suspension mods

I've decided to keep my VTR another year since the KTM duke isnt out yet. However I want to upgrade the suspension on it for next year. I'm assuming that some of you have gone this route i.e. aftermarket fork internals and aftermarket rear shock. What are some of your recommendations? I'm considering going with Lindemann fork work and a FOX twin clicker simply for their reputation and affordability. What can you guys tell me? Also if anyone has any suspension components for sale please let me know.

If you're going to sell the bike in a year, I'd keep it stock and save the $$$ for the KTM.

I went with an Ohlin's rear and had Race-Tech rebuilt the front forks. Makes a world of difference, but NOT cheap.

If the stock stuff wasnt worn out, I would love to leave it and save the money. The forks, however, have pretty much no damping left.

well for those of you who are reading this thread heres an update. I figured the total cost of the Lindemann mods were going to be about $600 so I started think. After looking around online I discovered that for the price of the Lindemann mods I can install an entirely new front end with far superior geometry, suspenion and brakes. I already have a set of 929 calipers and rotors sitting in my garage doing nothing so I started looking on ebay for the rest of the parts. I ran across a set of 2003 CBR954 forks with triples included for $250 shipped and bought them right away. Now all I have left to purchase is a CBR1000RR front master clyinder, clip-ons, rim, and axle and I'll have a complete front end. As far as cost is concered I had already planned to add the master cyl., stainless lines, and EBC pads over the winter while the forks were off. So I'm actually spending less money on the suspension than originally planned. Now I get to sell all the existing parts and recover some of the costs. I'll post that info in the classifieds.

Well for some further updates. I've aquired the axle for my setup along with all the spacers. I've been reading more about these forks and it seems that they're waaay too soft from the factory. They have almost zero preload which makes the sag numbers extremely high. So it sounds like I'll be purchasing a set of springs and spacers from Lindemann sooner than I thought. Over the weekend I took apart the brake calipers to give them a good clean and lube in preperation for the upcoming EBC pads and Galfer stainless lines. I was thinking of getting the -3 lines vs. the -2 size but they are double the cost and dont have the protective coating. In the end I'm sure I wouldnt have noticed the performance difference anyways. I ran across an old motorush memeber who has done this conversion who, coincidentally, is selling his bike on ebay right now. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...%3AIT I've been emailing back and forth with him now for a couple days getting pointers on how to set up the bike properly after the swap. Apparently the new triple create a bit more trail than the old setup so extra rear ride height will be added to compensate. Here a couple a couple of older pictures I found of the guy's install.


Modified by RC51racer at 12:56 PM 10/25/2004


Modified by RC51racer at 12:57 PM 10/25/2004

All my parts are on the way to me now. As soon as they arrive I'll get the bike setup on stands and disassembled. Then I'll throw up some more pics for you guys. In the mean time I'm still looking for an affordable way to upgrade the rear end. I had an Ohlins shock for an F2 but its 2" too short according to Traxxion Dynamics. So with the new spring, rebuild, and lengthening parts its just not worth the money to try and use it. There just arent alot of used aftermarket rear shocks out there for the Superhawk. I'm still trying to figure out which bikes shock is compatible with minimal mods. However I did find out that Traxxion has a spring kit for me that includes the 1.0kg springs and the correct spacers to set my preload properly right outta the box. I thought that was pretty cool and will probably go with that once I have aquired all my other parts. Right now I'm still trying to get a 929 front wheel, although I think I may have found it, and a CBR1000RR master cylinder. Any info you guys have about the rear suspension or parts I'm looking for would be greatly appreciated.

well further research today has shown me that on paper the rear shock from a 99-2002 SV650 could work on the superhawk. Although I'm sure it would need a stiffer spring, the dimensions are nearly identical. Since there are bound to be more shocks out there for the SV, due to its race track usage, I've focused my attention to aquiring one of these. I also came across the fact that, mr. RC51 tuner himself, Dan Kyle offers a bebuild for the 929/954 forks for about $100 less than Lindemann. I have heard very positive things about his work with RC51 forks so I'm hoping that quality holds true to his work with the 929/954 stuff.

Update: Ok buying a used shock and having it rebuilt is not worth the time or effort so I've given up on that. Going back to original plan of buying a Fox from Lindemann. My forks havent arrived yet but I've secured some other parts. I found my 1000RR master cylinder!! A guy emailed me the other day after seeing this thread. He is upgrading to a brembo over the winter and is making me a nice deal on his current stock setup. I've also found myself a 929 front wheel for $160-170 depending on shipping. After going over the bike this weekend I'm now considering doing an all out custom project with it. I've located a VFR 800 SSS and am thinking of going with it. I'm also thinking of going street fighter with the bike. This would be a ground up rebuild of the bike. So while I'm in there I think I'm gonna throw in some JE pistons and get myself a couple extra points of compression.

I have no idea what the stock spring rate is on the Superhawk but the best swap for an 99-02 SV650S shock is the 03/04 ZX636 shock or 04/05 ZX10. It is a little longer and has adjustable damping for both reb./comp. I believe the stock spring rate is in the area of 550 lb/in. If you need a lower spring rate then the 96-99 GSXR 750 or 97-00 GSXR 600 might be the way to go. Check with Race Techs site to check out the actual spring rates but I know the GSXR series is in the area of 425lb/in. Also you can check out http://www.svrider.com and http://www.socalsvriders.org for all of their posts concerning shock replacement they have a ton of information on various combinations discussing different shock lengths and spring rates.

Joe

Thanks for the info Joe. I'll look into it.

Joe, after researching at Ohlins.com for a while I found some info regarding the shock models you suggested. While dimensionally they are similar to the Superhawk they still will not work without modification. The reason being is that all the models you listed carry a piggy back reservoir. The superhawk has no room for such a setup. Again I could be wrong here but according to Ohlins website the superhawk only takes a shock with a remote reservoir. Does anyone have any info that proves otherwise?

I've got the Ohlins rear. It has a remote preload adjuster, and a remote rebound adjuster, the compresson adjuster is at the bottom of the shock (screwdriver). My only beef with it is that it is not height adjustable, but some washers installed inbetween the top mount and the shock cured that.

random, this is one of the reasons I'll be going with the Fox, other than cost of course. It is height adjustable as is the Penske.

need an update on how the project is going,forks,would love to hear more detail about the install. what triple are you using? how about the bearings? ive had intrest in what your doing for a while,had a 98 s/hawk,great motor but lacked the legs.please keep us up to date,thanks.

Well I have my brake calipers, rotors, forks, upper triple, axle, and now my CBR1000RR master cylinder. However the guy I bought my forks from "forgot" to send the lower triple and steering stem and he's in the military which means he's never around. I've been without the triple for 2 weeks now and I'm starting to get pissed. The guy is really cool but like I said he's never around so it takes him a week to respond to my emails at least. So installation of all my other goodies is in stand-by. Mainly I've been trying to finalize plans as to what direction I'm going with the overal package. I will be installing a single sided swingarm and converting the spindle to a Ducati unit so that I can run modern wheels. The plan is to get a set of PVM forged 10-spoke units. This also means I dropped the idea of a stock 929/954 front wheel. I've been in contact with a gentleman in the UK who has performed the swingarm conversion a few times and he's helping me out with parts drawings and installation tips. Unfortunately for me and whoever is reading this thread, Xmas is right around the corner which severely limits the amount of money I can spend on parts right now. I have found the swingarm but cant really spare the cash to get it right now without dipping into my savings. Once the holidays pass I'll make the large purchases such as the swingarm, shock, fork rebuild, and eventually wheels. Oh I almost forgot I've also purchased a set of RC51 gauges that I'll be retro fitting to the bike. The engine covers,frame, and swingarm will be completely stripped and powder coated. My biggest hold ups right now are deciding what color to paint and powder coat, what color wheels to order, which tailsection to run and which headlight/nose fairing to use. I've been contemplating the using the headlight/flyscreen setup off a new Buell Lightning. I really want this thing to be unique though. The tailsection is an even bigger concern because it has to mate up with the tank fairly well and look like it was meant to be there. I would like to make my own but custom fiberglass work just isnt my bag. To answer you questions dadrc51; the forks are really nice pieces, obviously fully adjustable, but waaaayy too soft. Those will be going to Dan Kyle ASAP. I'll be using the stock 954 triples which have more trail than the stock superhawk units so I'll need to add quite a bit of ride height to make the bike handle since the rake is already fairly large. As for bearings, the stock units will work from the 954 but I'd like to go with rollers or a sealed setup for longevity. One thing I forgot to add; I will be going with a front mounted radiator setup. I've been looking around and it seems like a radiator for an older CBR600 will be my best bet. I've been eyeing one for a 1100XX that might be small enough. I also plan to upgrade the oil cooler to aide with cooling since a single radiator has a much smaller coolant capacity than the current dual setup.


Modified by RC51racer at 11:59 AM 11/22/2004

Ok, I'm back with a parts update. I FINALLY received my lower triple and steering stem on Friday 11/19 (without bearings or top nut of course). So my forks are now assembled and on the work bench. Natually I was going to install my front axle just to line everything up. Well I'll be damaged if the axle wasnt almost an inch too short. Not a huge deal since it'll be a while before the bike is actually rolling on wheels but it would've been nice if the guy I bought it from had sent me the right freakin part. Oh well, I'll email him and see about an exchange or refund. There are a few things I've been mulling over in my head lately in regard to the RC51 gauges which I should have this after noon. All the accessory lights should wire up without a hitch, after I get the peice of RC wiring harness that I need. Which means the kickstand, neutral, reserve fuel, high beam, and turn signal indicators will function right off the bat. I'm curious as to weather the RC and VTR have the same tach and speedo signal. I'm fairly certain I can get the tach working with minimal effort but if the speedo signal is totally different I might be in trouble. Since I sold my 3rd RC51 over a year ago I dont have a bike to test with. Maybe this will give me an excuse to start looking for a deal on another one.....lolz. I've also been contemplating what direction to take with the exhaust . I want something clean and out of the way, which pretty much eliminates stock style slip-ons and full systems. My English friend has an under-seat setup that runs a fat, single connector up to a oval, dual outlet muffer. I may have a chance to buy it and probably will, even if I dont run it. My only reservation about it is that its only a single pipe after the headers cross over. Estimating from the 2 into 1 exhausts for the RC, I cant imagine this being the most optimal setup for power. Especially if I'm going to be running hi-comp pistons. So if anyone knows a good exhaust bender in Michigan please let me know.

Sounds like a keeper when finished . Keep up the good work !
Oh yeah , the pistons will just give more torque , throttle response and drive out of the corners . Not any appreciable horsepower gain if all else is stock but that type power is just what the doctor orders most times .

Whats the best pricing seen on the STD size JE's been lately ?

This thing will definately be a keeper after this. I cant imagine selling something that I've put so much time and effort into. In regard to the HP gain; the way I understand it, HP is a mathematical function of torque. So logically with a nice gain in torque there must me a comparable gain in HP as well. Only time will tell. I would settle though for another 10-15 or so pounds of torque as long as the spread was broad and I could get another 5 or so HP. I havent found any super deals on the JE's so far but from what I've seen I'll end up paying about $250 for the set. I'm considering playing with advancing the cams to make sure the power is usable all over the rev range. I'm sure I'll be throwing a Factory ignition advancer on there and I've been drumming up some ideas of how to increase the airbox volume. I know people have cut holes in the lid of the airbox, but I'm having a difficult time seeing how that gains power. I was thinking more along the lines of what the aprilia guys are doing which is removing the lid all together and somehow sealing it to the bottom of the tank. Having the airbox inlet in a more high pressure area wouldnt hurt either. I'm just dreading trying to jet this thing afterwards. Man thats gonna suck!!

Also just to let everyone know, I received my gauges last friday. My only problem now is finding a portion of an RC51 wiring harness. If I have to I'll pay the $45 for the full front piece but I figure I'd explore other options first. So if any of you have an idea where I might find the gauge plug and wires for an RC dont be afraid to speak up.

Wow, what a cool project! I just tuned in. I owned a Super Hawk a few years back. I'll keep reading - good luck with your project - a perfect winter job!