.
This allowed the same bearing sizes as previously.

I think if you search for something like 'Woohoo I`ve just fitted an XTZ front end' you`ll find the Thread.

 

[billy-joe]

well let me tell you the reason i ask..

i've been offered the complete front and from a 2000 ktm of some sorts. it comes with front wheel, caliper, triple clamps and master cylinder.

as i mentioned before, is just a case of matching the triple clamp bearings with the yoke bearings and then of course adjusting the forks thru the triple clamps to get the ride height until i can lenghten the swing arm?

what am i forgetting?

thanks
bj

 

[Sylvester]

Just put the front end on,fit a small wheel and turn it into a chopper like on the other thread. Don't forget to put a top box on it to please John A.

 

[billy-joe]

you're nuts!

for those of you that have done it, how much of a difference does it make to handling and stopping?

 

[Tarka]

for those of you that have done it, how much of a difference does it make to handling and stopping?

Done right it`ll handle the same or better.

Done wrong it won`t.

It`s almost impossible to make it brake worse than stock.


Just do it.

You can spend all year worrying about things like this and asking dozens of questions which may well generate dozens of different answers.

Anything from any bike can be made to fit any other bike.....it`s all down to time,skills and costs involved.

Decide if you`re up to the job yourself,or if you`ll need a mchine shop to help you,then get on with it..........and post the photos for us.