reckless Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Great setup! I have this in conjunction with my Penske 8983 rear shock and it totally transforms the way the bike feels. It's more planted, no more pogo stick feeling, and it inspires a lot more confidence in turns. I don't track my bike but even for the everyday commuter it is a great upgrade option. I still have to make some adjustments but the initial feel is already superb, so I can't wait to really get on the twisties with it. Great product and customer service. Thanks again Matt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhdon Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Wow. I really need to do this once I can give up riding for any period of time. First long ride yesterday and the front end is God aweful on New England cracked and damaged asphalt. They need to make Yamaha design engineers ride what they make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member crazycracka501 Posted May 8, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted May 8, 2015 Wow. I really need to do this once I can give up riding for any period of time. First long ride yesterday and the front end is God aweful on New England cracked and damaged asphalt. They need to make Yamaha design engineers ride what they make. California road engineers must go to school in New England cause those sound exactly like every road I ride on out here lol Make it stop!....Now make it go faster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomascrown Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm thinking of going this route with the suspension, my only hesitation servicing the fork. After the guts are swapped in, will the typical cycle shop be able to service the forks? Like changing the fluid, seals, etc? Will I need any proprietary parts, or Suzuki specific stuff when doing the typical refresh? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 Nope, nothing special to it. They'll be more confused as to why there are cartridges inside FZ forks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holderosa Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm really interested in this too - I love the bike, but the front-end dive is so incredibly squishy, it's really the only major flaw IMHO. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that this mod is a warranty breaker? I have still to consume the legalities of the contract... Also, if you had to guess Pattonme, any ETA on an SFF version? Months to a year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlinhoss Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I am testing my forks out today! Really excited since I got this mod done on my 300 and it rides like a dream now. I am expecting the same for my fz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm really interested in this too - I love the bike, but the front-end dive is so incredibly squishy, it's really the only major flaw IMHO. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that this mod is a warranty breaker? I have still to consume the legalities of the contract... Also, if you had to guess Pattonme, any ETA on an SFF version? Months to a year? They cannot void a bikes warranty unless the mod caused damage to the bike, and by law they would have to prove damage. I have never seen fork mods cause damage to a bike or void warranty. Guys like me who weight over 170 lbs often have the forks done on every bike that we own. Especially on the FZ forks, where a yamaha tech obviously just opened the forks, tossed in a spring and then pissed down the fork tube, put the cap on and threw them on ea bike before shipping them out. Fork upgrades are the first mod that every bike owner should do. Get the suspension set up for your weight and riding style. It will be a whole new bike when you do. DO the rear shock too and you will laugh the first time you go over a bump, and really laugh in the twisties when you are passing 150hp/$15,000 bikes in corners, laughing your ass off on your $7,000 bike with the tuned suspension. Yamaha MT-10 ForumYamaha Tracer 900 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 @Holderosa, well, it just so happens I have this Andreani kit on my bench... http://fz07.org/post/34229/thread but I'm somewhat inclined to re-engineer/fix it first and run it thru some tests. IMO a proper SFF solution needs 30mm pistons, however. And that would mean sourcing and/or making the oversized parts. I was planning on making my own 20mm (or bigger) pistons anyway so perhaps I can just make one that has as much flow as is physically possible for the Compression leg and the trade-offs are what they are. I haven't pursued a SFF aggressively because I wasn't sure of the demand and I wanted to see what I was up against (nee Andreani and Matris). I've thought about a hybrid concept where rebound (and spring) goes on one leg (running 20mm piston) and the other side runs an open 36mm piston much like the BigPiston Fork guys use. It would be cheaper for me to do (re-use readily available parts) but running double-rate spring (Sonic custom wind: $130) is a drawback. But is otherwise straightforward and all adjustments are on top. My ultimate idea is running unshrouded 36+mm pistons in both legs with traditional springs but there are 2 problems that come up; 1) if the spring goes in the bottom they are either OD=41mm and short (custom wind and will likely coil-bind much too soon) or standard springs that will require centering rods to keep it from deflecting, and the tube must have the guts out which means there is no way to control top-out. This latter isn't a big deal on street riding but I still prefer to have it. But everything else (preload, needle adjusters) works normally. 2) If the springs goes in the top (like normal) then the necessarily beefed up piston rod is mounted to the bottom. This keeps the mods to a minimum (no gutting), top-out is preserved, and preload works as normal but the needles are only accessible from the bottom (ie. pull the axle) which would go over like a lead balloon. Otherwise I'd have to figure out how to make a collapsing needle rod. The best I've come up with so far is a removable plug that allows a long, thin screw driver to be inserted and turn the adjuster deep inside the fork (good luck hitting it) but is obviously incompatible with any bike using handlebars. The other is an adaptation of what industrial metal mills use for for quick-change tooling. Dirt bike forks are also upside down like this but the axle is offset so it's not in the way. And on sportbikes, they have external adjusters machined into the fork lowers. So I keep coming back to doing my own 30mm kit (I'd have to charge more) or doing the hybrid. If my livelihood was suspension, I think I'd favor the 30mm offering. But in the mean time I expect most people will just stick with the tried and true 4-valve setup I provide today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 This is my design for a max-flow compression valve. It's what I would use in any Single-Function fork (nee Andreani/Matris) for 20mm size. At 30mm I'd use a more traditional port size. I can source them for $50 a pair. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holderosa Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Cruzin, you read my mind - I'd like nothing more than to LMAO as I pass by yet another Gixxer while he's grabbin gears and throttle, trying to figure out what's going on. I was asking about the SFF cartidges because I had come across the Andreani forks (at 450 Euros or so) and now realize at 195 lbs, I'm gonna need good shocks set up properly. As for Pattonme, I think I may have pretended to know more than I do, because that was some scientific journal type shet! I'm a design drafter by day, so the render is very cool, but I'm no good with fluid dynamics - the eyes glaze over a bit and I struggle to keep up. I actually draw playgrounds, so pipe and tube are no strangers to me, but compression and rebound rates, stack overflows, etc., I honestly have no clue. I too believe in "tried and true", A.K.A. "it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it" mentality; we know it works, and those with the mod seem to be pretty damn happy with the service you provide - I'm guessing orders spike in the winters, naturally! Now, off to Google pretty much everything pattonme said and learn! Thanks for the support and feedback gang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member merc16 Posted July 10, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted July 10, 2015 Noob question, when removing the fork legs should I put a mark on the leg and triple tree for orientation when I reinstall them ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 nope, @merc16 there is no directionality to the tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member merc16 Posted July 12, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted July 12, 2015 I plan on sennding you mine as a winter project. If I can wait that long. I have a Penske shock installed that I bought from hypnotic.I am looking forward to getting the front set up done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vertigo Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I'm in Canada and I am interested in having this done over the winter. Mainly to get it set up for my weight and to eliminate the awful dive on braking. I have no idea what the optional things do though... Is there something I should read to get up to speed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 I have no idea what the optional things do though... Is there something I should read to get up to speed? I think replacement springs is self-explanatory. Are you referring to the hi-flow pistons? They are my take on after-market pistons that outfits like Traxxion and Racetech sell in their upgrade kits. They have super-slick sliding bushings (better than the customary Teflon) and have higher shoulders for matching orifice flows to entrance/exit area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 Posted pictures of my high-flow pistons posted with a sample of Showa and Racetech and Traxxion Dynamics pistons. See Page 1 of thread. You can't buy Traxxion's pistons without getting their AK-20 kit. Racetech will sell you a valve and shim kit for $125 for either Comp or Rebound. So a full set is thus $250. My price is $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisaurusrex Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I couldn't find a How To for removing the fork guts to send them to you. How difficult is this process? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howlinhoss Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 I couldn't find a How To for removing the fork guts to send them to you. How difficult is this process?It is as simple as removing your forks and sending them to Pattonme! Make sure you get a front triple tree stand or find some way to keep the front of your bike suspended while you remove your front wheel/front fender/forks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 updated the pricing sheet (http://fz07.org/post/25268) to reflect hi-flow pistons are a $60 option, vs RaceTech which charges $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 21, 2015 Author Share Posted July 21, 2015 I couldn't find a How To for removing the fork guts to send them to you. How difficult is this process?I assume you're trying to save some shipping weight and perhaps box size? The springs and damper rods don't weight that much (4 pounds?) out of 22 or so. You might find some savings by using a shorter box, in which case just take the fork caps off (loosen while on the bike) and dump the oil and springs out and re-cap. If you need different springs, you can of course just keep the originals to yourself. But if you've already upgraded, please send them along so I can ship the forks back ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Lowered price on bushings to reflect dealer pricing, and fixed typo on hi-flow pistons down to $50 for a set of 4. Those piston prices are only for with purchase of the retrofit kit because I'm making nothing on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travisaurusrex Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I assume you're trying to save some shipping weight and perhaps box size? The springs and damper rods don't weight that much (4 pounds?) out of 22 or so. You might find some savings by using a shorter box, in which case just take the fork caps off (loosen while on the bike) and dump the oil and springs out and re-cap. If you need different springs, you can of course just keep the originals to yourself. But if you've already upgraded, please send them along so I can ship the forks back ready to go. Actually, I wasn't being cheap - just plain ignorant. I assumed that you wouldn't want the whole forks. This is my first bike and I'm not sure how I would remove the forks. If I decide to go this route, I'll try to find more information on how to do so. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattonme Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 No worries, we all start somewhere. I need the whole fork minus the guts if you feel like going to that level of bother. Pretty much everyone lets me deal with that headache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator sorkyah Posted July 23, 2015 Global Moderator Share Posted July 23, 2015 Early to mid september... i think, depends on funds, but i definitely need this done. Feels as though im getting close to bottoming out on the front end during braking. ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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