R1 Forks Installed

[Ikazuchi]

Here's the pics of the completed project.

R1 forks with Ohlins internals, R1 tripple trees and Harris Clipons.
Good way to distract myself from the family while I was up north for the holidays.

[Ikazuchi]

another

[Ikazuchi]

one more

[Bryant]

NICE job Marc! Did you fit the stock R6 rim on those forks?

[Ikazuchi]

Originally posted by Bodmaster
NICE job Marc! Did you fit the stock R6 rim on those forks?

Yup...only R1 parts you need are the forks, clipons, upper and lower tipple trees. Axle and calipers bolt right in.

I did have to machine some brackets for my damper...that was fun.

You do have to press out the steering stem from each lower tripple and swap them (different lengths).

[Arnold_R1]

Sick Marc! :rockon: How much did you lower the front? I see the forks sitting high on the triple tree.

[Ikazuchi]

Originally posted by Arnold_R1
Sick Marc! :rockon: How much did you lower the front? I see the forks sitting high on the triple tree.

I didn't. I measured the fork length from the axle to the upper tripple and duplicated the length on the R1 forks. Maybe the R1 is a bit taller?

[shaggy]

Sweet! I wanna do that to my bike too but then you cann't race it...

[Bryant]

Originally posted by shaggy
Sweet! I wanna do that to my bike too but then you cann't race it...
U can prolly race it in the Formula 2 or Formula 1 classes... also can race it in the SOLO GTU race with WSMC too. :)

[Ikazuchi]

Originally posted by shaggy
Sweet! I wanna do that to my bike too but then you cann't race it...

Eh...I still have no problem doing track days :D

I couldn't handle racing anyways...takes too long to go to WSIR from here.

[deathblow]

Nice work Marc! Were you able to sell your stock forks to make up some of the cost?

[kc1717]

looks good marc. thats one sweet r6

[Ikazuchi]

Originally posted by deathblow
Nice work Marc! Were you able to sell your stock forks to make up some of the cost?

That's coming up soon. Never sold on ebay so I gotta look into what's involved. With the prices I've seen on R6 parts...I might be able to break even on this project :D


Now I'm not sure what I really have left to do....new shock...and maybe a top-mount damper....but that's about it.

[deno]

why a top mount damper?

[Ikazuchi]

so I can cover up the ram air duct on the right side again....stupid side mount comes too low with the new clipons....even had to tweak the top of the mid fairing with a heat gun to get clearance. Figure I could get a top mount damper someday when I'm flush with $$$...but only if I've run out of things to do...like the new shock...and trackdays....doh...I'll never run out of trackdays.

Speaking of $$$ - here's my old parts for sale -
HERE (http://www.hypercycles.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=173)

[R6WOT]

Hey nice conversion dude I'm in the process of doing the same, except I don't think I will ever break even on mine... =(

Did you put the 70 series front tire on there? You have the fender space for it now. Also you mentioned that you don't know how much you raised forks, just measured from axle to triple, how differently does the bike handle? How the hell did you get the throttle cable to clear the ram air cover? Does the cutout have anything to do with that? Got any tips/advice that one might not have considered? I got my instructions off r6 messagenet.

Nice to meet a fellow 6er with similar visions for his bike!

[deathblow]

You didn't mention his nice shiny new grips!

[Ikazuchi]

R6WOT -
I still have a 60 series tire on the front...still have three sets of tires in the garage with 60s...need to use those up first.

The break cables were the only thing rubbing against the ram air cover (besides all my problems with the damper). I cut out a little chunk of the cover for everything to fit nicely.

I haven't had a chance to try out the bike too much on the twisties...managed to break the head off a bolt while installing SS break lines last weekend (oops). Big difference though is having the clipons under the tripple. Some of the guys on the R6 board that have done the conversion have theirs above...I didn't think I had enough room above to mount. I realized afterwards that I measured the forks while they were both uncompressed..which could be a difference in length while compressed. I'd try measuring while the bike is sitting normally. I do have to rely more on using my body to shift weight than my arms/sholders. I felt that too much weight on the front tire made it slip a bit (at least on cold tires).

I printed out the instructions from the R6 forum ..then forgot to bring them. Here's what the don't mention:
The bracket for the horn doesn't just mount right on the R1 lower tripple...you have to extend one side up a bit..I used a sheet of aluminum to fix it. The plastic around the horn will rub against the back of the ram air tubes..shave off a bit of the plastic and check clearances when you're putting the tubes back on.

Let me know if you run into any problems or have any more questions. Next time I'm up in NorCal with my bike we might have to go for a ride. My parents live in WC. We could hit up the Wall or something.

Later - Marc


Originally posted by deathblow
You didn't mention his nice shiny new grips!

Hehe...that's an old mod...had those for Streets

[deathblow]

And it still was shiny then... :)!

[Tony]

Can anyone help explain to me how the R1 USD forks work better than the conventional R6 forks? Thanks

[Ikazuchi]

Originally posted by Tony
Can anyone help explain to me how the R1 USD forks work better than the conventional R6 forks? Thanks

They'rr actually not that much better...it's mainly a looks mod.

The R1 forks are stiffer than stock from the USD design...but they weight a tad more. So you have a bit of a trade-off.

I did it mainly because they look cool and it's cheaper then getting my stock forks revalved.

[Bryant]

When you say "stiffer from the USD design" I'm assuming you are talking about the rigidity of the fork legs to resist flexing due to the thicker housing on the fork legs in the triple clamps instead of having the inner fork tube being fed through the triples... this being as opposed to stiffer springs for example?

[Ikazuchi]

Originally posted by Bodmaster
When you say "stiffer from the USD design" I'm assuming you are talking about the rigidity of the fork legs to resist flexing due to the thicker housing on the fork legs in the triple clamps instead of having the inner fork tube being fed through the triples... this being as opposed to stiffer springs for example?

Yeah..should have explained a bit better.

The springs are a bit stiffer as well as the forks themselves being more rigid.

[Tony]

ahhh... thanks for the info. Do you guys know how they would compare with getting the front redone by racetech on the stock R6 forks. ?

[Ikazuchi]

Hopefully after the ride on Sunday I'll be able to let you know.

If you're racing...this is not a mod you'll want done.

[deathblow]

I think USD forks also have less unsprung weight where it counts.

[Bryant]

Originally posted by Tony
ahhh... thanks for the info. Do you guys know how they would compare with getting the front redone by racetech on the stock R6 forks. ?

I have racetech .90kb/mm springs and compression/rebound gold valving in my R6 forks. I had them installed by Stig Petterson though... he's da man!

A little trivia here: Tommy Hayden broke the lap record at Willow Springs Raceway in the year 1999 I believe on a 1999 YZR-R6 with Racetech valving installed by Stig Petterson himself!! So it's gotta work pretty good no? ;p

Stig did add a little extra valving for me on my forks. This dude will stand by his work to the bitter end and I have nothing but praise for this man! He does excellent work and is a very nice fellow too! He's worked with high profile riders such as Anthony Gobert, Tommy, Eric, Factory Yamaha teams, etc. He's da man!