This project actually started the day back in August that I purchased this FJ. I contacted Dan (giantkiller) about a set of fork extensions for a set of 2008 GSX-R1000 forks. I was in no hurry, as I knew the project would not fully kick off until after the new year. Too my surprise, he delivered a set a week later at the Central FJ Rally in Wisconsin. Fast forward 8 months and the project is now under way. The old front end has been removed, the ABS system has been 90% removed, all that remains is the rear brake system. The plan is to get the new front end installed tomorrow then begin the FZ1 swing arm install.
Fred
Looks cool Fred :good: Are you thinking about keeping the ABS function on the rear wheel?
One thing I found out with a '93 I worked on, to keep the ABS working on the rear wheel I needed to keep the ABS front rim with the sensor to keep the computer happy so it ruled out a 3.5" FZR front rim.
I did disable the front ABS with a FZ-1 m/c, ss lines, and R-1 calipers. I did need the 3 wire m/c switch mod to keep the ABS trouble light happy.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on March 21, 2018, 11:10:40 PM
Looks cool Fred :good: Are you thinking about keeping the ABS function on the rear wheel?
One thing I found out with a '93 I worked on, to keep the ABS working on the rear wheel I needed to keep the ABS front rim with the sensor to keep the computer happy so it ruled out a 3.5" FZR front rim.
I did disable the front ABS with a FZ-1 m/c, ss lines, and R-1 calipers. I did need the 3 wire m/c switch mod to keep the ABS trouble light happy.
I am disabling the ABS system. In the photos that you see the yellow shock coil. The ABS pump has already been removed. The Suzuki wheels that are being installed do not have ABS hubs for a sensor to mount in. You can also see in the photo with the connectors ty wrapped together, the ABS computer has been removed
Fred
I went a different route with the steering stem with this mod. The upper triple uses a similar bushing to take up space as the first mod. The lower triple had the hole enlarged slightly and a bushing made that is a very tight press fit into the lower triple. The steering stem is then press fit into the bushing. As an added measure, I added a threaded hole in the lower triple and installed a set screw that bottoms out on the steering stem.
Fred
Fred - what year are those triple clamps? Do you know what the offset is?
Looks good!
Quote from: fj1289 on March 22, 2018, 08:12:09 AM
Fred - what year are those triple clamps? Do you know what the offset is?
Looks good!
[/quorte]
The triples are from a 2008 GSXR1000. Honestly, I don't know what the offset is.
Fred
Quote from: aviationfred on March 22, 2018, 12:01:45 AM
I went a different route with the steering stem with this mod. The upper triple uses a similar bushing to take up space as the first mod. The lower triple had the hole enlarged slightly and a bushing made that is a very tight press fit into the lower triple. The steering stem is then press fit into the bushing. As an added measure, I added a threaded hole in the lower triple and installed a set screw that bottoms out on the steering stem.
Fred
Fred,
I thought about the bushing aspect of the FJ stem in the lower triple. My concern with the R1 lower was that it is "thicker". The stem lacks about a 1/4-5/16 of an inch within the lower. I also thought about the set screw installation but, that too did not give me any confidence in the strength required.
I thought I posted a photo of the stock stem next to the modified stem I had machined, but it in not in my build thread. When I get to the shop this weekend I will snap a couple of shots of the difference. I lengthened the stock stem by welding and then a should was machined into it to replace the snap ring. There is zero percent chance the lower triple can ever slip down or off of the stem now.
The biggest thing that changed my mind about the bushing and the use of the shorter stock stem with a set screw really boiled down to the factory snap ring. The snap ring prevents the stem from coming up through, or the triple slipping down on the stem. The load of the triple is high to slip down or off of the stem due to bumps in the roadway compressing the forks. So, large, sudden jolts to that compression might cause the triple to slide down the stem.
I never gave it any thought until I saw the factory Yamaha snap ring and started really giving it a lot of thought. My concern is if the triple slip on the stem, the bike can come down onto the front tire; that would be catastrophic.
I will post up some pics in both topic this weekend.
But until then you can go over to my build thread and see the finished stem: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=17424.msg178197#msg178197 (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=17424.msg178197#msg178197)
Randy - RPM
Quote from: fj1289 on March 22, 2018, 08:12:09 AM
Fred - what year are those triple clamps? Do you know what the offset is?
Looks good!
Got it from a Suzuki site when I started my project December
Quote from: racerrad8 on March 22, 2018, 07:34:17 PM
Quote from: aviationfred on March 22, 2018, 12:01:45 AM
I went a different route with the steering stem with this mod. The upper triple uses a similar bushing to take up space as the first mod. The lower triple had the hole enlarged slightly and a bushing made that is a very tight press fit into the lower triple. The steering stem is then press fit into the bushing. As an added measure, I added a threaded hole in the lower triple and installed a set screw that bottoms out on the steering stem.
Fred
Fred,
I thought about the bushing aspect of the FJ stem in the lower triple. My concern with the R1 lower was that it is "thicker". The stem lacks about a 1/4-5/16 of an inch within the lower. I also thought about the set screw installation but, that too did not give me any confidence in the strength required.
I thought I posted a photo of the stock stem next to the modified stem I had machined, but it in not in my build thread. When I get to the shop this weekend I will snap a couple of shots of the difference. I lengthened the stock stem by welding and then a should was machined into it to replace the snap ring. There is zero percent chance the lower triple can ever slip down or off of the stem now.
The biggest thing that changed my mind about the bushing and the use of the shorter stock stem with a set screw really boiled down to the factory snap ring. The snap ring prevents the stem from coming up through, or the triple slipping down on the stem. The load of the triple is high to slip down or off of the stem due to bumps in the roadway compressing the forks. So, large, sudden jolts to that compression might cause the triple to slide down the stem.
I never gave it any thought until I saw the factory Yamaha snap ring and started really giving it a lot of thought. My concern is if the triple slip on the stem, the bike can come down onto the front tire; that would be catastrophic.
I will post up some pics in both topic this weekend.
But until then you can go over to my build thread and see the finished stem: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=17424.msg178197#msg178197 (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=17424.msg178197#msg178197)
Randy - RPM
I had the same concern. When the machinist opened the bore of the lower triple, he left a 1/8" tall band that the stem seats against, making it nearly impossible for the stem to press through the bottom of the triple. Add in the extremely tight press fit. The steering stem sat in Liquid Nitrogen for 30 minutes before it was pressed into the lower. Then I added the set screw. Also, remember the steering stem goes through the upper triple and has the acorn nut. With everything bolted together, I would think it would take a catastrophic front end hit for the steering stem to move at all.
Fred
More progress this evening. Hopefully the front end will be wrapped up tomorrow.
Fred
It may be frightfully un-British, but I've got a mod boner.
Mine has killed a deer. And I'm a little bit addicted to too much power. And have had many a time had to drop the front down hard. And haven't had any problems. Maybe if you don't have everything clamped down good it might. But that's part of why I made the extensions. With the three bolt clamps. Instead of the set screw. Maybe overkill but is pretty solid.
Here is the link for the company that I got the handle bars from. https://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home (https://www.woodcraft-cfm.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home)
I used the 50mm diameter with a 3 inch rise.
Fred
The front end is complete
Fred
Quote from: aviationfred on March 23, 2018, 09:41:28 PM
The front end is complete
Fred
Looks great! Fred. Like I said I can't do anything like that right now. All my time and money is going to this f in house. So I have to live through you and any other projects on here. Thank you very much.
I recognize that shed. Full of good stuff.
Great build.
Hey, giantkiller, if you're in need of extra cash, you could always give me that FZ750. It's a long term idea whereby you don't actually get any money up front, but you save later by not having to insure it, buy consumables, fill it with ever rising priced gas. It's been going on in the world of big business for ages. Trust me, we all win.
Andy
Don't have an Fz750 anymore. Have the wife's Vance n Hines fzr600 for sale. I have the Human race team's world endurance championship fzr750. But going to keep that.
Quote from: aviationfred on March 22, 2018, 09:48:03 PM
When the machinist opened the bore of the lower triple, he left a 1/8" tall band that the stem seats against, making it nearly impossible for the stem to press through the bottom of the triple.
Add in the extremely tight press fit. The steering stem sat in Liquid Nitrogen for 30 minutes before it was pressed into the lower.
Then I added the set screw. Also, remember the steering stem goes through the upper triple and has the acorn nut. With everything bolted together, I would think it would take a catastrophic front end hit for the steering stem to move at all.
Fred
Unfortunately the step the machinist put onto the lower triple is opposite of what Yamaha did with the snap ring. The stem pressed in from bottom at the factory. If he put a lip in the bore of the triple then you had to press the stem in from the top. If that is the case you are relying solely on the press fit and the set screw.
I understand he might have chilled the stem, but what was the PSI required to press the stem into the triple?
Dan, your wheelies and hard landings (compression) are more a concern than the deer in the chest (extension). I also understand the fork adapters are good and beefy, which I why I have a set of those as well.
But the fact still remains, the lower FJ triple is steel compared to the USD conversions being done. The newer lowers are thicker and have more surface area on the stem because they are made of the softer, malleable aluminum. The R1 lower is 1.600" thick compared to the stock FJ at 1.145" or right around a half an inch.
The stock stem, by just setting it in the R1 lower is around .400" if an inch which is not contacting the lower triple. If you added the distance from the bottom of the stem to the snap ring, that would put right around the 1/2" distance (.500").
I have attached several photos of the stock FJ stems sitting in the R1 lower I am using. You can see the distance the stock stem is missing in the bore.
There is also a couple of photos of the R1 stems, the stock FJ stem and the modified FJ stem I had completed. If notice on the bottom of the modified stem, the shoulder is on the stem just like the snap ring is located on the stock stem. The modified FJ stem will press into the bottom of the R1 lower triple from the bottom just like Yamaha designed.
One more thing, the wall thicknoess of the R1 stem is much more significant that the wall thickness of the FJ stem as you can see in the photo.
At the end of the day, it boils down to what you are comfortable putting on and riding with on your bike. Since I am building this bike from someone from all the way across the US, I am going to make sure I do not venture too far away from the original Yamaha design principle. I am only bringing this up because I do not want to see anyone get hurt doing these modifications to their FJ's.
Riding a FJ is dangerous enough without inducing other dangers when modifying.
Randy - RPM
Randy, I agree with you 100%. Making sure that it will be impossible for anything bad to happen is paramount.
The light in the shop showed the wheel stripe as not close to matching with the stripes on the bike. In the daylight, I think it is much closer. The Carbon Fiber looks amazing.
Fred
At the moment, I have no working speedometer. I have one on order. It should arrive this coming week.
This is a fuzzy photo of what I ordered.
Fred
Fred,
If you want to clean up that residual ABS wiring, it all unplugs from the stock wire harness.
Follow it far enough back and it will all pull off with a few connectors.
Quote from: FJ_Hooligan on March 25, 2018, 08:52:17 AM
Fred,
If you want to clean up that residual ABS wiring, it all unplugs from the stock wire harness.
Follow it far enough back and it will all pull off with a few connectors.
Good to know, thank you Dave. At the moment, I have been sealing the un-used connectors with Marine grade shrink tubing.
Fred