Fork Springs upgrade advice

[Graham53]

Ive being doing a search on here about gen 1 fork springs / fork upgrades and it all seems well confusing as to which way to go/ which brand etc, linear or progressive
Has anyone got any recommendations which would be a good way to go with them ? I've got an R6 shock from Devilsyam on it and now want to improve the front but the budget isn't unlimited.
Can I get a decent improvement for £200-£250 ? For that I'm assuming it'll be just springs ( fitted by mechanic not me)  and a change of fork oil which adds the question to what grade oil ??
Main use will be solo with a the odd touring trip with the mrs here and there and I'm no racer but like a bit of spirited riding every now and then.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated
Thanks

[PieEater]

Definitely worth doing, personally I would go with linear springs,  the correct rating for your weight. I went with K-Tech springs and they recommend a 10w oil which is on the heavy side. It would make sense to replace the seals (oil and dust) as well as the bushes at the same time.

[Tmation]

I have K-Tech front and rear upgrades on mine.


A couple of years ago it went into MTC for a suspension service and set up (IIRC it was £150 ish for each end[size=78%].) ride in ride out[/size]


Not too far from you [/size][size=78%]http://www.mctsuspension.co.uk/Home.html[/size]

[ogri48]

I have K-Tech front and rear upgrades on mine.


A couple of years ago it went into MTC for a suspension service and set up (IIRC it was £150 ish for each end[size=78%].) ride in ride out[/size]


Not too far from you [size=78%]http://www.mctsuspension.co.uk/Home.html[/size]

Exactly the same with mine mate, mtc + K-tech front and rear =fazer1000 deep joy and happiness. I'm heavy 16.5 stone and the missus is curvy, mtc do you a spec sheet to telling you just what to do if your riding two up instead of solo, adding luggage, doing a track day etc...been useing them for years on many bikes, top blokes

[ogri48]

Dunno how far away from me you are buddy, but if it's doable we could meet up have a brew and you try my bike check out the mtc set up

[fazed]

As a budget conscious (tight!) rider I found that a hagon Shock and front springs made a real difference to my gen1.  Much more compliant without sogginess and lm not the lightest of riders at 16 stone.....Christmas has a lot to answer for!........also improved the ride 2 up with luggage too.  I think you don't have to spend a fortune to improve suspension performance as a modest upgrade allied to properly setting up the suspension seems to deliver a really noticeable difference, well that's been my experience if that helps.

[Hedgetrimmer]

Don't dismiss an R1 fork conversion out of hand due to budget considerations. Mine has 2003 R1 forks with K-Tech internals. Luke will correct me if I'm wrong I hope, but I think the forks with the K-Tech mods came up on eBay at around £250. Just depends on how lucky you get whilst trawling.

[tommyardin]

Ive being doing a search on here about gen 1 fork springs / fork upgrades and it all seems well confusing as to which way to go/ which brand etc, linear or progressive
Has anyone got any recommendations which would be a good way to go with them ? I've got an R6 shock from Devilsyam on it and now want to improve the front but the budget isn't unlimited.
Can I get a decent improvement for £200-£250 ? For that I'm assuming it'll be just springs ( fitted by mechanic not me)  and a change of fork oil which adds the question to what grade oil ??
Main use will be solo with a the odd touring trip with the mrs here and there and I'm no racer but like a bit of spirited riding every now and then.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated
Thanks

I know you guys are the big boys with the big boys toys, but me with my elf like proportions, at just a mere 14 stone with all my riding gear on and riding only a baby Fazer FZS 600.
I to would recommend the Linear Springs for the front, I went for Linear 8.5 N/mm Ohlins, and also converted the forks from Damper Rod suspension to Cartridge Emulator suspension, for the back end I went for the Nitron R1 mono-shock, again set up for my weight and riding style (Spring weight, Damping and Rebound) by Nitron when they built it for me.
I did all the work on the bike myself, it is not difficult but you need to work systematically and cleanly when doing it, and, don't cut corners its a chance to overhaul the whole of the suspension setup.
I removed all the back suspension linkage and swing arm and washed out all the needle bearings and re-packed them with red Rubber waterproof grease 


After some fine tuning with the viscosity of the fork oil I am now really pleased with the suspension setup not just the handling but the comfort of the ride to, the bike seems to go into corners better with no corrections half way round. The old Yamaha springs were not absolutely awful but they used to somehow dive/drop-in on uneven road surfaces while cornering, demanding a correction of your line.


I have noticed that my chicken strips are no longer 5/8th of an inch, but diminishing on every ride.
The Nitron I realise is not the cheapest way to go, there is a member on FOC-U that supplies R1 shocks to fit the 1K Fazer along with the doggies as well if required, I've heard some great stuff about him and his conversion work.


This might sound silly but what brings a smile to my face is when I now roll the bike off the centre stand and it settles down onto its wheel with a sooth, plush, gentle hush and quietly settles into it's Static Sag position with out the couple of bounces that it used to do, rebound damping spot on.

[Ricky]

I went  down  the Hyperbolic progressive root and believe  for the average  rider, riding  a mix of uses and styles  it is the best compromise.I have bought  a R6 shock and when I get time will fit.I think  this is by far the best priced option,but every  one wants something  different from there bike.

[Graham53]

Dunno how far away from me you are buddy, but if it's doable we could meet up have a brew and you try my bike check out the mtc set up

Cheers for the offer Ogri , unfortunately I'm in Essex which is a way from you I think, but if I'm wrong and you're closer that would be great.
Sorry for not replying to any of the replies sooner but I've been working on the 600 today  and nothing went wrong so fingers crossed the reverse Midas touch has moved on.
Then had to take the dog to the vets with a dodgy eye that needed drops , retina repair gel and painkillers oh and £150 to the vet  no wonder he drives a DB9

[Dudeofrude]

I have K-Tech front and rear upgrades on mine.


A couple of years ago it went into MTC for a suspension service and set up (IIRC it was £150 ish for each end[size=78%].) ride in ride out[/size]


Not too far from you [size=78%]http://www.mctsuspension.co.uk/Home.html[/size]

Exactly the same with mine mate, mtc + K-tech front and rear =fazer1000 deep joy and happiness. I'm heavy 16.5 stone and the missus is curvy, mtc do you a spec sheet to telling you just what to do if your riding two up instead of solo, adding luggage, doing a track day etc...been useing them for years on many bikes, top blokes

I've got uprgraded forks by mct on my gen2. Seems alright, I'd never heard of them until I got this bike. Pleased to know others are using them too

[Graham53]

Ive just looked MCT up and they're in Suffolk which isn't too far from me , Poss 1-2hrs ride.
I saw ktech do linear springs which are a decent price but confused about the re valve kit, is it worth £220 or would it be ££ well spent.
What I have figured out is that I think I need to increase my budget.  
I've just been on ktech website and they list mss in Colchester ( I'm assuming that's the kwaker dealer ) and FTR in Braintree anyone heard of them ??