Fork swap with a little help from OTC

[theWolfTamer]

I spent the year buying parts for a mod I wanted but never thought I'd actually do. Thanks to the guys at OTC, I was able to have one of my "dream" mods on my bike. It's been a few days and I still can't believe it.

http://thewolftamer71.blogspot.com/2011/11/fz1-mod-front-suspension.html

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pcy3-WHoDAw/Ts2Kqq5yysI/AAAAAAAAMLY/tCzgkldhtBg/s640/DSCF5303.JPG

There are still a couple of things that need to be done. I'm waiting to receive the custom fork extensions, need to get caliper mounts for my aux lights, and finally stainless steel lines.

[Over TWO Customs]

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to help you with this project. It went together without too many snags and im glad we were able to get it back to you same day!

[theWolfTamer]

I got the front tire mounted today. Bridgestone side wall is stiff and I had to call in help. There was a point where I really wished I'd brought the tire in too! I'm sore as heck but I mounted my tire and that makes me feel good. Now that I've got new rubber on the front (rear done around 1k before), I can really enjoy the new mod.

[Over TWO Customs]

I got the front tire mounted today. Bridgestone side wall is stiff and I had to call in help. There was a point where I really wished I'd brought the tire in too! I'm sore as heck but I mounted my tire and that makes me feel good. Now that I've got new rubber on the front (rear done around 1k before), I can really enjoy the new mod.

That tire was in dire need of changing. Glad you got that taken care of and got some use out of your tire changer!

[theWolfTamer]

Got about 100 miles in since the swap and tire change. Man this is great! I'm so glad I did it. At this point I can say that I did it because the are a great upgrade over stock AND it looks good.

Now I can't wait for the extensions...hard to get on the center stand, too straight on the side stand. Gonna hit the twisty roads this weekend so I can adjust the settings to suit me better. Will it being higher in the front effect some of the good changes I'm experiencing now?

[theWolfTamer]

I finally got my extensions this week and put them on today. It's supposed to be a test fit but these won't be coming off for a while despite needing powder coating.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a8mZA4m16oE/TxJyfZCYZ7I/AAAAAAAANQs/po0SYNmdSYU/s512/dscf5558.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MuvWsuxUF6o/TxJyW5clG7I/AAAAAAAANPc/BIpzDF0AY_E/s640/dscf5552.jpg

Still waiting on the caps. I also finally got a gen2 fz1 upper triple to replace the r1 upper triple I used because I was too impatient to wait until I could source one. I'm going to have it painted black because of the plastic yamaha logo would melt if powder coated.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d3MqpOhb7a0/TxJykU2hULI/AAAAAAAANQo/Qj8x5Bw_3TE/s640/dscf5561.jpg
Pictured here with the risers off of my VX800 because they're lower than the OEM Gen2 FZ1 risers.

The bike is no longer nearly straight on the side stand. It's a lot closer to the front height before the swap. I'd say identical but it's only an observation rather than a true measurement. I will be riding on Monday to test it out, just need to figure out where. We were thinking about Little River Canyon. Up next? Fren Tubo Type 1 stainless brake lines from pjsparts (http://www.pjsparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=224&products_id=960). I'm also going to try vinyl carbon fiber on the front fender.

[Dan43]

Any machine work involved or was it pretty much a straight swap?

[theWolfTamer]

Other than the stem swap and some trimming of the stops, I can't say exactly. If you go to this site (http://fazer1000.yuku.com/topic/3408#.TytXPu9jh2M), you can get more details about all the steps involved to do this swap. Lorne did some things a little different that I documented in the blog entry linked in the first post of this thread.

[Over TWO Customs]

The FZ1 steering stem was not as big as the R1. The difference is minor but it will not press into the lower tree. The FZ1 stem was micro welded and turned down to the correct size to fit the lower tree and pressed in. Aside from that it was a basic swap from one to the other.

[Dan43]

The FZ1 steering stem was not as big as the R1. The difference is minor but it will not press into the lower tree. The FZ1 stem was micro welded and turned down to the correct size to fit the lower tree and pressed in. Aside from that it was a basic swap from one to the other.I have been keeping an eye out for a complete front end off an XB Buell on ebay etc. The idea was that if I found one I could swap out the front end on Ruths Blast. Get better forks, brakes and a 17 inch rim for better tire selection. Now I know who to come to for help if I find one. :)