Fork upgrade

[pete1955]

Hi Guys

My first post as a member... had my blue 1999 for 6mths (2 previus owners and 36,000K on the clock) now that I've realised what a gem it is on the twisty bits its time to improve the handling.

Hate how the soft front end shakes its head on fast bumpy corners and dives uner hard braking...makes my constantly wonder what i's going to do next, so the first upgrade is forks!Before I spend my hard earned cash any advice for an Auusie living in the Dandenong ranges Melbourne, Victoria

for new fork springs and setup.

I weigh in at 61kg

[BigAl-TC]

Hi Pete
Welcome
Try "ProMecha.com.au" they have a good reputation and are in your part of Oz.
Phone 03 9574 1164
I'm in W.A. Are you going to the world superbikes,might see you there
Cheers Alan

[idl1975]

You're quite light, by non-Japanese standards, so I'd definitely stick with stock forks or Thundercat forks. Check the racetech website for their spring rate recommendation for your all-up weight and use (road, trackdays, club race), and alter air gap and oil weight to suit (in the case of the TRX forks) per some of the threads on here. Stock springs are (if Racetech is correct) ludicrously soft (.500kgmm), hence the dive and wallow we've both experienced.

If it's still crap, I'd go for the R1 front end option - post-03 are better forks, but I think even shorter than 98-02 ones, so more potential complications to going that route.

Hi Guys

My first post as a member... had my blue 1999 for 6mths (2 previus owners and 36,000K on the clock) now that I've realised what a gem it is on the twisty bits its time to improve the handling.

Hate how the soft front end shakes its head on fast bumpy corners and dives uner hard braking...makes my constantly wonder what i's going to do next, so the first upgrade is forks!Before I spend my hard earned cash any advice for an Auusie living in the Dandenong ranges Melbourne, Victoria

for new fork springs and setup.

I weigh in at 61kg

[phuk72]

before you spend any money, change the fork oil

[steve speed]

as phuk says your first job should be to change the fork oil and clean the internals,, check to see if the seals are leaking, if so now would be a good time to fit some new ones ,

[trixynut]

Agree with Phuk n Steve: (thats Phuk and Steve, not Phukn' Steve!)

Do the following, one at a time:

1. Change fork oil: correct thickness and airgap as Yamaha recommend. Also check amount forks are dropped through yoke.
2. Play with thicker fork oil and/or less air gap
3. Change springs: Ohlins or similar.
4. Change front end YZF750 is easiest.

before you spend any money, change the fork oil

..fork oils free where you live is it?!?

[idl1975]

I would only add to this that I recently rebuilt my forks to Yamaha spec (were rebuilt by Maxton back in the day - I should have left well enough alone), and the shitness that I remember from when I first got the bike has returned. It is just as the OP is saying (dive and wallow), so frankly I think he won't see any improvement if he replaces fork oil and uses the Yam weight and volume.

So I would omit step 1 if I were him and go straight to 2 + 3 - a higher rate spring, new oil and reset the air gap. I think a lot of TRXers who've done this ended up with 10w but reduced air gap, if I'm not mistaken.

Easiest change then, I would think, would be Tcat forks with cartridge inserts (Traxxion dynamics, Racetech, whatever).

According to racetech:

Rider Weight: 134.361 lbs.

FRONT FORK SPRINGS
Recommended Fork Spring Rate for Street: 0.844 kg/mm (use closest available)
Stock Fork Spring Rate: .500 kg/mm (stock)

So they would recommend 0.85kgmm springs for street use.

Agree with Phuk n Steve: (thats Phuk and Steve, not Phukn' Steve!)

Do the following, one at a time:

1. Change fork oil: correct thickness and airgap as Yamaha recommend. Also check amount forks are dropped through yoke.
2. Play with thicker fork oil and/or less air gap
3. Change springs: Ohlins or similar.
4. Change front end YZF750 is easiest.

before you spend any money, change the fork oil

..fork oils free where you live is it?!?