1982 GS750EZ forks on a 1980 750E?

[Guest]

Does anyone know if the forks from a 1982 GS750EZ are a direct bolt on to a 1980 GS750E(16 valve)?

I'd like to switch over to the non-leading axle fork to increase trail for a more on center feel and a little more weight on the front tire. Of course I would do a set of anti-dive eliminators and likely some springs and RaceTech emulators. I like the black finish on those forks too.

[Griffin]

I did it once. No problem, but you'll have to find an '82 fender.

The '80-'81 fender mount points are angled for leading axle forks. If you put it on the center axle forks, it will be closer to the tire at the front and further from it at the rear.

[Steve]

I'd like to switch over to the non-leading axle fork to increase trail for a more on center feel and a little more weight on the front tire.

That's a switch. Although a good weight distribution is always desired, most guys want to REDUCE the "on-center feel" to be able to steer the bike easier. With more trail, I would think that it would be rather heavy in the turns, requiring constant pressure on the bars to maintain the turn.

I like the black finish on those forks too.

I like a black finish on forks, too, so I used some VHT Epoxy paint on them.
You can click on the link for my 850 in my sig to see the results.

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[moto657]

I did it once. No problem, but you'll have to find an '82 fender.

The '80-'81 fender mount points are angled for leading axle forks. If you put it on the center axle forks, it will be closer to the tire at the front and further from it at the rear.

Thanks for the quick feedback. Glad to hear it works!

I hadn't thought about the fender, but that makes sense. Wonder if the fender bracket could be modified to work? I like the looks of 80-81 fender better.

[Steve]

You might be able to elongate the rear hole to allow it to pivot on the front bolt enough to clear the tire.

Might have to elongate the front bolt in the other direction, too. You will have to mock it up to find out.

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[moto657]

You might be able to elongate the rear hole to allow it to pivot on the front bolt enough to clear the tire.

Might have to elongate the front bolt in the other direction, too. You will have to mock it up to find out.

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Yeah, the holes in my fender mount are already opened up to drop the fender down to clear a Tarrozzi fork brace.

I already found a complete set of '82 E forks on eBay and bought them. Plus a set of Anti-dive block offs from Fast From the Past are their way too. I'll post up how the fit up goes.

And here's a pic of my bike cause posts without pics are no fun. 1980 750E. ~28,000mi. I bought this bike in 1993 for $300. I was 18 and it was my first street bike. It had been changing hands between friends of my Dad for years before I got it. My first memory of the bike was when our neighbor bought it in 1980 with a few hundred miles on it.
DSC_0125_3.jpg

[Rob S.]

That's a looker! Chrome pipes and pods don't hurt, neither.

[moto657]

That's a looker! Chrome pipes and pods don't hurt, neither.

Thanks! She's a little rough around the edges, but who isn't at near 40 years old.

[salty_monk]

Your new forks will also accommodate the twinpot brake upgrade to go along with your suspension upgrade...

I can never remember which way it goes with trail! Note that the angle of the triple trees is different between leading axle & axle under (they basically come out somewhere about the same on trail from memory) so you could potentially be making quite a big change.

From memory the way to get the least trail with the GS is to use the leading axle fork with the axle under triples.

[moto657]

Your new forks will also accommodate the twinpot brake upgrade to go along with your suspension upgrade...

I can never remember which way it goes with trail! Note that the angle of the triple trees is different between leading axle & axle under (they basically come out somewhere about the same on trail from memory) so you could potentially be making quite a big change.

From memory the way to get the least trail with the GS is to use the leading axle fork with the axle under triples.

I have considered the brake upgrade. I've rebuild the master cylinder and both calipers in the semi-recent past and find the brakes to be reasonable.

I was wondering if the offset of the triple clamps was different on the '82 vs '80 750Es. Do you have any specs? I want the axle centered fork to get a little more trail for a better on center feel. Also to bring the front wheel in to put more weight on the front and to make the bike not have such a long feel.

I'm going to do some research tonight to see if I can find those specs, and at the very least to look at wheelbase between.'80 and '82 750E. I didn't research this to death, like usual, before buying the forks yesterday. If it doesn't work I'll just put em back on eBay.

Looks like we are neighbors.

[Steve]

I don't know what the specs are for the 750s, but the triples on the L models also have to accommodate a leading axle.

Most of my experience is with the shafties. For example, the wheelbase is virtually the same between an 850G and an 850GL. Might be about a tenth of an inch different, but that does not matter much. The rake and trail are also the same between the G and GL. The difference is that the L triples have less offset between the steering stem and the fork tubes. That pulls the tubes back, closer to the back of the bike. The leading axle puts the wheel right where it would have been with the other triples and straight forks. With the fork tubes pulled back, it was necessary to make the tank smaller (which helped achieve the "look" they were going for) and it also allowed the fork tubes to extend a bit below the axle, again furthering that chopper-esque "look" of extended forks.

I am guessing that this same arrangement was probably used on the different year 750s that you are looking at, but have no experience with them, so it's only a guess.

Changing your fork tubes and not the triples will add close to an inch of trail, which is a LOT. It will also reduce your wheelbase about an inch, possibly enhancing your turning ability, but there will be considerably more effort necessary to make that quicker turn.

Be sure to save all the pieces so you can go back to stock if you don't like the result.

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[salty_monk]

I have a bikes and parts if you need to measure anything up... I have a triple somewhere for an 83-1100E, might also have one for a 1000E too (although I believe they are the same apart from the steerer stops).

One thing you shouldn't underestimate here is size & choice of tire. There is a big difference in feel between different brands on the front wheel. The most marked "different" feeling of the modern tires I've ridden is the Avon Roadrider. I personally much prefer the feel of the Shinko 712 over that (as much as I like Avon tyres...)

Some people swear by the Sport Demon as the ultimate (if short lived) tyre...

[moto657]

I have a bikes and parts if you need to measure anything up... I have a triple somewhere for an 83-1100E, might also have one for a 1000E too (although I believe they are the same apart from the steerer stops).

Salty thanks for the offer to measure up some parts. I'm going to start by fitting the forks up and seeing how it works. If it's not good I'll look into triple clamp options and may need to take some measurements. It's likely given how big of a change this will be.

Another question for everyone. Will the rear set footpegs, shifter, brake pedal etc from an '83 Gs1100 bolt up to my '80 750E? The frames of all of the 16 valve 750s and 1100s from '80--'83 look really similar. With the low bars, which have been on the bike the whole 27 years I've owned it, the stock peg location is too far forward.

[Griffin]

Salty thanks for the offer to measure up some parts. I'm going to start by fitting the forks up and seeing how it works. If it's not good I'll look into triple clamp options and may need to take some measurements. It's likely given how big of a change this will be.

Another question for everyone. Will the rear set footpegs, shifter, brake pedal etc from an '83 Gs1100 bolt up to my '80 750E? The frames of all of the 16 valve 750s and 1100s from '80--'83 look really similar. With the low bars, which have been on the bike the whole 27 years I've owned it, the stock peg location is too far forward.

Not without modification. The 1100E frames were changed significantly form '81 to '82 and slightly from '82 to '83.

[moto657]

Thanks for the info Griffin. I was hoping there was an OE parts solution I could put together with cheap eBay parts.