Fork Swap

[Anonymous]

I have a 77 GS550 that had a Vetter fairing on it when I bought it. Through the years, it appears that the enclosure offered by the fairing kept the fork tubes from drying properly & resulted in some rust and pitting on the upper to mid section of the forks. I would like to replace them for this reason. Are there any other models and years that are a direct bolt on swap to the 550?

[Hap Call]

Re: Fork Swap

I have a 77 GS550 that had a Vetter fairing on it when I bought it. Through the years, it appears that the enclosure offered by the fairing kept the fork tubes from drying properly & resulted in some rust and pitting on the upper to mid section of the forks. I would like to replace them for this reason. Are there any other models and years that are a direct bolt on swap to the 550?

Another possiblity is to change out the entire front end so that you get up-graded brakes. I have never done it but I understand that Suzuki has been kind enough to keep the triple clamp and frame neck fairly standard over the years.

Hap

[Anonymous]

Swapping out the entire front end is a thought too & I would surely appreciate the upgraded front brakes. Is there a quick way or rule of thumb to tell what will bolt up to my bike? I really just want the forks to look better because the bike itself is in pretty good shape & they detract from that. I would also appreciate any part source recommendations anyone can offer.

[Hap Call]

My guess is that is if the bearings that are used on the frame stem to support the forks are the same between two bikes, you can swap the forks. I went to a web site that has steering stem bearing listed and, here is the bad news, did not find a lot that will cross over to your bike. I would not see using a front end off a GT750 as a really positive upgrade.

http://www.pro-flo.com/proflo_suzuki_steering_stem_bearings.htm

All is not lost yet, because if we can find the fork tube diameter, we might be able to still upgrade. The overall fork length will also be important because if the forks are too short your steering may become so quick as to be unacceptable or if they are too long it may cause your steering to be too slow.

Billy Ricks, Moto Dan and several others are much better informed on this kind of modification than I am...I will try to find out what the various tube diameters are. Also, you are not limited to a Suzuki. You might find something off a Honda, Yamaha, or Kawasaki that might work.

Hap

[Billy Ricks]

Go to performance mods and check out posts by Swanny, Gerry, and myself. If your steering head uses tapered bearings then you should be able to use GSX-R front ends with the same.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll be sure to check the areas that you have pointed me to. A Gixxer front end on my 550? Now that would be sweet!

[Dink]

Be aware that the main concern is actually the length of the forks and the length of the steering stem, as any bearing place can mix'n'match bearings to adapt for differences.
Dink

[Anonymous]

Well, I've gotten prices ranging from about $60 on eBay to $150 from cycle salvage dealers for clean used units off of 550 & 750 models. That is just for the forks, not the complete front end w/brakes and all. Anyone have an opinion?

[Anonymous]

Go to performance mods and check out posts by Swanny, Gerry, and myself. If your steering head uses tapered bearings then you should be able to use GSX-R front ends with the same.

Excuse my ignorance, but is there a quick way to tell if these will be compatible? How can I tell what type of bearings I have - do I have to tear the front end apart?

[Billy Ricks]

If you pull the top clamp you can see if you have tapered bearings. Maybe someone else knows for sure. If you measure the length of the steering head I can tell you if that spec is compatible.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE:

I found a really nice looking set of forks off of a 79 Honda CB650 on eBay, does anyone know off-hand if anything from Honda will cross fit the Suzuki?