Hi Guys, Got my FZR's forks off to change the oil and do the seals - one is kind of OK, small pitting that has all sanded down well with 2000 grade wet and dry. The other one is pretty badly pitted. I can get the pitting down so it don't blow the seals with sharp edges, but ideally it needs re-chroming. Anyone have any recommendations for somewhere in Sydney that does good work, or anywhere in OZ. I'm thinking I may be better off finding clean replacementsfor the price, but if I do that I may well upgrade the front end to USD forks. It's so easy to get carried away isn't it... peace out
Here in Qld we have a company called Rad at Rocklea, Brisbane suburb. I have had the opportunity to speak with these people at various bike shows, they do very good work and prices I'm told are competitive. Might be worth a contact. www.radhardchroming.com.au
Thanks Phil - I had come across mention of them in my searches, prices seemed to be about $300 for both stanchions - though I will contact them to get a better estimate or quote. Now I'm wondering if that money is better spent on a pair of USD forks and triple clamps Will a complete RGV 250 front end fit? I seem to recall the ZXR250 front end is a straight bolt on, but don't know where I read it. It's so easy to get carried away - so I will get the engine running first before I throw more $$ at this.
if going the re chrome way look for industrial hard chromers who do hydraulic rams and similar.hard chroming is a more advanced project than normal chroming. new forks could work out cheaper.
$300 for the pair is not a bad price at all. Best quote I've got here in Sydney was $300 for each... The MC22 stanchions cost $270 each, brand new, so who would pay $300 to rechrome an old one? But if anyone know a place in Sydney that can do a pair of stanchions for $300, please let me know!
Well I heard back from radhardchroming $160 per leg plus shipping, straightening is extra - not bad considering the price of new My tendency is towards a different front end at that price though. I've removed all of the lifted chrome and only small bits are actually going to pass through the seals so they will be OK for now with new seals
If you were planning on throwing on ZXR250 forks, now might be the time. There's a set of ZXR forks on ebay going for $160 (pair) + post. I don't think it's as straight forward as you might think. Without knowing the dimensions of things, I dare say you'd probably need the entire front end of a ZXR. Things to take into consideration would be dia of triple clamps (esp going from conventional to USD), distance between forks and axle/wheel hub dia. Just my 2c
kiffsta makes a good point with the brakes. FZR 3LN and ZX2rC model have different sized brake rotors, so wheel swap is a must for that path. Front brake caliper mounting compatibility comes into consideration as well...
I had a set I had to replace because I was quoted $300 each fork everywhere I tried. If you can get $300 for both then it's a more considerable price. If you go to get second hand ones make sure you inspect them though. They may say it's clean but there can sometimes also be pitting under the dust covers if you don't check.
I'm going to finish the rest of the bike, then consider my options, as you've all mentioned theres a lot to take into account...I was looking at complete RGV250 VJ22 front ends and noticed the brake disc diameter difference. I may be able to cross reference and see which bits are transferrable, such as axles and discs to keep the wheels. Also need to check the triple clamp dimensions for offset otherwise I'm going to affect the caster, rake and trail. I'm trying to avoid a Frankenbike look and a complete budget blowout in the process. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for something local so I can at least make some measurements to check the feasibility.
A very sensible approach, as you mention cost can and generally do spiral out of control. Get the bike going, enjoy it and see what happens. You're on the right track.
Hey Guys just to recap this - leaving the stanchions as is - I've removed any sharp chrome which was peeling so that it won't damage the new seals - I need some joy before I shovel more cash as Phil noticed. On my travels I found radhardchroming to be reasonably priced - $160 per leg and all of the reviews I read of their work to be favourable Another option I discovered, which may be very feasible for anyone with bent/creased stanchions that can't b straightened and need replacements is this place http://www.ppmp.net.au/ I was quoted $440 for a pair of new stanchions coming out of an Italian Factory. That looks to be a good price at first glance. However, for me, if I was going to lay out that much cash I'd be upgrading to USD forks provided I can do it without requiring all sorts of mucking round. Peace out
If you are going to fit different forks then you need to check that the offset of the steering stem centre to the fork centres is close to original. Changing this offset will change your trail, and trail is the most important element of your steering. Increasing trail means that your steering point is further ahead of your axle centre and will increase high speed stability and reduce maneuverability and viceversa. cheers Blair
Thanks Blair - I'm going to have to dig out my Motorcycle Chassis Book by Gordon Jennings. I feel some upcoming study in my future
No worries Ruckus, Well I am no expert, but I believe it is an important consideration. Tony Foale seems to think that it is not so critical but rather a combination of factors. http://www.tonyfoale.com/Articles/RakeEx/RakeEx.htm I personally think that sports bikes, that have a more forward weight bias, are more sensitive to changes in trail than the older BMW that he experimented with. When I did some experiments of my own with some of the belt drive Ducati models I found the changes to be quite obvious. These were increases in trail that resulted in slower steering and more high speed stability that I mentioned before. The 'jacking up the back', that is so popular with the 'track day' riders, quickens the steering response as a result of the reduced trail not the rake. I often found that the rear slicks that were being used on track bikes had such a low profile, compared to the OEM tyre, that trail had actually increased from standard. Riders thought that they had adjusted their ride height etc to quicken their steering when in reality they had only got the steering close to standard again and it was the lower profile of the tyres that was giving them the different feedback (combined with the belief in their head; never underestimate the placebo effect). Knowing these values is very important when setting up a bike for racing as you can adjust settings when trying different tyres etc and know what is actually causing the difference rather than assuming that it is just the tyres etc. The old "What you can measure, you can manage" thing. cheers Blair
I've just scanned the Tony Foale article briefly, that was an interesting piece of experimentation. The zero degree rake looks downright frightening and reminds me of the little Razor scooters the kids get around on - no hands in one shot also - YIKES. He may have hit the nail on the head when he mentioned the shuddering under brakes of telescopic forks with the 15 and zero degree rake. At any rate I may be able to have CNC billet yokes made easily by someone local - I will have to code the parts myself though to keep the cost down. That's a longer term project though, but will give me the option of whatever USD forks I want, or can get easily.
That sounds like a good idea. Some ZXR250 forks on eBay for $160. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kawasaki-Ninja-Zxr-250-Forks-Leg-Usd-Tubes-Suspension-Track-/271267185511 Doesn't say if the crowns are included. Be a good idea to ask one of the members here what the offset of the Kawasaki crowns are. Hey Kiffsta, be a good bloke and measure your offset please. A bit of trig and you can calculate the new trail.
