Author Topic: Suspension Swap  (Read 875 times)

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Offline cb750f-2010656

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Suspension Swap
« on: July 12, 2011, 06:18:29 PM »
Anyone out there done a complete suspension upgrade on thier ride like from a CBR? 
76 CB750F (Old Girl)
85 Rebel 250 (Little Girl)
96 Fleetwood Brougham (USS Great White)

Offline camelman

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Re: Suspension Swap
« Reply #1 on: July 12, 2011, 11:27:59 PM »
GSXR front ends seem to be a common swap.  I recently did a Z1000 upside down front end on a 400F, and it looks great.  I have a SV1000 front that I'm going to swap onto either a 350 twin or a 350F just for giggles.  What I noticed with the 400F is that it is radically more stable with the Z1000 forks.  It isn't even a fair comparison how much better it handles bumps, and how much more stable it is in turns.  To give you an idea, I had a piece of gunk block a float needle a month ago.  I was 80 miles from home without tools, so I just turned the petcock on and off to fill the bowls, then drain them... then fill... then drain... for the 80 miles home.  I rode one handed the entire time between 60 and 80, and the bike was rock solid over everything I drove over on the highway (there is some pretty bad pavement on 101 north of San Francisco!!!  The bike also drops into turns with gusto.

All front ends should fit if they are standard style sliders, or USD, and the same, or similar, lengths.  Understand that you might have to pound the front of your tank in to clear the forks, or you might need to make triple trees to offset the forks enough to clear the tank.  This is because our stock fork offsets are typically much longer than modern fork offsets.

Camelman
1972 350f rider: sold
1972 350f/466f cafe: for sale
1977 CB400f cafe:sold
1975 CB400f rider: sold
1970 CB750 K0 complete bike: sold
2005 Triumph Sprint ST 1050 rider

We've got to cut it off... and then come down on rockets.  (quoted from: seven minutes of terror)

Offline crazypj

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Re: Suspension Swap
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2011, 12:33:18 AM »
With a shorter offset you increase trail and make bike more stable (it's counter intuitive but true)
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Offline cb750f-2010656

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Re: Suspension Swap
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2011, 01:59:48 PM »
Cool.  I think that is the first improvement I will be making to my 750F.  I got spoiled to awesome handling when I had a GS500E.  SLOW, but would handle anything.  So, a GSXR front end would handle the heavy 750?  What about rear suspension?

Yeah, camelman, that sounds like it wasn't an enjoyable ride.  I have had to ride mine with no throtle cable.  I would use my right hand to lift on the #4 carb rack to open them while riding in the city, only moving them to get the front brake.  Once I got onto the highway I used BOTH hands (my fingers on the right hand too tired to carry on) to open the carbs and just leaned left or right to steer doing 80!  It sucked, but I wasn't gonna leave MY bike anywhere.
76 CB750F (Old Girl)
85 Rebel 250 (Little Girl)
96 Fleetwood Brougham (USS Great White)