2007 R1 Front and Rear end........

[axiom-r]

Well it's been a long time since I updated this thread on the progress of my mods..... I honestly thought I would be riding to the WCR last weekend but as can be expected, things come up!

There are many issues to deal with when applying 2007 R1 suspension to a FJ1200 but some of these I just did not anticipate... without this guy in my corner I would have been screwed!  "Buzz" has turned out several spacers and other fitment parts and has also completed the snips, cuts and drilling as needed. Without his help, I would be running stock- so I am very grateful to have access to this guy!  


One of the toughest challenges was determining how to get the chain alignment done.  The R1 parts arrange the chain quite close to the swingarm and the tire in stock form so trimming the cush-drive down or even flipping the sprocket around to recess the other way was not my first choice.  I bought a 1/4" offset sprocket and intended to use it as a "first try" and see where it left me- turns out 1/4" offset is very close to the total offset needed.  The process was complicated slightly when the PBI offset sprocket was not as thick as the stock FJ unit at the mounting splines.  I asked Buzz to make me a spacer of about .238mm to ride behind the sprocket.  What you see below is the final set up. I will ride the bike for a few hundred miles and then check to see how the sprocket is wearing- if it appears to wear on one side I know I need to either take another stab at an offset or grind down the CS sprocket slightly on the appropriate side.... That said, the wheel turns free and the chain does not hang up or make excessive noise!




You can see the chain is quite close to the frame rail and the tire.... but that is an R1 6" wheel on an FJ!!!

I celebrated for a moment and then realized the sprocket cover was not going to go on....

I soon after discovered why Randy at RPM is such a coveted asset to the FJ community.  He informed me that the XJR's had a cover that accommodated 8mm more space around the sprocket and (count me as lucky) he had not only a new cover but the entire kit to mount it up including the longer clutch push rod and the 8mm longer shifting shaft:


Of course the XRJ cover is not a direct fit- as Pat had pointed out. It must be shaved down at the upper right corner to easily go on and off the motor whilst in the frame.... hence the grinder came out and i did some trimming. I may cut off the lower left corner lobe too if I have any trouble mounting it. On the up side it fit easily over my offset sprocket allowing me to keep a mostly stock appearance and still achieve the offset for the big rim!


I had made some great progress with the swingarm and suspension linkage and had gotten to the point where I was (I thought anyway) ready to order a shock.  I collected all the data and measurements I needed so that I could be sure I was getting the right shock - they are expensive and I did not want to have to buy two or modify a brand new one because of a bad measurement etc... Well here is the catch.

Apparently there are narrow body shocks and standard shocks.  Narrow bodied units are 45mm in diameter on the housing body and standard shocks are 55mm in diameter.  The stock R1 unit is a narrow body shock and has a spring of only 531lbs/in.  You can easily mount a 1000lb or heavier spring on it but the springs get wider as they get heavier... I did not anticipate this!  Penske's are typically the 55mm body and with a properly weighted spring for the FJ that shock will not go through the cavity in the R1 swingarm......it was designed for a smaller unit.  I thought for awhile that I was going to have to cut the swinger or give up.....

Traxxion Dynamics is freaking awesome but even they did not know that Penske makes many of the same motorcycle shocks (8987 unit) in the narrow body for Indy and other cars....!!!!!  I was saved!!!

I am ordering the narrow body 8987 triple adjustable shock with an 1100 lbs/in spring and special bushings for the top mount.  The coolest thing about the process though was the customer service. Since the unit is custom Penske shipped me the uncharged shock with no spring so that I could test fit it before final build.  The shock is 11" long with a ride height adjust of .5" so I can adjust it between 11" and 11.5".  This range is perfect for the linkage.  They also told me that since the R1 shock mounts nearly vertical on the R1 and on the FJ it is leaning forward 10-15 degrees I should bump up the rate to a address that.  Even better- they will send the shock to me with a few springs between 1000 and 1200 lbs/in so that I can determine which is best and return the others!!!  


Here is the special bushing: the mount is 40mm wide n the frame so the center line of the shock is 12.5mm from the left (chain side) of the bike and 27.5mm from the right side.  This places the shock properly in that 40mm gap to align with the triangle linkage on the R1 swingarm....  I get tingles looking at it!  


The only downside to the narrow body shock so far is that they cannot do a horizontally mounted reservoir.  The vertical mounted unit (as shown) wil not work as the swingarm will contact it on full compression. So the unit will have to be the remote res style which I don't like as much but it does save a few hundred on the cost.  Traxxion Dynamics does make a "clip" that allows remote res attachment to the shock so I'm hopeful that the clip will work on a narrow 45mm body- we shall see...

So that's the update.  I still have to figure out the steering stops, longer throttle cable, all new brake and clutch lines, some wiring at the bars, a digital speedo and.... I am sure a few other hurdles......  But I can definitely see light at the end of the tunnel!

Thanks to all that have assisted me!!

Cheers- tim

[craigo]

Tim,

That is another work of art.  Really, I always have appreciated machined metal as art.  That front end is really nice.  Can't wait to hear how she rides.  But I think I already know. 

CraigO

[Harvy]

Tim.....magnificent job mate!

I wish you luck on your hunt for a digital speedo.

I wanted to replace just the speedo in the OEM gauge cluster and hunted for 5 or 6 months to find something that would work - to no avail.

I eventually bit the bullet and went with an Acwell digital dash alla Frank Moore.

Just as an aside, I found a company that could sell me a digital to analogue converter so that I could retain the OEM speedo. The down side - over US$350.

Harvy

[axiom-r]

Tim,

That is another work of art.  Really, I always have appreciated machined metal as art.  That front end is really nice.  Can't wait to hear how she rides.  But I think I already know. 

CraigO

Thanks CraigO! I too am curious to see how it rides! With the swingarm in final position, gearing selected (18/39) and chain cut- the new wheelbase is 2.5" long from stock.  Of course the first thought is for increased stability, then next for reduced turn in agility...  No telling how this little experiment is going to turn out until it is ridden!

Keep your fingers crossed for me I am pretty well out on the limb!

tim

[axiom-r]

Tim.....magnificent job mate!

I wish you luck on your hunt for a digital speedo.

I wanted to replace just the speedo in the OEM gauge cluster and hunted for 5 or 6 months to find something that would work - to no avail.

I eventually bit the bullet and went with an Acwell digital dash alla Frank Moore.

Just as an aside, I found a company that could sell me a digital to analogue converter so that I could retain the OEM speedo. The down side - over US$350.

Harvy

Thanks very much Harvey!

I have been rereading the threads where the Acewell is discussed and or shown- I am not sure what I am going to do yet.  I think you might be talking about the Cable X box.  I spoke to them at one point and seriously thought about it.  They need a cable to copy and they can integrate the right connectors for the FJ and calibrate it too. My issue beyond price is that the box is 6x4x2 and then a cable protrusion. I could perhaps fit this in the tail where my ABS brain used to be...  but it would be tough to get that box into the nose of the bike.  Upside, your stock speedo works as does your odometer....  I may make a dummy box and look at the options.  I also thought about just getting a very small digital speedo and stick it to the gauge face and call it a day.

I may come around pestering you for more info when I get to that point-

Cheers!

tim

[Harvy]

Yes Tim....that Cable X was the one I was looking at too.
I couldn't justify the expense.......especially as the Acwell was in the region of Aus$240 and gives more functionality than the OEM dash (dual trip meters, over rev light, time in the saddle etc).

The only other option was a 3.5" speedo only gauge, but none that I could find was shallow enough to actually replace the OEM speedo inside the cluster - they were all too deep (strange really - when you consider its just PCB with no mechanical parts).

Harvy

[racerman_27410]

looking good......



KOokaloo!

[axiom-r]

looking good......



KOokaloo!

Thanks Frank!  I am giving it my all!  

I realized that I had not show the progress made on my triple clamps and bars. Here are a couple of shots of my set up.  I wanted a black top clamp and one pre-cast with the holes for rubber mounting the bar holders etc.  I had the original R1 clamp on there but I was not happy with the thin material especially if I was going to have to drill holes for the bar clamps and not have rubber dampers etc.  

I was looking for a solution about the time the new FZ8 came out....  I ordered these 2011 parts and was told they would have to come direct from Japan as no dealers had parts stock for the FZ8 yet. Unfortunately the earthquake and tsunami came and I had to wait it out for these parts to arrive....

I am really happy with these as they look as if they were made for the FJ and one of my goals in this conversion is to try to make the bike look OEM. I picked up the clamp, the bar holders and rubber bits and the bars- all 2011 FZ8.  What do you guys think?




This set moved the key back to center- only minor hassles getting the ignition mounted up and allows the steering lock to work as is....  You can see the Cycle One Off fork extenders below the triple clamp.  These added 2" to put the total fork length back to stock and they have some room below the clamp so if needed I can reduce the total length a bit by dropping the clamps down the forks...

Best part- this cost about half of the cost of an Gen II FZ1 set which was the other suggested path...  

tim

[carsick]

WOW.

[axiom-r]

Out of the garage for the first time in about 8 months.....  She is back on her feet!!!  Hoping its a rider in the next few weeks.  Few more challenges to go....
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And off to get some custom brake lines made up!
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[Arnie]

Very nice. 

Mind telling us the cost of the new triple and bar mounts and fork extenders?

Cheers,
Arnie

[racerman_27410]

how does the rear suspension feel when doing the push test ?  is it real easy to push down? hard to push down?


that rear end looks really good!


KOokaloo!

[axiom-r]

Very nice. 

Mind telling us the cost of the new triple and bar mounts and fork extenders?

Cheers,
Arnie

Hi Arnie- the Cycle One Off extenders were $141 to my door.  I am happy with them.  I used a bit of gaff tape on the fork tops before twisting the extenders over them- this was minor protection for the fork but was just the right thickness to make them sit very snug on the forks.  The FZ8 triple clamp, bars, holders and hardware was about $280 all in.  I thought it was a great deal because I was looking at the Gen II FZ1 triple in silver and that was going to be in the $480 range.  So I got black parts (which I wanted) and "saved" some money too!

how does the rear suspension feel when doing the push test ?  is it real easy to push down? hard to push down?


that rear end looks really good!


KOokaloo!

Frank the new Penske shock is done but not yet in my hands....the 531lb rate stock R1 shock is on there so I could move the bike and get the brake lines made up...  It is soft to say the least. It sags about 3 inches when on its wheels.  The Penske is being delivered with an 1100lb spring and I can exchange it until we find the right rate.  Hopefully 1100 is close.

Gotta admit I was pretty giggly today looking at it in the light of day...  Also realizing that I got super lucky on this project in several ways.  Although there are some sacrifices being made too- I still need a speedo solution and have been thinking about mounting the Cable X box where my ABS computer used to live in the tail.  Also, as you can see in the shots the center stand is not too happy.  I have talked myself into the idea that with John Cain's stand extender I won't miss it too much.  I will carry it with me when touring in the luggage and be able to "pin it on" when I stop....  It is possible that it can be modified to work but I am not putting that job on my list of things to do until I ride the bike for awhile..

Cheers!   

tim

[Harvy]

Cable X-box.....

Cheers!   

tim

Tim, if you go this route, please keep us informed. I was toying with that idea myself. I broke out the tape measure just now....... the standard speedo cable is too short to reach to the tail section. My idea was to put it where the air-box used to be, and not have to go to the expense of a purpose made speedo cable. The X-box from memory is around US$250-260?........ I ended up going with Franks method with the Acewell digital dashboard for a few dollars cheaper.

Bike is looking super mate.

Cheers
Harvy.

[axiom-r]

I am still thinking about the Acewell too Harvy.  I did speak to the Cable X guys and was told that I could send in my original speedo cable so that they could match or transfer over the connectors on a new cable of up to 10ft.  This is an aftermarket component for cars so I think a longer speedo cable is fair game to ask for.  They also indicated that if needed they could calibrate the unit to my speedo which I think would be a good idea. If I go that route I will send them my speedo and cable and a desired length for the new cable....   The Acewell though..... 



One thing at a time- I am going to focus on suspension and brakes for now!

tim