mikstr

Many of us have taken to upgrading the front suspension of our VTRs. For those who have not, it is a worthwhile area for improving the handling and all-round performance of your mount. While many (most) chose to go the USD fork route, there exists a cheaper and simpler (direct bolt-on; Shaun Pallisters VTWO Firestorm Frameset) option, the « conventional » front end from a CBR900RR (larger 45mm tubes) is a significant improvement over the stock (somewhat flimsy 41mm tubes) set-up. FWIW, this is essentially the set-up that was used by Revolution Racing/Moriwaki when it raced the VTR in the British Superbike championship in the late 90s....

Anyhow, back to the task at hand…..

I am in the process of clearing out some items that I no longer need and the sum of these parts is what amounts to an almost complete « conversion kit » for a CBR900RR front-end conversion. The parts include :

- CBR900RR triple clamps (complete; in excellent shape, top is painted black and comes with a red carbon fibre cover).

- Triumph Speed Triple fender, black, in excellent shape. The only thing missing to install this unit are the four mounting straps (relatively inexpensive and available at Triumph dealer)

- custom Helibars; originally Speed Triple Heli units, these have been modified (by adding an extra 1.125" in height) to produce the exact same riding position as provided by VTR Helis on a stock front end. They are painted black (spray can) and could use a slight touch up.

With this kit in hand, the only elements missing will be aforementioned fender mounting kit and the actual fork tubes (good deals available on eBay; wheel, rotors, axle, and calipers all carry over). For anyone interested in purchasing this kit, I would recommend 96-97 fork tubes as they come with a compression damping adjuster (not present on earlier versions; beware 98-99 tubes as they are made for larger rotors and will require additional mods, taking the « direct bolt-on » element away).

These items were all used on my bike and are in great shape. I am looking at getting $165 for the lot (shipping extra). A great deal on a very good and effective upgrade.

Thanks for looking.

P.S. The Helis are on the bike until Friday when I get my new Apex riser clip-ons installed......

lazn

Whoa! what are you going to?

mikstr

I am now running Ontario Moto Tech triple clamps (all-aluminum, lighter), a carbon fibre fender (lighter, bling) and will soon have Apex risers (lighter, adjustable), so I no longer have any need for the listed items.....

8541Hawk

This is a great conversion, especially if you want to be a little different.

You will get, as close as you will never tell the difference on a street\ track day bike, the performance of any of the USD conversions for a lot less cost.

Also remember that all the Moriwaki race bikes ran 900rr front ends....
GLWS

mikstr

Thanks Mike

Dan C

just performed this mod on my 04 last weekend and what a difference. love it so far turn in is awesome! scraping boots alot more too

jay956

why must this post come at a time when i am flat broke!

MC Leather

The Moriwaki bikes ran Moriwaki/Showa forks. They aren't the same as 900RR but they are close. They work out to be almost a pound a leg lighter. And they are a bit longer. I'm sure there is more to them than just that. I have a set on my bike.

8541Hawk

Well I was just trying to help a fellow member out with his sale posting.

But as you want to get technical..... Yes you are right, the forks on the Mori bikes were a bit different.

What they did was put a longer fork tube, which if you spec things out a little different would get your 1 lb weight difference with no problem.

Of course they were also re-valved but that really is about it.

The reason for the longer fork tube is two fold.

First was to get the geometry they were looking for after raising the rear ride height to where they wanted to run it.

Second it enabled them to raise the CG of the bike.
The reason to do this is that one of the draw backs of a V-twin is it doesn't turn in or change directions like an I4. When you raise the CG the bike will transition from side to side faster, though you loose some braking and acceleration because of it (everything is a trade off)

So all in all the true Moriwaki forks are just a set of 900rr forks that have been slightly modified.

You can do the exact same thing by getting some custom fork tubes made up and changing the valving (though it might be easier to go with Ohlins internals, as they are easier to source than the trick Showa bits) and build set of 900rr forks for a lot less than you would spend on a set of "Moriwaki" forks, it just depends on how far you want to go or how much you want to spend.


Though to try and get this thread back on track, the real point of my post was to say that you shouldn't pass this deal up if you think you will get more performance from an USD conversion.

True the USD front end is a little lighter but besides that I doubt anyone on this forum could tell a actual performance difference even on a track.

If you are on a budget or like the "Old School" look you should really consider this swap.

MC Leather

First, the 900RR fork do work great and they are an easy bolt on. I was thinking of buying this front end for another bike. Before the Mori forks I had 900RR forks and I can't really tell any difference.

Second, How does adding to the fork length make the fork assembly lighter? I think the other reason they went with longer forks was to easily accommodate the clip-ons up top with the increased ride height.

8541Hawk

By changing the material the tube is made from.
Also changing the type and thickness of the coatings applied to the tubes.

It is also possible to remove some material from the I.D. of the fork tube in a couple of places, so it really isn't all that hard, just how much do you want to spend?

mikstr

Helis are off my VTR so kit is now ready for shipping.... any buyers?

Crashrat

Maybe at the end of the week. I need to see how much I have left by Friday

Revelation

Hi Mikstr, how much you recon for shipping overseas?
How big/heavy is the total package?

Can you give an estimate for shipping to Netherlands?
Cheers Bas

mikstr

It is packaged in a helmet box and weighs about 5 kg (the triple clamps are the heavy part, the rest is quite light). FWIW, the estimate I got for one chap in the US was $30 and I would imagine Europe to be around twice that. In light of the above, let me know if you are truly interested and, if so, I can get you an estimate....

Revelation

Sorry mikstr, I overlooked the fact that the actual fork tubes are not included.
Was trying to help out someone here, who wrecked his vtr recently.
Would be a nice mod to replace his bent front d
Pls forget it....

mikstr

No harm done, cheers.....

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