RC51 Front End Swap
#1
RC51 Front End Swap
Model year installed on 2002 VTR1000f
Fork legs SP-2 RC51
Lower triple clamp CBR954rr
Upper triple clamp CBR954rr
Superbike drag bar & risers (Thanks to Superbling's inspiration)
Steering stem bearings CBR954rr
Brake calipers SP-2 RC51
Brake rotors SP-1 RC51
Braided steel brake lines
Brake master cylinder stock for now
Front wheel SP-2 RC51 5 spokes
Front fender CBR954rr - red matches close enough
Installers Narrative
Steering stops from the CBR954rr lower triple have to be trimmed and if done right you can get steering locked.
Drilled the top triple to add Superbike bars on a drill press and came out nice...
The gull winged top top triple allow clipons above the triple, but I went with Superbars for now and have 2 lines showing on fork tubes above the triple and MCs both fit but tight.
Radiators needed to be repositioned to allow space for beefyer forks...installed 7mm spacers on front brackets to push rads out from frame and turned top conecting rad hose till it gave room for lower triple. You will get some hose pinch, but nothing that would cause problems even at steering lock...
I repositioned the horn on the steering stem and used the 954 horn cuz it's louder and sounds like a VW bus
1st impressions:
WOW
This is not the same bike! It wants to go fast all the time and the bumpy curves on my regular commute don't have bumps anymore There's so much more braking power I'll use 1 finger from now on and the forks have more adjustment (compression, Rebound, pre-load) then I'll ever need
Fork legs SP-2 RC51
Lower triple clamp CBR954rr
Upper triple clamp CBR954rr
Superbike drag bar & risers (Thanks to Superbling's inspiration)
Steering stem bearings CBR954rr
Brake calipers SP-2 RC51
Brake rotors SP-1 RC51
Braided steel brake lines
Brake master cylinder stock for now
Front wheel SP-2 RC51 5 spokes
Front fender CBR954rr - red matches close enough
Installers Narrative
Steering stops from the CBR954rr lower triple have to be trimmed and if done right you can get steering locked.
Drilled the top triple to add Superbike bars on a drill press and came out nice...
The gull winged top top triple allow clipons above the triple, but I went with Superbars for now and have 2 lines showing on fork tubes above the triple and MCs both fit but tight.
Radiators needed to be repositioned to allow space for beefyer forks...installed 7mm spacers on front brackets to push rads out from frame and turned top conecting rad hose till it gave room for lower triple. You will get some hose pinch, but nothing that would cause problems even at steering lock...
I repositioned the horn on the steering stem and used the 954 horn cuz it's louder and sounds like a VW bus
1st impressions:
WOW
This is not the same bike! It wants to go fast all the time and the bumpy curves on my regular commute don't have bumps anymore There's so much more braking power I'll use 1 finger from now on and the forks have more adjustment (compression, Rebound, pre-load) then I'll ever need
Last edited by FL02SupaHawk996; 05-20-2008 at 06:01 PM. Reason: more pics & forgot rads
#2
This confirms my belief that there is enough room on the top of the gull wing triple to mount the TAG handlebar clamps, which really simplifies the bar mounting problem using that top triple. It won't satisfy the fussy guys who insist on using clip-ons, however. I'm not too sure about the drag bars, though. Is there any bend at all to that bar?
Now I see you have added another picture and there is a slight bend to the bar. I cut my superbike bend bar to the width of the stock clip-ons.
Now I see you have added another picture and there is a slight bend to the bar. I cut my superbike bend bar to the width of the stock clip-ons.
Last edited by killer5280; 05-20-2008 at 11:29 AM.
#3
This confirms my belief that there is enough room on the top of the gull wing triple to mount the TAG handlebar clamps, which really simplifies the bar mounting problem using that top triple. I'm not too sure about the drag bars, though. Is there any bend at all to that bar?
#6
Zerocool, easy there big guy
1st off you should consider why you currently have a steering damper and why you may not need it with superbike bars...
2nd depending on which fork tubes you are using and how you setup your rear shock there should be lots of extra fork tube to run up above the 954rr gull wing top triple...
The RC51 tubes are plenty long enough to run 954rr clip-on Heli bars above the triple cuz I've done it
Good luck bro!
RC
1st off you should consider why you currently have a steering damper and why you may not need it with superbike bars...
2nd depending on which fork tubes you are using and how you setup your rear shock there should be lots of extra fork tube to run up above the 954rr gull wing top triple...
The RC51 tubes are plenty long enough to run 954rr clip-on Heli bars above the triple cuz I've done it
Good luck bro!
RC
Last edited by FL02SupaHawk996; 08-15-2008 at 06:25 AM. Reason: corrections
#8
#9
i dont quite get the wheelbarrow analogy. they dont go fast enough to be an example of headshake. but i understand the leverage and angle of attack will be different. i have however experienced headshake on mx bikes. just checkin out my options and learning what i want to know. now that you mention it I hardly see any fighters with a stabilizer.
#13
#19
Model year installed on 2002 VTR1000f
Fork legs SP-2 RC51
Lower triple clamp CBR954rr
Upper triple clamp CBR954rr
Superbike drag bar & risers (Thanks to Superbling's inspiration)
Steering stem bearings CBR954rr
Brake calipers SP-2 RC51
Brake rotors SP-1 RC51
Braided steel brake lines
Brake master cylinder stock for now
Front wheel SP-2 RC51 5 spokes
Front fender CBR954rr - red matches close enough
Installers Narrative
Steering stops from the CBR954rr lower triple have to be trimmed and if done right you can get steering locked.
Drilled the top triple to add Superbike bars on a drill press and came out nice...
The gull winged top top triple allow clipons above the triple, but I went with Superbars for now and have 2 lines showing on fork tubes above the triple and MCs both fit but tight.
Radiators needed to be repositioned to allow space for beefyer forks...installed 7mm spacers on front brackets to push rads out from frame and turned top conecting rad hose till it gave room for lower triple. You will get some hose pinch, but nothing that would cause problems even at steering lock...
I repositioned the horn on the steering stem and used the 954 horn cuz it's louder and sounds like a VW bus
1st impressions:
WOW
This is not the same bike! It wants to go fast all the time and the bumpy curves on my regular commute don't have bumps anymore There's so much more braking power I'll use 1 finger from now on and the forks have more adjustment (compression, Rebound, pre-load) then I'll ever need
Fork legs SP-2 RC51
Lower triple clamp CBR954rr
Upper triple clamp CBR954rr
Superbike drag bar & risers (Thanks to Superbling's inspiration)
Steering stem bearings CBR954rr
Brake calipers SP-2 RC51
Brake rotors SP-1 RC51
Braided steel brake lines
Brake master cylinder stock for now
Front wheel SP-2 RC51 5 spokes
Front fender CBR954rr - red matches close enough
Installers Narrative
Steering stops from the CBR954rr lower triple have to be trimmed and if done right you can get steering locked.
Drilled the top triple to add Superbike bars on a drill press and came out nice...
The gull winged top top triple allow clipons above the triple, but I went with Superbars for now and have 2 lines showing on fork tubes above the triple and MCs both fit but tight.
Radiators needed to be repositioned to allow space for beefyer forks...installed 7mm spacers on front brackets to push rads out from frame and turned top conecting rad hose till it gave room for lower triple. You will get some hose pinch, but nothing that would cause problems even at steering lock...
I repositioned the horn on the steering stem and used the 954 horn cuz it's louder and sounds like a VW bus
1st impressions:
WOW
This is not the same bike! It wants to go fast all the time and the bumpy curves on my regular commute don't have bumps anymore There's so much more braking power I'll use 1 finger from now on and the forks have more adjustment (compression, Rebound, pre-load) then I'll ever need
#21
#23
It's getting very close! I'm waiting on a part to come in from the UK then I should be able to fire it up later this month
#26
Hey FL02, what do you think you spent on the new forks (did you get it in peices?) and where did you get it?
I did a similar swap on one of my bikes & it wound up being $7-800ish. (cbr1000rr). But I spent all winter gathering.
I did a similar swap on one of my bikes & it wound up being $7-800ish. (cbr1000rr). But I spent all winter gathering.
#27
I sold him the forks (had bought them with an eye to using them but eventually decided to go the CBR900RR route as it allowed me to retain the PVM magnesium front wheel I already owned and had mounted on the bike)....
#28
I did a quick recall and the parts came to around $875.00 total. Bought most of the RC stuff off Speedzilla Forum and like Mickey said he started the ball rolling by selling me the fork legs and calipers
#29
So from what i understand, theres a bracket for the calipers on the rc51 forks and the reason is the big 320 rotors? Also, any (f4i,954,1000nonradial900) calipers would fit that bracket and also the 320 discs? Im thinking of doing the rc51 fork swap and use the 954 triples bcz of the gullwing shape. So what wheel options do i have other than the rc51? Sorry for all the questions, i just wanna get answers without the endless replies to the thread
#30
I think for my daily streetfighter I will go with the gsxr forks due to their being plentiful and much cheaper. I think it can be done for nearly half the price.
Not that my superbike hawk with the cbr1000 forks doesnt handle sweet.
Not that my superbike hawk with the cbr1000 forks doesnt handle sweet.