R6R forks - doable?

[zamolxes]

I see... Anyways I have checked yesterday at least 10 different R6 as here in Montreal where I am there is a big sport-bike get together every Wednesday evening... and even if all would go fine there seems not to be enough clearance from the fairing and the tank... do not know if older models are different but on the 2008 I have it seems that way. Well and I really do not want to go naked as the "insect" dual lamp front fairing is one of the things I like.catched my eyes about the bike... BIG DILEMMA!!!

If you are talking about swapping a R6S top triple in so you don't have nubs sticking up with clipons, the width between forks is different. I also had that idea but unfortunately it is off by a few mm. I used 2003 R6 triple. You would have to switch the entire triple but as someone said, the stem is a different diameter.

 

[krushnuts]

Tax return has hit the bank a/c just 4 days after it was lodged

Got the front fender and some bolts from the dealership today. I think I have everything I need to fit the forks!

The preferred option would be to use the FZ6 shaft and press that into the R6 triples thereby avoiding the need to modify the frame and buy the crown nut and associated sleeves/bearings which are quite expensive. We will see exactly when the front end is off the bike and measurements can be made of said shaft.

Hopefully will be all done by the end of the week, Brizzfizz has a ride on Sunday!

 

[afpreppie04]

Good luck! As far as the stem, if you could just press in the FZ one it would be WAY easier, hope it works out.:rockon:

 

[krushnuts]

Good luck! As far as the stem, if you could just press in the FZ one it would be WAY easier, hope it works out.:rockon:

Cheers dude

Just spoke to the engineer who's gonna do the work and he's having a break from Thursday - Sunday and won't be available until Monday next week *sigh* There's always some little thing to extend things and I won't be ready for the Brizzfiz ride on Sunday. Patience Krishna, patience... lol

 

[MRGM]

It won't fit to press in. The FZ6 stem is about .050" too small. Have him machine off a bit of the bottom of the stem, and make a bushing to press onto it that is the proper size.

 

[krushnuts]

It won't fit to press in. The FZ6 stem is about .050" too small. Have him machine off a bit of the bottom of the stem, and make a bushing to press onto it that is the proper size.

Cheers, I suggested that to him. He's onto the job now. Hopefully it'll be ready by the end of the week. I asked him to take photos for me at different stages, which he kindly obliged to do. I'm going to head down to his shop and check it out myself also.

Here's the last time I saw 'her'...

 

[Stimson]

hope evrything goes smoothly for you, I know you are bursting at the seams for this mod

 

[krushnuts]

Re: R6R forks - done!

It's finished!!!!! :cheer::cheer:

I'm picking it up tomorrow, had some family duties to attend to this afternoon, just another lesson in patience for me lol

It turned out to be more 'tricky' than he initially estimated, as these things do... The shaft was the least of the issues. MRGM was correct in that the bottom of the fz6 shaft is too small for the R6 triple. What he ended up doing was building up the bottom of the shaft with weld and lathed it to the correct size. Also fabricted a sleve so that the top of the shaft fit snug into the top triple. All good though, did not need to buy extra bits like the crown nut and associated, and expensive, alloy other bits.

What did give cause for some more thought were a few 'fiddly' bits.

The whole front end is closer to the rest of the bike causing some parts of the frame to get into the way (more on this below). I understand that this is changing the geometry a bit. I imagine that it will 'fall' into corners more easily among other things. Anyone have any thoughts or anything on how this will affect the feel of the bike?

The ignition was attached with anti-theft bolts. He said to get past this he welded some metal onto the top of the bolts and used that to twist them out, much easier than drilling and re-tapping. The ignition is in roughly the same position as it was on the fz6 triple. Roughly. It was a bit closer to the frame than before and caused the first irreversable modification - which I authorised, I'm not selling this bike anyway. The new positioning of the ignition required some of the frame to be ground off, and another hole drilled for the steering lock mechanism to work.

Also, the steering stoppers were in a diff position, and they were in the way, so off they came and new ones were welded on so they lined up properly.

The headlight assembly also did not bolt straight on. Another frame was fabricated so that it fit onto the bottom and top R6 triples.

He had some risers from another bike (thankfully they are black and colour match) that will bolt onto the R6r top triple. To make this stronger, the flanges on the underside (where the R6 clipons would have been attached) have been ground off and two pieces made to fit into the space left behind, one for the left riser and one for the right riser. These act a giant 'washers' and sit snuggly into the space left in the underside of the top triple.

He has described it as looking like it came off the factory floor. I'm really hanging out to see it and ride it home now!

He has also taken a series of photos which he's providing to me on an SD card. I'll upload a selection and take a few more myself to show yas the end result tomorrow.

All this for a princely sum of $700. I'll provide some more numbers of how much everything cost me, just so that you can have an idea of it for your selves - and give me the opportunity to catalogue this journey.

:thumbup::rockon:

 

[Stimson]

Re: R6R forks - done!

It's finished!!!!! :cheer::cheer:

I'm picking it up tomorrow, had some family duties to attend to this afternoon, just another lesson in patience for me lol

It turned out to be more 'tricky' than he initially estimated, as these things do... The shaft was the least of the issues. MRGM was correct in that the bottom of the fz6 shaft is too small for the R6 triple. What he ended up doing was building up the bottom of the shaft with weld and lathed it to the correct size. Also fabricted a sleve so that the top of the shaft fit snug into the top triple. All good though, did not need to buy extra bits like the crown nut and associated, and expensive, alloy other bits.

What did give cause for some more thought were a few 'fiddly' bits.

The whole front end is closer to the rest of the bike causing some parts of the frame to get into the way (more on this below). I understand that this is changing the geometry a bit. I imagine that it will 'fall' into corners more easily among other things. Anyone have any thoughts or anything on how this will affect the feel of the bike?

The ignition was attached with anti-theft bolts. He said to get past this he welded some metal onto the top of the bolts and used that to twist them out, much easier than drilling and re-tapping. The ignition is in roughly the same position as it was on the fz6 triple. Roughly. It was a bit closer to the frame than before and caused the first irreversable modification - which I authorised, I'm not selling this bike anyway. The new positioning of the ignition required some of the frame to be ground off, and another hole drilled for the steering lock mechanism to work.

Also, the steering stoppers were in a diff position, and they were in the way, so off they came and new ones were welded on so they lined up properly.

The headlight assembly also did not bolt straight on. Another frame was fabricated so that it fit onto the bottom and top R6 triples.

He had some risers from another bike (thankfully they are black and colour match) that will bolt onto the R6r top triple. To make this stronger, the flanges on the underside (where the R6 clipons would have been attached) have been ground off and two pieces made to fit into the space left behind, one for the left riser and one for the right riser. These act a giant 'washers' and sit snuggly into the space left in the underside of the top triple.

He has described it as looking like it came off the factory floor. I'm really hanging out to see it and ride it home now!

He has also taken a series of photos which he's providing to me on an SD card. I'll upload a selection and take a few more myself to show yas the end result tomorrow.

All this for a princely sum of $700. I'll provide some more numbers of how much everything cost me, just so that you can have an idea of it for your selves - and give me the opportunity to catalogue this journey.

:thumbup::rockon:

can't wait to see it......

 

[afpreppie04]

Awesome! There is always something extra that has to be done, isn't there? Can't wait to see it and hear how it rides:thumbup:

 

[krushnuts]

Wow, I'm really satisfied with the work. The feel of the bike is different, which I expected. I'm not sure what the net affect is as I'm still feeling it out. One major difference is that the 'offset' has shrunk. This is the distance between the center of the top of the forks and the center of the steering neck.

The triple clamps of the R6 fitten onto the FZ6 frame has brought the forks closer to the bike, increasing rake ever so slightly. The increase in rake has provided some stability, but makes cornering 'ever so slightly' more 'difficult'. I'm adjusting my riding technique to compensate for this change for now. :thumbup:

I also think that if I raise the forks through the triples it may decrease the rake a bit. I'll see how I go, if I do this I will do it in 5mm increments and see how it feels with each increment.

Suspension adjustments - yay! I have adjusted the suspension to factory defaults and took it for a spin today on some local corners I'm familiar with. It feels quite hard/stiff actually. 1 click at a time, I will soften the preload of the forks until it feels too soft, then adjusting back from there - tomorrow. I'm still learning about these adjustments, ie rebound/preload etc and how the feel of the bike is affected by them. I'm also aware of how a 'problem' with the front of the bike can actually be caused by the suspension in the rear! But, just changing 1 setting at a time and it'll take a some trial and error to find the right mix. Will get around to upgrading the rear suspension with some ohlins or similar in the near future.

Here's some photos of the front end swap.

I welcome any queries/comments/suggestions about the effect this swap has had on the feel of the bike, or the procedure undertaken to achieve it. I'm certainly not an expert in these matters, but am happy to impart whatever information I've learned.

Also, have a load of FZ6 bits 'n pieces for sale now if anyones interested? Forks, front fender, triples - no steering shaft though - calipers, rotors and an 06 R6R stock break lever and master cylinder with brake lines. Ended up using the FZ6 break lines and master cylinder so we didn't have to find a way to fit the rear-view mirror.

I'll take some photos of said spare parts and post them in the classifieds section, as well as ebay

 

[08-FZ6]

AWESOME JOB!!! I found it amusing that you took some of the pics on top of a Honda box.

 

[RJ2112]

Looks very nice.

Only comment I have is that the rake should not be affected by the 'fore' - 'aft' change in the position of the fork tubes.

As long as the steering head angle hasn't changed, the angle of the fork tubes can't change... that means the distance between the projected impact of the forks' line, and the contact patch (trail) won't change, either.

Bikes like the VRod series have offset tripple clamps... there is additional angle built into the clamps themselves... the holes don't line up vertically. That's the only way I am aware of to change the rake and not affect the trail.

Bringing the wheel closer to the frame, that has shortened your wheelbase, by whatever the distance the change in fork tubes amounts to.

 

[jtarkany]

That looks great!

I hope you will take this and do a short How-to write up with all costs etc...

 

[afpreppie04]

Looks great! I was going to comment about the Honda box but someone beat me to it. $700 is not bad at all, considering it cost me about $375 for my non-USD R6 swap, and that didn't take any machining or custom work, triples (though I bought some anyway to mess around with), or brake rotors. Are you going to paint the part you ground down to keep any potential rust away?

 

[MRGM]

You decreased the trail by changing the offset. There is no change in rake, that is controlled by the frame / headtube angle.

Less trail = less stable = should be easier to initiate a turn.

 

[Hellgate]

Well done! Excellent work. Now you need an Ohlins to balance out the fork. :thumbup:

 

[krushnuts]

Thanks for your comments folks, I really like the look of it. I will detail costs, etc, can't right now with my wifey around.... lol

You decreased the trail by changing the offset. There is no change in rake, that is controlled by the frame / headtube angle.

Less trail = less stable = should be easier to initiate a turn.

Thanks MRGM for the correction, I get the two terms mixed up. This is exactly what I initially thought, that the bike should be less stable and easier to turn. The engineer explained that it would be more stable and harder to turn! Perhaps he was in a hurry and did not think about it? I dunno.

I found this picture showing what rake and trail is and modified to to try and illustrait what's happened. If the forks come closer to the body of the bike (original fork position shown in orange) then it increases the trail doesn't it?

 

[Fred]

Very nice work there. I've been watching this thread and waiting to see the final results. They're as good as I'd hoped they'd be.

 

[krushnuts]

...

Are you going to paint the part you ground down to keep any potential rust away?

Yes, the frame has been painted. It's not even noticable, unless you take the headlight off.