'02 R6 parts for sale...

[fintip]

http://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/3561312833.html

This should have a good set of calipers on it for me, right? What would be the max I should pay for the MC and/or calipers?

[Arnie]

Max???  Depends on how bad you want them.
Considering how low his prices are on the items he has listed, why not offer him $100-$200 for the front end assembly complete?  That would be a great deal if its all straight.
If I were bidding on just the calipers and M/C, I'd offer $40 and be willing to go to $100.
Do you have a 17" front wheel (or '89+ forks)?  If not, the calipers won't mount to your forks.

Arnie

http://austin.craigslist.org/mcy/3561312833.html

This should have a good set of calipers on it for me, right? What would be the max I should pay for the MC and/or calipers?

[rktmanfj]

Max???  Depends on how bad you want them.
Considering how low his prices are on the items he has listed, why not offer him $100-$200 for the front end assembly complete?  That would be a great deal if its all straight.
If I were bidding on just the calipers and M/C, I'd offer $40 and be willing to go to $100.
Do you have a 17" front wheel (or '89+ forks)?  If not, the calipers won't mount to your forks.

Arnie

IIRC, the R6 forks would require extensions and 43mm triples.   

[fintip]

I don't want them especially bad, just being an opportunist.

I don't have the 17", but I am not sure I want the 17". There are adapter plates to get them to fit the 16" wheel, as I understand it, however.

I assumed you meant I should buy the front end to sell it on ebay for profit, right? Or were you suggesting a full transplant? Which I know some have done (at least with some modern bikes, not sure whether it was an '02 R6)...

...Which leads me to an interesting question that I hadn't voiced before. How much better (?) would, for example, this front end be than Randy's cartridge emulators in stock forks? I've always assumed they'd be of similar quality. Is that not true?

not a lib, or anyone else... When you say 43mm triples, you mean the FJ triple machined to 43mm, right? And where would extensions go?

[rktmanfj]

I don't want them especially bad, just being an opportunist.

I don't have the 17", but I am not sure I want the 17". There are adapter plates to get them to fit the 16" wheel, as I understand it, however.

I assumed you meant I should buy the front end to sell it on ebay for profit, right? Or were you suggesting a full transplant? Which I know some have done (at least with some modern bikes, not sure whether it was an '02 R6)...

...Which leads me to an interesting question that I hadn't voiced before. How much better (?) would, for example, this front end be than Randy's cartridge emulators in stock forks? I've always assumed they'd be of similar quality. Is that not true?

not a lib, or anyone else... When you say 43mm triples, you mean the FJ triple machined to 43mm, right? And where would extensions go?

Again, and this is IIRC, the R6 forks are 43mm, and shorter than the stock FJ forks.

So, you'd have to bore the FJ triples out, or find another suitable set for the swap.  If as I recall, they are too short, you'd probably have to try some extensions, like pictured here: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=8173.0

Someone more familiar with the R6 unit could give you more details, but IIRC, this is why I quit considering them a few years ago.

[andyb]

The R6 front end also lacks a provision for a speedo drive.

Honestly, if it requires this much fab, those forks aren't worth it.  If it was some fancyshit limited edition with Ohlins or something, maybe.  There are other swaps that require much less work and have been established to work well.  Skip on this one.

[rktmanfj]

FWIW, I would go ahead and score the calipers, though.   

[andyb]

And then change to a 17".  All of your friends are running around with an easy inch on ya, you can't have that y`know....

Seriously, if you're only interested in keeping everything stock like a museum piece, I understand the preference for a 16" tire.  For anyone else, you want the 17, end of story.  Maybe not today, but on the list someplace.

[fintip]

Guy just responded, calipers and Mc together for $50. Getting it asap.

As far as the 16 vs 17, I can't seem to find any inherent advantage for a 17 other than the modern rubber selection being wider (though my 16 does sport radials right now...). The general advantage of 17's seems to be better stability to balance out the twitchy aggressive rake angle of modern sport bikes... But given the relatively mild rake on the FJ, it seems like a more agile wheel is a nice compliment, at least that's what I-d imagine.

Feel free to educate me on other advantages of 17" wheels, I'd love to learn.

[FJmonkey]

Guy just responded, calipers and Mc together for $50. Getting it asap.

As far as the 16 vs 17, I can't seem to find any inherent advantage for a 17 other than the modern rubber selection being wider (though my 16 does sport radials right now...). The general advantage of 17's seems to be better stability to balance out the twitchy aggressive rake angle of modern sport bikes... But given the relatively mild rake on the FJ, it seems like a more agile wheel is a nice compliment, at least that's what I-d imagine.

Feel free to educate me on other advantages of 17" wheels, I'd love to learn.

Less rotating mass and less un-sprung weight. More mass means harder to flick the front from side to side. Less un-sprung weight improves suspension performance. Lower profile (stiffer) side walls. Oh... and the white wheels on a Red and White looks really good, till they get dirty....

And for me, the single most improvement, the RPM valves, nuff said...

[Pat Conlon]

Yep, what Monkey said...those oem 16" rims are pig heavy and narrow...

Fintip, you've been around here long enough, we don't need to re-hash this discussion.

[fintip]

Right, these rims are heavy. I guess I was just thinking too general, 16's vs 17's in principle. I don't remember reading much about *why* they're better, it seems like it's just taken for granted.

I'm just skeptical of ever finding a reasonable deal on a later model front end, I guess.

I wish I could actually ride a 17" modded bike and feel the difference. I notice sometimes when turning aggressively that I lose confidence in the front end; I've been assuming it's just a limitation of my riding, and that might still be part of it, but now I wonder if that might go away with a new front wheel.

I do remember reading someone on here liking the 16" and feeling like the odd one out (probably our Spanish friend, he does love to dissent, haha). I also remember reading somewhere that 16" seemed to be making a bit of a comeback, with some motogp racer having them on his latest ride.

Forgive me, I'm forever skeptical of the received knowledge, all the more when I don't know enough to know better.

And yeah, I'm really dying to get the RPM emulators... Hopefully by the end of the year. I really just need to find a later model front end.

[andyb]

And the fact that the tire compounds weren't designed by the Byzantines.  Modern rubber is really amazing when compared to tires from even ten years ago.  And the 17" modern rubber is easier to find cheaply or on sale, because it's still made in vast quantity.

Because the radial carcass somehow handles heat better (I just woke up and don't remember all the theory atm), the compound can be quite a lot softer than a bias tire and yet retain good wear qualities.

It's no pancea for grip, but you'll be able to get all sorts of compounds and geometry choices in the 17" sizes, anything from a rock hard touring tire to trackday ultrasticky rubber.  If nothing else, the way they grip and last will rapidly pay for itself when compared to the currently available 16" stuff.  Maybe they'll start making 16" rubber with modern construction and compounds, but I sure haven't seen it yet... and because a radial typically wants a much wider rim, I'd wager that they wouldn't fit on the original wheels unless you were willing to go down in width a lot.

[fintip]

It looks like you're right, the michelin pilots I have on are radial, but it looks like they only come in 120/70-16, down from the stock 120/80.

My tread was already dramatically low in Seattle when I got it. Somehow the indicators are still--barely--showing. It'd be nice to not upgrade tires until I upgrade the front end, but I might need to start saving a bit more aggressively in that direction if I want to do that.

I can't help but think that in theory, though, if there were a light 16 inch rim and modern rubber were available, it would suit the bike better. (Not that I'm an expert. I sure do like to opine on things I'm not an expert on, eh? )

[fintip]

SO.

I went ahead and bought the entire front end for $130, including master cylinder.

Figure I'll sell the rest for profit, and essentially end up with a cheaper-than-free upgrade.

But then I started wondering... Is this rim/rotor compatible with later FJ forks? A bit of a stretch perhaps, did a search and didn't find anything that spoke directly to my question. But even if I had to fab something like a collar or such, it'd probably be worth it, no?

If anyone sees or knows of a good deal on 88 or later lowers, of course, let me know...

But yay! I've got blue spots! Just, might be a while before I can properly enjoy them. :\

While storing the master, is it better to leave fluid in, or empty it? (Master is separated from calipers and still has fluid and lines attached, while calipers are just still bolted on solo to the whole front end unit I bought.)

Oh, one more thing, I can't quite seem to figure out what kind of M/C I have. Anyone know the size of this guy? All I know is it says "Nissin" on its mount, which from my searches on the forums is supposed to be a good sign.