Son of SoCal Fix-Up: We just can't resist improving them, can we?

[threejagsteve]

On Saturday, I made use of my friend's drill press to drill holes in two pieces of 1/4 x 1-1/2 x 6 mild steel to make 5-mm-shorter dogbones. I also used his lathe to cut the spacers for the Progressive springs.

I'd gone to four different places, including one that sells tools only, looking for a 12-mm drill bit. I'd also checked Harbour Freight and Sears online, and I still couldn't find one. So I said to myself, "31/64 in. is only 0.012 bigger than 12 mm. Since these are bolted on and torqued to 65 ft-lbs, how much harm could 0.012 do? So I used the 31/64" bit. I also did a minimal rounding of the corners on the bench grinder.

Then I turned to the length of PVC tubing that Progressive supplied for spacer material. The list that came with the springs says that FJs need 2-1/4 in. spacers, so I cut two of those. Noting that there was enough material left to also cut two 2-1/2 in. spacers, I cut those too (you never know... heh-heh-heh).

This morning, I went to install the dogbones. Maybe I'm the first to ever do this that's still running stock pipes, but I discovered that to get the upper dogbone bolt out, you have to remove the left muffler. No big deal, but that's not all.

Here's a tip for those doing this modification without someone around to help: Before you take out the old dogbones, put a stack of old magazines under the back tire to hold it up. Then, when you are lowering the rear tire to get the holes to line up so you can bolt in your shorter dogbones, you can take the magazines out one at a time, thereby achieving the right height on the wheel to just slide in the bolts.

Once the new parts were on and the muffler back on, I noticed that the clearance between the upper corners of the new dogbones and the transverse weld on the swingarm brace was very minimal. It didn't appear to be actually touching, but I wanted to check it before I rode it. So I finished the job, got the muffler back on, got the bike off the centerstand and bounced in the seat a few times to settle the suspension. Then I put it on the sidestand and peered underneath with a flashlight.

It still looked ok, but as I was pushing it off the centerstand, I'd heard a noise. On investigation, it turned out that the bottom leading corners of the new dogbones were just long enough to interfere with the centerstand retracting to ride on its rubber bumper. So I chucked a grindstone into the cordless and rounded the dogbone corners a bit more. Once again, not a big deal; just took another 15 min. and the problem was solved.

I still couldn't be sure that the upper corners weren't rubbing on that weld, but it looked ok, I hadn't felt anything when I was bouncing on it, and I wanted to go for a ride. So I did.

And yes, 5-mm-shorter dogbones do yield about a 1-in. increase in rear ride height. My new dogbones came out just about exactly 5 mm shorter (near as I could tell eyeballing it with a metal ruler), and the measured rear tire-to-ground clearance was about 7 mm (one fat magazine), compared with about 32 mm before.

Yes, this mod works! Even though I'm still in the process of knocking 6 years of rust off my riding skills, I could immediately tell that she now turns a bit quicker, and side-to-side flickability is noticeably improved. Although at the level I was riding today I couldn't really tell it, I know that the center of gravity is a bit higher. Therefore, if I decide to go further down this path, I think I'll raise the stanchion tubes in the triple trees to lower the front (and the center of gravity) before I go any higher in the back.

But I'll leave that (and the installation of the Progressive springs) for another day.

Oh, and the possible rubbing on the swingarm weld? Well, after about a 50-mi. ride through lots of twisties and some pretty good bumps, I checked it again when I got back home. Still can't tell if any rubbing is happening or not (bad angle, for one thing) but when I have the back wheel off for the new tire, I'm gonna be sure to check it more closely.

[mickarch]

Nice write-up, the detail is appreciated.  Seems like pretty economical way to make a decent improvement, something I may need to consider.  One quick question, did you happen to notice much change in seat height?  Just concerned as I'm 5'-10" and can get the balls of both feet down at a light comfortably, though I normally only put 1 down.  Much higher and I'm wondering if I'll get tippy with both feet down...

[Arnie]

Mickarch,

Any increase in rear ride height will also increase seat height.  I'd guess that seat height increase would be about 3/4 of the ride height increase.
However, the most pressing reason to increase ride height is to make up for the lowering caused by changing to a 17" wheel and low profile radial tire.
Also, raising the fork tubes in the triple clamps will lower seat height somewhat.
Increasing rear ride height and raising fork tubes will both decrease rake and speed up steering.
You'll have to determine if this is a "good thing" or not.  Caution is advised.

Cheers,
Arnie

[ssuv93]

Um,,,, I am 5'8 with a 29 inch inseam.  I am on the balls of my feet.  Almost. 

Great job Steve.

[mickarch]

Yeah, I figured there must be some change less than the overall increase in rear wheel height, just not so good with geometry anymore.  For my old M2 I ended up buying the lower seat (-1") which helped, but the FJ seems just about right as it is.

Looks like there are lot of things to consider when raising / lowering the suspension.  That suspension 101 thread is very interesting reading.

[andyb]

If you find that you like fiddling with this sort of thing, there's a better way. 

I'm using a set of turnbuckle-type dogbones, so I can go from about +.5" to -3." in ride height in under 10 minutes.

[threejagsteve]

Nice write-up, the detail is appreciated.  Seems like pretty economical way to make a decent improvement, something I may need to consider.  One quick question, did you happen to notice much change in seat height?  Just concerned as I'm 5'-10" and can get the balls of both feet down at a light comfortably, though I normally only put 1 down.  Much higher and I'm wondering if I'll get tippy with both feet down...

Thanks, mickarch.

Yes, the seat is now slightly higher - maybe 1/2", and a little more tilted forward. I have a 34" inseam, so at a stoplight I can stand up, balance the bike between my knees, and scratch myself if I should feel the need. The increase in forward rake on the seat was actually more noticeable to me.

The next step of lowering the front will make this rake issue worse, and may be enough to cause me to investigate an aftermarket seat.

[threejagsteve]

If you find that you like fiddling with this sort of thing, there's a better way. 

I'm using a set of turnbuckle-type dogbones, so I can go from about +.5" to -3." in ride height in under 10 minutes.

I'm not too big on excessive fiddling. I tend to find a solution I like, then stick with it.

For the steel, I'd gone to an industrial metals supply place. In a way that was a bit of a mistake, because I wound up paying $10 - $4 for the steel, and $3 each for two cuts on their big cutting machine. But I figured it was worth it, 'cuz I'm sure they had high-quality steel rather than the who-knows quality you'd find at a place like Home Depot.

Still, a lot cheaper than $80 for those turnbuckle-style adjusters!

[threejagsteve]

Increasing rear ride height and raising fork tubes will both decrease rake and speed up steering.
You'll have to determine if this is a "good thing" or not.  Caution is advised.

Cheers,
Arnie

Yes, for anyone thinking about raising their fork tubes, caution is advised. If you still have stock dogbones, start with 1/2 in. Then if desired, increase in 1/4-in. increments.

If you've already shortened your dogbones, start with 1/4 in. It'd be easy to over-adjust and get excessive turn-in (oversteer).

[fjrpierre]

Could we have a pic of those old magazines centerfolds please 

[threejagsteve]

Could we have a pic of those old magazines centerfolds please  

fjrpierre,
You must learn to be careful what you ask for...

[dduchene]

This has come up several times over the years. The trail and Rake on the FJ is very conservative. My 85 is set up with the tubes slide just over 3/4 of a inch. I have a set of Gen Mar 3/4" risers and the tubes are still at the top of the of the clip ons. Add to that I have a adjustable shock that I had a new stud welded onto that was 2.5 inches long instead of 1.25 inches. This has allowed me to be able to raise the back of the bike over 3 inches. I have ran the bike so high that I could not get the last gallon of fuel out of the tank. The bike has never had any stability problems and is a lot quicker at side to side. I have put over 16k Miles on it set up this way. Have seen 135 with the bags on and the bike is still very stable. I lowered the back a little as it was just too much of a pain. I had it set up where even with the front lowered both tires where still on the ground when on the center stand. Several other guys have set there bikes up the same way. I now put a pice of 3/8s plywood under the tire and set it up that way. I have been thinking of going back to both wheels on the ground and just tossing a pice of plywood under the center stand when I want to work on it.

Denis

[threejagsteve]

Thanks to a tip from Simi_Ed, today I went out to Orme Brothers to have braided stainless front brake lines made. Not much of a mod, I know, but it ain't OEM, so...

They have the best deal around (at least that I could find after several hours of poking about on the web). Three clear-plastic-coated S/S lines with plated banjos and a dozen crush washers for the front of my '91 cost $86.34 plus tax. I just dropped off my lines and came back a hour and a half later (they were busy today).

For those not in SoCal, they sell online as well:   http://www.ormebrothers.com   I'm sure you could send 'em your old lines and they'd take measurements etc. from those.

And they also sell NOS nitrous rigs... You wanna say Kookaloo?    

I couldn't resist asking how much for a setup for an FJ... about $700, I was told.

Also picked up a few of the bits for the homemade fork seal replacement tools at Home Depot. Enough for one day... it was 110 here, after all!

[threejagsteve]

My '02 R1 gold dot complete front setup arrived today - 22 days after starting this round of wrenching that was originally only supposed to take a week to 10 days!

Of course the upgraded front brakes weren't supposed to be part of it, but I've already posted that story.

I got a bad feeling when I found that the piston on the R1 master cylinder was stuck - that was the first clue that I was gonna have to rebuild my clutch system back in May. But a good pull on the lever freed it, so I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed until tomorrow. At worst, I'll just put on my original m/c while I wait for the rebuild kit for the new one...

[SlowOldGuy]

Chances are everything is fine in the new master.  Gently disassemble it, clean the components and seals then reassemble.  It was probably stuck from sitting unused too long.

DavidR.