R1 Fork Swap or new cartridges in OEM's

kenten

kenten

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Thinking of swapping out my mediocre forks for some of the 07/08 R1 variety. Forks, 6 pot calipers, front axle and 4x5mm spacers is all i think i will need.
I contacted Maxton suspension here in Cheshire for a solution to my OEM's poor performance and this is the response;


YAMAHA FAZER FZ1 2006 to 2010
FRONT
The front forks on the FZ1 are upside down forks. They are an unusual
design in that one leg has rebound damping and no compression
damping, the other leg has compression damping and no rebound
damping. This makes setting up the damping up very difficult. Both fork
legs have springs, which are on the soft side for the average rider weight.
It is basically a cheap design of fork. The design has been chosen so that
the user gets rebound and compression damping adjusters, without
having to put damping adjusters at the bottom of the fork. The front forks
have too much compression damping which makes them feel “harsh”
and kick off bumps in the road. The front forks do not have enough
rebound damping either, making the front end spring back at you when
you let go of the brake or accelerate. This also makes the bike difficult to
move around at speed, and difficult to get the bike into corners.
We replace most of the internals and modify others, so that the forks have
rebound damping and compression damping in both legs. The rebound
and compression damping is valved to suit your rider weight and what
you use the bike for. We also modify the original fork tops to take our
internals. We then fit harder Maxton springs to suit your rider weight. After
the conversion the forks are adjustable for rebound damping and
preload, the compression damping is not adjustable but has been valved
to suit you and what you use the bike for. The Maxton cartridges cost
£330.00 + V.A.T. To install the cartridges and service the forks costs £110.00
+ V.A.T. We also fit new fork seals as part of the service this costs an extra
£25.00 + V.A.T.

So... all things considered i think the R1 swap better suits me. Also i can put the OEM forks back on when/if i sell my FZ1 and can stick em on fleabay to recover my hard earned pennies
 
i'm going through the same thing. bought an 08 front end ($300) and an 06 rear shock ($10) with 05 wheels ($200). waiting on the shock adapter to be made by a forum member but thats under $100. they'll definitely be better than putting cartridges in the stock forks.
 
Thanks for your input guys, i am going to go with it.
just ordered a set of 08 R1 forks with radial calipers and looking forward to my new setup.
Any one know were i can get hold of 4x5mm stainless spacers for the calipers?
I hear some cbr1000rr spacers fit but for me its only an unconfirmed rumour
 
When my brother changed to R1 forks on his '06, he used those spacers, they are p/n 51497-MEL-D20. He sent me the p/n cause I thought I was going to need a set of them as well.


But, I used a set of R1 disks instead on my '09 when I changed to R1 forks.
 
kenten said:
Thanks for your input guys, i am going to go with it.
just ordered a set of 08 R1 forks with radial calipers and looking forward to my new setup.
Any one know were i can get hold of 4x5mm stainless spacers for the calipers?
I hear some cbr1000rr spacers fit but for me its only an unconfirmed rumour
Click to expand...

Just buy a set of 07+ R1 rotors.
They are cheap on EBay and bolt straight up to your wheels without the need for any bodgy spacers.

Sent from my SG3
 
Thanks Ballmead and Duster_360 for your help and advice.

Think i will try the spacers, the Honda dealer i spoke to says they are top quality components and will be just fine for the job.

I will keep you guys updated as my front end conversion progresses :)
 
The piece already in the calipers that prevents the caliper from moving in the mount where they are bolted was the only thing my brother said was unusual in the conversion. They can be difficult to get out. He heated the caliper a little and got them out.

If you use a little black paint on the spacers after they're installed, you'll never notice them.

Good luck with your conversion.
 
I priced up the cbr1000 spacers x 4 and they came to just under £60.00:eek5:
so i'm going for the R1 rotors. Can't be bothered getting some made and having to remove the sleeves from the calipers and all that faffing around.

Mmmm radial master cylinder.....not sure yet....i will see how the setup works with the existing M/c and take it from their but thanks for the suggestion.

is it worth me photo logging the swap out for this forum or has this been done already
 
kenten said:
I priced up the cbr1000 spacers x 4 and they came to just under £60.00:eek5:
so i'm going for the R1 rotors. Can't be bothered getting some made and having to remove the sleeves from the calipers and all that faffing around.

Mmmm radial master cylinder.....not sure yet....i will see how the setup works with the existing M/c and take it from their but thanks for the suggestion.

is it worth me photo logging the swap out for this forum or has this been done already
Click to expand...

Good to see you are getting the correct rotors for the job.

Hellgate is right, the R6/R1 Master cylinder makes the 6 pot calipers work so much better it isn't funny.

The stock FZ1 MC works great with the stock brakes but it is found wanting with the 6 pot brakes.

You will have much more braking power with the R6/R1 MC combined with the R1 6 pot brakes.


We can always do with some more install pics, it will help others who want to do the same.
 
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Hopefully I'm not interrupting this post, but I have a 09 FZ1 (us version) and want to do the R1 fork swap and was wondering if there is a post I am missing that has somewhat of a comprehensive list of what is needed that is in relatively plain English?
 
kenten said:
I priced up the cbr1000 spacers x 4 and they came to just under £60.00:eek5:
so i'm going for the R1 rotors. Can't be bothered getting some made and having to remove the sleeves from the calipers and all that faffing around.

Mmmm radial master cylinder.....not sure yet....i will see how the setup works with the existing M/c and take it from their but thanks for the suggestion.

is it worth me photo logging the swap out for this forum or has this been done already
Click to expand...

There really is a difference between MCs. The FZ1 will feel mushy compared to the R1/R6 MC. It also has a bleed screw right off the MC itself. Makes bleeding a snap.

Sent from my LG-P925 using Tapatalk 2
 
R1 Price

Guys is a brand new 2012 R1 with Traction Control, CF AKROPOVIC exhaust, and fender eliminator worth about $14,454? These are all added at the dealer (I think)

Oooops this was supposed to be a new thread. Oh well!
 
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Hard to believe they stiff you like that on parts - spacers were ~$7.50ea over here.


You might as well change the brake lines out for some stainless steel lines while you're there......
 
Ok so now i have to spend more cash on a R1/R6 M/C. Think i will source some free/cheap spacers from a breakers and spend the cash on a M/C instead, they sell for around £150.00 used.

So far the cost; £300.00 forks £100.00 calipers £35.00 front axle/caliper bolts.

Q's
Can i fit the big bang 09/10/11/12 rotors to my Fz1 front wheel?

Does the radial M/C need to be from a R1/R6 or will any others fit?

Finally, I am replacing the fork oil in the R1 forks, how much oil do i need for each leg and what do i rinse them out with.

Thanks again for your input guys its mucho appreciated :sport12:
 
jared p said:
i'm going through the same thing. bought an 08 front end ($300) and an 06 rear shock ($10) with 05 wheels ($200). waiting on the shock adapter to be made by a forum member but thats under $100. they'll definitely be better than putting cartridges in the stock forks.
Click to expand...

Wow parts are so reasonably priced over there, we get stung for everything here in the UK :-(
 
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