Another suspension swap
 

So it's finally time for me to do my suspension upgrade so the bike started the day yesterday looking like this:

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And ended the day like this:

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Now to make this pile of front end goodness fit...... Sp2 forks with Ohlins internals set up by Dan Kyle, 954 lower triple, Sp1 upper, Swatt Clip ons:

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Now you can't do the front without addressing the rear ( I do have more pics of this step, hell I have a ton of pics and will post more as time allows)

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and of course the gratuitous wheel shot.....lol

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This also means I will have a pile of parts coming up for sale in the next few days as I get stuff sorted but I will have a complete Front and rear suspension set up by Jim Lindemann http://www.le-suspension.com/ along with all the assorted front end bits I will no longer need and a set of wheels with brakes.

Time to go finish modifying the lower triple and i will post more as i have a chance.....;)

woohoo!!! Modding time!!!!

looking good

:popcorn:

I'm doing the same swap, looks like you're a bit further along than me. I'm planning to use the same lower, and I see it looks as though you had to remove some material on the leading/inner edge of the stops, was this to enable lock to lock? I just ordered the all balls tapered stem bearing set, $33.89 + $5.00 shipping, fits the VTR as well as the 954/929.
I'm planning to try the superbike bars with the RC51 upper, looks like a great start.

Yes, you need to remove some material from the stops to improve parking lot turning radius.. Also once you do this the forks start to hit the radiator cross over hose. So you can either move the radiators back, or you can just live with it. (I am just living with it)

That's what's great about this swap, no need to answer any questions......lol
So not much work got done today but with good reason. I logged into my local board this morning and had a message from a friend of mine who lives about 95mi away.

After reading the thread I started there about my ongoing swap he wanted me to come down to his shop as he had a couple of parts for me. At this point in the project most people would be told to wait but this is the same guy i got the forks from. When you go to his glass shop, the whole back third of the shop is motorbike heaven with 4 bike lifts and all kinds of interesting projects going on.

Well enough blah,blah,blah I let you guys decide, was the trip worth it.....

I don't think I need to add much here.

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and a set of Two Brothers rear peg eliminators. I did a quick clean up on one while we were BSing but it shows how long this stuff has been sitting....

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Of course now i have to figure out how I'm going to set the bike up. I was going to run a Penske in the rear so I could get ride height adjustment. The reason for this is my old set up was running the forks up 10mm in the triple and a 1\4 (or 6.xx mm) ride height spacer. While I like how the bike handles like this, when pushed a little hard the header drags in right hand turns.

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So to get a little more ground clearance I was going to run the new forks all the way down in the triple and get the geometry back by raising the rear. Well the Ohlins doesn't have ride height adjustment, which means i can either get the upper mount modified (which means I have to do the damn math...... ) or I can just run it with the old spacer and leave the forks pulled all the way down and see how things work.

Stay tuned for more fun to come......

Looks like fun! I'll be watching this one! :thumbsup:

hey Mike, you have made huge progress. Very cool. I like the powder coated wheels too and nice job on the braced set up. Looking forward to seeing the results and hear how it all works.

bill

Looking good. Makes it harder and harder for me to hold on to my money when I see a thread like this.

Looking nice got a nice bunch of parts and some sweet plans for it all. Looking forward to seeing it all setup.

all that work and $$... i'd like to ride one before i invest. i have my front forks professionally re-valved and adjusted and feel they work excellent. rear is stock and i wish it was much smoother. looks like a sweet mod. your rims look great.

How much did the Ohlins rear shock set you back?

Thanks Bill..... and thanks again for parting with the rear wheel and swingarm.

Well I do have to put a spring on it but so far $0 ;)
It's one of those pay me sometime things....... now to talk him out of the Mori cams that he has...... :cool:

So today was finishing the lower triple. This is the weak point on the stock set up IMHO. Here is a shot of the difference.

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There are two things needed to make the 954 triple fit on the SH first is to relieve a bit off the side of the steering stop. Here the left is stock and I have just started on the right

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and this is what you end up with when you are finished

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Also as i am not moving the rads at this time I have to drill and tap the steering stops to extend them out a bit

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So after modifying, time to test fit the lower clamp

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And the rest of the test fitting before disassembling everything to paint the lower clamp and then tomorrow it will be time to start bolting the front together ;)

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Great write up Mike, very in depth, I see by your excellent pic's the reason for relieving the stops, needed to clear the fairing stay, Man you're going to make my swap too easy, just got my bushings, seals and oil installed today, now I can eliminate one trial fit and go right to drilling and tapping for the lock stop bolts and initial trimming on the fronts. I was not able to procure an RC51 front wheel, so I'm going with a cbr1000 wheel, just need to source conversion bearings, prob. all balls. Well keep it comeing, looks fantastic.
Dave

Super cool!

I like the steering stops - just right.

I'm surprised the shock does not have a ride height adjuster. Mine does.
I'll bet the adjustable clevis is available from Ohlins.
Check with Kyle Racing, or Pettersen Pro Suspension (PPS).

If anyone wants I have a complete Spiegler bar riser kit for an SP1 that I need to get rid of.

Dennis

I do have to go see Dan to swap the spring so I'll ask him then.

Lookin' good! Any reason you're using a 5 spoke wheel in front? An sp1 6 spoker is a nice match for a 900rr rear...

Well I could have gone either way but the Sp2 wheel is over a pound lighter than the Sp1 wheel so that sealed the deal for me.

well there you go ;)

Pictures/Prices !?

Let me get some pics of the whole kit today and I will put it in the for sale section. That way I will not be stepping on anyones toes.

Dennis

Well I started out this afternoon with the normal pics of the days work:

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Well then I got the happy call from the ex and well instead of going out a killing something this happened.....;)

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So tomorrow I will get the clip ons dialed in and the holes drilled for the controls and should get the swingarm back Mon from the welder, so still waiting on a spring for the rear shock and so odds and ends but it's getting there.

Coming together very nicely :)

So much for not modding the VTR huh? :)

Coming together very nicely :)

+1 I agree mikster, hey Mike, would you mind if I piggyback my swap in your thread?
Seeing as I'm doing pretty much the same mod, just a day or two behind you, I figure a second Rc51 fork swap thread would just be redundant. I wont jack yer thread just post my progress as well, whatcha think?

Dave

Can't wait to hear your driving impressions on this, good job !!