JamieDaugherty

Luckily the valving pistons in the stock 91 VFR forks are good, so you can really build a front setup on a budget on that bike. New springs and valving shim stacks are all it takes - others dream of something so easy! Out back you choices are more expensive for sure. The 929 conversion that I build is certainly a good choice. Consistent with some of the comments above, be wary of anything that doesn't include the proper spring and valving setup. That's where your gains are made - the downside is that is also where the expense is too. Give me a shout if you need more details!

I wish it was that easy! In the end I've found that I can make custom triples to the precise dimensions I want for about the same price. It pays to have suppliers that you've developed a good relationship with!

Honestly, there isn't really a lot to be gained by separating the compression and rebound functions between the two forks. Having external compression adjustment sounds nice, but it isn't nearly as effective as the rebound adjustment. You will get 80% or more of what you need with just the rebound adjustment only. The compression adjustment gets you the last 10-20% - helpful mostly for track riders. Just some advice!

Honestly, you can twist and turn to your heart's content but you won't really get anywhere with the stock suspension. You can make it feel different but there won't be any appreciable gains to be had. My suggestion is to ride the bike and understand what it is doing. The issues with the VFR's stock suspension are well know, but it would be good for you to come to that conclusion on your own. After going through that process it will help you to better understand what an improved suspension will get you. It will also give you a better understanding of what you bike is doing underneith you, which will pay dividends in the future. Does this hold true for 5th gen? l have some 7.5 bicycle fork oil laying around or should I pony up for the real deal? These are very bad ideas. You should never go with heavier fluid as that will only make the bad aspects of the stock suspension worse. In fact, if you want to do anything you can try running some Honda Pro Oils 5w. That won't get you to anywhere near a good setup, but it will make it a tad less horrible.

Consider that a blessing - that 16in front wheel would have only caused you problems. It does not quicken the steering, in fact quite the opposite. I think you would have found it to be a big step backwards in the handling department.

I do not suggest using an extended upper mount to make up that much distance. You would be running a serious risk of failure. All of the 929 shocks that I build are converted so they fit without any changes to the upper mount - FYI

Technically speaking, the 90-93 VFR750 rear shock is 343mm eye-eye. Rear shocks will vary +/- a couple of mm if you measure used ones. I hope this helps!

You can easily tell if a 500 has a bottom end problem because it will be a 5-speed - in 20+ years I've only ever seen one so they are crazy rare. I'd scoop it up, but probably not after some haggling. That bike looks really nice and ones in good shape are selling for $1200-1500 pretty regularly these days.

How do we know this is fact? I've never heard of anything like this before. I know some European countries are weird, but my understanding was all of the "major" markets were identical. I'm wondering how we would know for sure either way?

Thanks for the kind words fellas! It's not surprising that you aren't happy with your VFR's suspension after riding the BWM (although that bike needs a lot of help too!). I'm sure that some straightforward upgrades would fix you right up. Feel free to drop me an email (preferred) or PM if you need any details.

I do not believe Dale ever made a 4-1 - the ones he sold were just rebadged Hindle systems. That's probably why he needs a bike because he will essentially be starting from scratch. I looked into this about 10 years ago. At the time my research showed the market to be about 10 systems per year. I would expect that number to be less now. Taking a "build it and they will come" approach would probably be ok. For pricing purposes I would assume each part to be a custom-built item. Good luck!

What about 4th Gen VFR750's and CBR600 F3 forks? Regardless of the bike they are installed on, it is the physical dimensions that determines the correct fluid height. I suggest a 150mm number for the F3 forks.

Whenever I see this it makes me shudder. The oil should be changed every 1000 miles, maybe 1500 max. Motorcycle oil is not the same as car oil, it is whooped at a fraction of the miles.

I'm curious: why do you ask this question?

The 1000F already has "risen" bars. About the only [safe] way to get better would be to go with a dirtbike style setup. You won't get +2in but it be an improvement. The 1000F is already like riding a couch. I'm curious why you want higher bars?

They are great bikes, no question. Keep the revs down and everything will be fine. They won't set the world on fire with speed but regardless they are one of the most fun bikes out there.

Unfortunately, my experience is any used shock will also be bad. It has been years since I've seen a stock first gen shock in working condition.

Unfortunately, all too common. The only way to prevent dropped valves on 500's is to keep those revs down. Observe a 9000rpm maximum engine speed and you'll enjoy a long life out of your VF500. Each time you exceed that you are one step closer to problems.

Just for reference, the travel of the stock VFR800 forks is 109mm.

Yeah, I need to get my site updated for several reasons. The problem is there's only 24 hours in a day!

Here is a graph showing the difference between 120mm and 130mm air gap in a VFR800 fork.

I use 130mm for all VFR800 forks. At 120mm the air spring gets WAY too high at the end of travel. This is not a desirable effect. You want things to stay as linear as possible. FYI

Well, that is the problem with hydraulic adjusters in general - they offer a limited range of spring preload adjustment. With some effort you can make some improvements, but in general you should accept this limitation as part of the deal.

Yes, so much so that I've been forced to charge for this repair. They either come out or they don't - and when not it must be drilled out. The cost of the new bolt is not a big deal, it's the time it takes. Painful!

eMachineshop = VERY expensive. Try a local machine shop and I think you will be able to cut the price in half. I've used 3D printed parts on some of my motorcycle products. They work really well. The printed ABS parts are 70-80% as strong as their injection molded counterparts. That said, there isn't very many applications for what I do that a plastic part is appropriate. The printed parts are good for making physical prototypes just to check that everything works the way I want it to do. I have a bunch of these sitting on the shelf - at least they look pretty! All of that said, I have found that having parts CNC machined from aluminum and paying for the 1-2 qty piece price is about the same as a 3D printed plastic part. So, for the same $$$ you can have a real functional part. I have found 3D printed parts work best when the final result is a complicated piece that would take fixturing to machine.