best place to Buy parts??
 

As far as performance and style for the vtr specific.

Also how hard is it to change the front springs???

I am not sure what kind of parts you are looking for. Pick up a Sport Rider magazine (or something equivalent) and you will see tons of ads at the end for various suppliers.

As for changing the front springs, I was hesitant into doing it myself, so another local board member (thump) helped me with switching the springs. It was a lot easier than I had imagined. May be someone who has done this a couple of times and remembers all of the steps can do a writeup on this.

As far as parts go, try a local shop that gives you good pricing, they can probably order anything you see in a magazine. If you give them your business, they should give you better prices.

I started buying parts from a local honda dealer 2 years ago, now when I go there to order I get a 15% discount just for being a loyal customer.

Perfect example, I called to order a aftermarket clutch & spring kit. The guy said $85 for the kit. Then he asked if I had been there before, I said yes give him my name, typed it in the computer, then he said oh, we can give it to you for $68 instead of $85.
Done deal.

Re: best place to Buy parts??
 

If you local dealer (stealer) is like mine (i.e, charges over retail) and not like cdyer77's, ronayers.com is about the best around. Minimum $7 shipping on the first $100 so don't go to them for low dollar items; however, this can work in your favor. After ordering your cheap part (say a must have $4 gasket as your bike's leaking oil), load up on some great honda chemicals (chain wax, spray polish, anti-freeze, silicone spray, etc) for a once year order. I had 30 lbs of stuff shipped for $7!!! :lol: No kidding.

I have removed the forks springs on the VTR but the forks were off the bike for inspection/cleaning/fluid change. I've replaced springs or pre-load spacers on other bikes and I'm going from memory of those SO ALL THE FOLLOWING MAY NOT STRICTLY APPLY!

Raise the front end to get the weight off it, turned pre-load all the way off, and unscrewed the fork cap. Take care as the springs may still be exerting some force on the cap. Break loose dampner rod nut and the cap/rebound assembly but don't alter the nut's location (setting). Remove the shim/washers on top of the spring (remember the order) and the pre-load spacer.

Here's the tricky part: The damping rod will slowly be sucked back in. It can go in too deep that you can't reach it easily (BTDT). So you need to pull the springs fairly quickly while trying to keep the fluid dripping to a minimum. LOL. It's still going to be messy; cover the tank, instruments, fairing, etc. I then tie off the rod with some string or coat hanger wire so I don't have to rush the install. Reverse proceedure for installation, do one leg at a time. Your oil level is going to be incorrect now. How much do you add back? :?

If the bike is a year or two old or it's never been done, I STRONGLY suggest you pull the forks completely, drain, clean/flush, and add fresh fluid. You will be amazed how much better your forks work (even without new springs). It's very similiar to that first ride on new tires feeling. If your also suffering from excessive brake dive or can't achieve proper sag, you do need better springs too.

Honda recommends SS8 fluid. Many people (me included) have tried Mobil One SYNTHETIC ATF fluid (not the cheap stuff). This is about $5 a bottle, you'll probably need 2-3 bottles for a complete change out. The Mobil one stuff is about 7-8 weight according to some websites. Haven't tried it on the SuperHawk yet but have had great success with it on other Hondas.

the bike has 1300 miles on it so I think the oil is fine, but I do want to change the springs.

Re: best place to Buy parts??
 

Concerning a good place to buy VTR-specific OEM plastics and other basic OEM parts such as case covers, I agree with SuperBling: Ron Ayers cannot be beat: They sell OEM plastics and many other OEM parts for the VTR, at 10% over dealer cost.

http://www.ronayers.com

cheers,
--HotStreetVTR