Leaderboard

The main case bolts are a single use item and are supposed to be replaced every time the cases are split. The grooves give a known and controlled stretch in the bolts as they are torqued to a specified tension and then finished with an additional 90 degrees. Phil

Stock fork springs are .744 like mentioned, not .85. Personally at 135 lbs I would test and measure rider & free sag before any spring change from stock on either end first. I wouldn't think you would need too much of a spring rate increase except maybe the rear at a stock 15.3. Seems like a 17kg or abouts should in the ball park. If you are de-linking the brakes and removing all associated items especially removing the mini rear subframe from the rear of the frame that supports the brake lines and blocks then the 929 shock will work nicely and has the same spring rate as the VFR's 15.3 kg. The F4/F4i forks are shorter, I think on my bike ther was only an inch or so above the top triple clamp. I ran stock F4i clip-ons, but they hit the top of the side fairings at full lock. BR

I have done pretty much what you're planning (front forks re-sprung, revalved, brake de-linked, CBR929 shock installed), but on a 5th gen, and have also changed the suspension and brakes on my VTR1000F. For the fork you could buy RT parts (specifically a compression Gold Valve which comes with a handy bag of shims) and work out your own shim stacks (RT provide some good guidance), and make up spacers as needed to suit the springs that you have. You can use PVC pipe for spacers, very easy to cut and cheap. As long as the springs you are using aren't too long (ie they stick out the top of the extended forks) then they'll be fine with the correct spacer. For the shock you could make up an extended clevis to offset the shorter shock, and try the standard spring first. Or...you could buy all the correct parts from Jamie Daugherty who will provide you with the specific bits to suit your weight and preferences. He modifies the shock itself to make it longer, and alters the shim stack as well, and provides a rider-specific spring. IMO his fork part pricing is the same or a little below RT, for very similar parts, and his modified shocks represent very good value. One thing that may help your bike turn in is raising the rear and/or dropping the front to steepen the geometry. You can slide a spacer between the shock clevis and the frame (up to 5mm is pretty common) which will drop the back wheel by around 25mm, and the forks can be slid up through the clamps by up to 10mm before any hard parts make contact. This will make the steering livelier and more eager to drop into bends without affecting high speed stability too much. However in the first instance I'd make sure that you were running tyres that aren't badly worn e.g. squared off at the middle, as that will have a big effect on turn in.