fork swap on a 1979 gs750L

[Guest]

I'm looking to go to an E setup - straight fork instead of the leading axle. Will forks and trees do the trick< and what years and or models am I looking for? Obviously, I'm looking for neutral handling, and I assume that with the longer L fork they have slackened the angle in the trees instead of the head. Please enlighten me as to where I might be right or wrong.

[crapwacker]

Does anyone have any info on this??

[Steve]

I have not compared the length of L forks, but are you sure that the distance from the axle to the steering head is actually longer?

Yeah, the tubes are longer, but they extend below the axle.

I think the bigger problem would be the offset of the leading axle on the L. Not sure if that is compensated in the head angle or the triple clamps.
By moving the axle back, under the forks, you will be increasing trail. This will make the bike incredibly stable, but will also make it harder to turn around corners.

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[SqDancerLynn1]

Actually You would be shortening the wheelbase, I think it will make the bike turn quicker. It really shouldn't be a problem as long as the ride height stays about the same. Just look at what all the chopper guys do. I would change it as a complete set Forks & trees

[Steve]

It may have a shorter wheelbase, allowing it to turn "quicker", but it will also have more trail. That is, the tire's contact patch will be farther behind the steering center that is defined by the axis of the steering head. With the increased trail, it will have a stronger self-centering force, requiring more effort to turn the bars. Once you get them turned, yes, the bike might pivot a bit quicker, but I'm not sure how noticeable that difference would be.

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[Jackrp]

I'm looking to go to an E setup - straight fork instead of the leading axle. Will forks and trees do the trick< and what years and or models am I looking for? Obviously, I'm looking for neutral handling, and I assume that with the longer L fork they have slackened the angle in the trees instead of the head. Please enlighten me as to where I might be right or wrong.

One thing you have to keep in mind on this swap is, The brake caliper carrier, (this is the part that actualy bolts to the damper and that the caliper actualy bolts to is different) I have a 78 GS 1000E that when I bought it it had an L model front end set up, and I went back to stock axel on the bottom front end and learned about this and only the left side carrier is still available at Bike bandit and such as the right side is a discontinued part, And for some reason the majority of the brake assemblies available on ebay are for the L models (leading edge axel) So:L model brakes won't bolt right on to standard (axel on bottom)dampers, calipers will work, carriers are different and kinda hard to come by.But not impossible.

[Hammered]

Really the only thing to worry about with this change up is the trial. Im doing the same swap with my 82 L with a set of 80 T fork legs. You only change the wheel base by about 3/4" as long as youre not changing front wheel dia. And the Trail will stay within 2" to 4" amounts so you wont notice any measurable change in the steering response. From top of the upper tubes to the center axle is within a 1/2" and that could be from the worn springs on the set I removed and the new Progressive springs I replaced in the T legs. As long as both sets are the same Dia. (35mm in my case and I think yours) then you can just keep your trees and swap fork legs. If Im not mistaken, I think the rebuilt set from my 650 has the same upper tube dia. but Im unsure of the length.