So when braking hard the front ends dives something terrible so Im looking to replace the springs. Will using springs with a smaller diameter than stock cause a problem? Stock diameter is 32mm and I can get a set of NOS Yamaha springs (for a different model bike , but same part #) for a reasonable price but their diameter is supposedly 26mm
something I noticed also was the fact that the front end is downright soft. When I rebuilt my forks, afterwards I noticed if I have the brake on and shove them down I get a clack clack noise with the spring flicking the inside the upper stanchion. Putting thinner springs in there would possibly make the forks noisy/noisier... BTW they wont fit onto the damper rod upper cleanly - there is a perfectly matched contact patch - same width and diameter and you may find the same for the washer in the upper end between the spring and the spacer Personally I'd fit stiffer springs altogether, I did read somewhere the higher spring rates that make the 400 handle better - those recommended upgrade springs were also linear, not progressive
Most Jap domestic market bikes are sprung and damped too soft. I have used springs slightly smaller diameter (1mm to 2mm) without problem. Linear rate springs are best for race track. Progressive is best for the road.
quick dirty solution is thicker oil as the oil hole is probably weak.also add some teflon. standard fork oil is either 5w or 10w.
I just checked the diameter of the stock springs (from my spare forks) and the tight coil end is 32 and the other end 29. The other thing is their length is 400 , which seems low ....... FZR400 stock is 412mm The ones above are 508mm Not sure how accurate the seller is measuring .... and Im getting them in 'inches' Im pretty sure these springs are for an XS1100 and with 'heavy duty' printed on the box they surely will stiffen things up Glenn , I also get that wacking noise if I jam on the brakes and push heavily on the bars while stationary ..... I thought it would be the headstock bearings (which is on the list also) and hadnt thought of the springs banging on the tube. You can get progressive 400 springs .... which was my first choice but just found those mentioned above going cheap. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Fork-Spr...rcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a2b99a36c http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yamaha-FZR-...Parts_Accessories&hash=item484690475f&vxp=mtr
Yea I thought that also Would there be that much of a difference in spring rate ? ...... also taking into account Im adding 110kg to the mix
Just looking thru the compatible bikes for these ones ..... the vmax 1200 is there so maybe springs can be pretty universal. Everyone Ive read about says the 400 springs are a great upgrade for the 250 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fork-Spring...Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a2b99a36c&vxp=mtr The ones in the first post are under $50 so not a great loss if they dont work .... spring set itself is only $10 .... shipping blows it out of course.
XS1100 weighs 250kg. I used to assemble them for the Cycle Spot in Sydney. They were very very heavy.
I will give you some car engine valve springs to fit on top of your standard springs to help them if you want.
Thanx Murdo but I think with the fact ,as Mark alluded to, the original setup was designed for Japanese jockeys and are surely shagged out after 25 years as well , that the whole lot need the over the shoulder treatment. On my running bike there is also extra spacers already in there. http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/stiffening-front-suspension-on-an-fzr250.1324/#post-7818 Phil: Which place did u get your SV650 springs? .... was it done online? http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?threads/stiffening-front-suspension-on-an-fzr250.1324/#post-7831
The truly sad thing is I disassembled mine an entire second time thinking something was amiss with my re-assembly the first time - till I thought about the possible causes. It's not your headstock bearings as mine are completely free of any play or any notchiness. One less ting to worry about, good practice to check your headstock bearings, but they're not noisy - be happy
Yes just the spring and spacer. I didn't measure my springs either as I considered that I would likely replace the forks entirely at some stage. Murdos concept of using some valve springs seems interesting and worth condiseration
Also the Japanese market likes very soft, underdamped suspension. I have compared damper rods from the TZR250 but the Japanese domestic model had 4 compression damping holes instead of two and also larger rebound holes. When I fitted the Gold Valves in the FZR250 3LN forks in my R1-Z I welded up the rebound holes and redrilled them smaller.
Just a quick note on the Yamaha part numbers - I've found that using any part number as a search string without the model prefix will yield erroneous results because the numbers by themselves designate that particular part across many (every) different model(s). It's only when you put the prefix in front that you get meaningful results, because then it becomes that particular part for specific model(s). peace out
I bought fork seals yesterday thinking that the soft front end just needed oil / rebuild not knowing the bikes history, but sounds like it's probably ok, she does handle pretty good & the rear matches the front for soft, the whole bike depresses evenly the way it is, I'd expect stiffening up the front end youll overpower the rear & lose rear grip, nasty in the wet.
The long term plan is 400 front springs and an R6R rear shock (http://fzr250.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=3554&hilit=rear shock replacement#p28046) willfzr2503ln has done it also with the rear : http://2fiftycc.com/index.php?showcase/fzr-project.57/ The biggest problem with the wimpy suspension is the big dive on the front when braking hard ..... first time I did it, it nearly tossed me over the front.