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The XX should then mate to the F4i tubes fine....(take the F4 guts if you have them) -- If you are buying new triples, spot check on partzilla; 6th gen are a tick cheaper. Cant comment on how the XX triples mate or dont mate, but by the fische, they're different. -- Not saying at all to use F4i triples. The longer fork tube should be better - but -- The 5th gen in stock geometry steers like a truck, and on mine, I ended up dropping the front roughly 8 mm and raised the rear another 10mm (at least)

As the OP originally ask what people think of their front end conversions & I’m probably the only one on the site that has ridden on the most VFR’s with conversions I thought I would try my best to explain differences. When this type of question is asked you read a lot of posts from those that state “I don’t ride hard & my standard front end works great” which unfortunately without wanting to upset anyone who feels that way is like a person living in a box & thinks it’s great because they have never lived anywhere else. Suspension for motorbikes evolves just like everything else & there is the other fact motorbikes are built for a target market to a price point by manufactures so you simply won’t always get great suspension standard with every bike, what you get is adequate suspension. The main purpose of suspension is to keep the tyre firmly planted on the road surface at all times nothing more, but to do so with so many variables is no easy task. Let’s take for example a high end shock the Ohlins TTX which is cutting edge, but since its release Ohlins have changed the internal design for the masses many times. That doesn’t even account for an individual having there suspension tuner do more modifications. The standard VFR suspension say for example the 6th gen has been the same design from factory from 2002-2012> the Ohlins TTX shock hasn't even been out that period & has had many internal revamps. My 6th gen to use as an example front end has had standard forks re valved, RC51 forks, R1 05 forks, CBR1000RR forks with 30mm Ohlins cartridges & now Ohlins FGRT forks with 25mm cartridges. All the fork swaps have had extensive re valving to dial in my preferred feel option. Each fork has worked the way I have wanted them for my preferred feel, but the main difference with all these upgrades has been safety. The difference between the R1 05 forks & the CBR/Ohlins forks is next to nothing & I would still have the R1 forks installed if I hadn’t have sold the bike & then bought it back 2 years later. But to put that into prospective the R1 forks had valving specially designed for me & the VFR setup, none of the valving inside forks was standard R1. The difference is like so, the standard forks have zero remote adjustment rebound/compression so the internal valving has to deal with so many variables you are making compromises by design. They also flex more than USD forks which isn’t major but the effect is noticed the most under hard braking. What is bad about the flex is the heat & wear it causes to internal parts, the more heat & wear the quicker your fork oil is contaminated. Contaminated oil slows response which is what suspension is all about, remember the standard forks have no rebound/compression remote adjustment so you can’t even compensate as the oil starts to get contaminated. This scenario is at its worst with 4th & 5th gens because there forks flex allot more having smaller diameter fork tubes & I have seen so many of these fork internals that bypass oil in a major way past the cartridge shaft seal due to wear from the flex. If your shaft seal leaks oil flow doesn’t flow through valving it squirts out the seal, outcome poor response. RC51 forks are great forks compared to the standard forks but there an old design & there is a trade off with rebound/compression with them. You can’t valve them to get both compression/rebound very close to perfect, the suspension tech will make a compromise between the 2 when valving. You can notice this effect yourself (well I did) one click more compression makes too much difference & until you find a happy medium you’re always going one click up or one click down. The reason this happens is the VFR doesn’t load the front end much at all so you set compression soft to help load the front yet you hit a big bump & there is too much fork travel. The brakes aren’t really any better than the standard VFR brakes as far as callipers & clamping force, the big improvement is fork compression valving. This with the higher rigidity of USD forks (less flex) is what improves braking over the standard forks. R1 forks are cutting edge for their price point & from 04 till 08 haven’t changed that much internally, there very easy to setup for the VFR & there remote rebound/compression adjustments are very precise. The major effect I notice changing to these forks was being able to change direction close to full lean angle mid corner without the bike becoming unsettled at all. That is a major safety improvement if there is a rock etc you didn’t see mid corner. The feel I obtain with these forks I couldn't with standard is the front end bobing up & down as it goes over bumps, but it's only the fork movement I'm feeling the front end stays more or less at the same height, the wheel is following the road surface sending great feed back through the bars. The other added advantage was the radial brakes which can be used to their full because the R1 forks compression is so good & the same rigidity as the RC51 forks. CBR1000RR forks are more or less the same as the R1 but I can only comment on the Ohlins cartridge aspect because I haven’t ridden a VFR with modified standard valving. As mentioned the direction Ohlins has gone with really only 30mm valving available now is sportbike tech which place extreme loads on the front end, which the VFR doesn’t. This type of valving design is high stability under brakes, unfortunately I found due to the VFR not loading the front end like a sportbike I couldn’t gain the feel I prefer form them & my suspension tech did try a number of modifications to try to attain the feel I like. The front end mid corner due to unloading to quickly felt flighty & didn’t matter what rebound remote adjustment I tried on the fly I just didn’t like that valving on the VFR. On my CBR1000RR is another storey there outstanding. The Ohlins (CBR1000RR) FGRT forks I have come with 25mm cartridges (the newer model now has 30mm) & these suit the VFR much better & I now feel there as good if not better than my old R1 setup. The bottom line is response time as you need your forks to keep that contact patch at all times which is a major ask with all the variable road conditions. Remote adjustment rebound/compression on the fly with forks that are more ridged so less heat & wear internal components is everything when the flow rate of fork oil is what creates the response you need to keep that front wheel planted at all times. Just think how your standard forks feel straight after an oil change & then think about keeping that oil in that condition for a longer period & having adjustment to prolong the response as the oil starts to contaminate. Since installing the first USD upgrade (RC51) I haven't had a front end slide, not once, yet with standard forks even with valving & correct springs addressed I had many a slide, that is not in gravel or very lose surface as no tyre can grip if what it's griping to moves. Just for the record my riding style is fast into a corner less throttle out due to lean angle so I need to trust the front end, it's not always the fastest way around a corner but it's what I enjoy the most. Hope I haven’t bored anybody with my speel.

RC51 forks on a 1999 VFR800. No, I would not switch back. The longer trail due to the RC51 triples different offset makes the bike steer slower (all else being equal) but on my bike, the front end is slightly lower than stock, and the rear end, I raised up, plus the handlebars are wider for more leverage, so it pretty much cancels that effect right out. The brakes are absolutely stupid, and the ride quality and adjustability are far better than the standard VFR boingers. I added an Ohlins rear shock, courtesy of a VFRd member, and the transformation is complete.

YES! It's a basic bolt in swap, with the only concern is the shorter F4 tube length. I run F4/F4i forks on my Vtec track bike and if you run the forks slide up 10mm from stock like I do On my street VFR (for quicker turn in) then you'll have enough fork tube to clamp the clip-ons to. They (tubes)might be slightly lower than the top of the clip-ons but shouldn't be an issue. The F4 happens to run the same fork spring as the stock VFR(.74's) which are too soft if you weigh over 150-160 lbs. Stock VFR wheel and rotors can be used, but you will most likely need to use the F4 axle and play with spacers from both to center up wheel. I think if your planning to De-link it's a great & easy swap. BR