Been thinking- fork swap

B

BrentMartell

New member
So I am kinda kicking around a few ideas such as swapping out the 45 zokes for a KYB, WP, etc. I did some quick searches and did not come up with a great deal of info. I am thinking to do this sort of thing I will need new triple clamps and possibly a front wheel assembly. Wondering if anyone has played around with this sort of thing and can point me in the right direction to get started if I choose this route. Thanks.
 
Les at LTR suggested the 2006 forks on a honda 450x. I have not decided yet, mine still have some issues, or it could be me.
 
PM Keg. I'm sure he has a set of Showas on his 2011..
 

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i had the crf450 2006 showas before that were sprung and valved for me and they were awesome. but they are no match for my ttx, i find these much more capable. i would guess from the feedback ive read that the 48mm cc zokes would be very similar to the ttx(or even better!)
 
Brent,

I believe you are on the right track by looking for an upgrade on the fork. The 45 Marz's are fine for most and work fine with a "good" revalve for many racers. However, the heavier in weight and/or higher skill/speed you go and I believe larger diameter forks are needed to enhance steering precision. I've looked into it and the biggest issue is the steering stem. The GG stem is more narrow than the Showa or KYB units from the Japanese brands. Different wheels are needed to match the new forks, too. Personally, I would consider any KYB forks from Kawasaki or Yamaha as I believe these forks can work for fast folks without a revalve and will work great with the revalve. Also, there are relatively few riders who run Showa suspension off road so take that for what it's worth. Search for 2006 and up YZ forks to get the "SSS" forks or just cheap out and buy some 1998-99 46mm KX 250 forks and send them to STM or one of the other folks mentioned on this site and you won't be sorry! I got some of those KX forks because my 1999 KX works very nicely off road and you can find them for very little cost (I bought the Factory Connection KYB forks and clamps for $75 including shipping and they had just been serviced!!!). I need to modify the KX clamps to take the GG stem or I need to research different steering head bearings that have a smaller bearing surface to fit into the the GG steering head. As a side note, I have ridden a 2010 GG 300 with the 48mm Sachs forks and noticed a significant difference in steering precision over all types of terrain than a similar bike with 45mm marzocchi forks. Good luck!!!

Eric
 
Thanks for the replies.

-From what I am told there is no TTX kit available for the 45's. This would be awesome if such a kit is made.

-48mm cc zokes. I am not sure I am convinced they are better than showa, WP, or KYB. If they have good internals they can made to work well. If I could find them for a suitable price this might be a great option as I will not have to change the wheel assembly.

-Mr Blah, what level and terrain do you ride? I have the forks working well but in comparison to what I want and had on my previous bike, they are not good enough.

-The terrain here varies from open desert to gnarly alpine single track. A good suspension can be made to work well in all the above, been there, done it. I have ridden a desert race and then an enduro back to back and never touched a clicker.

So, what I am looking at is starting with a good fork that can handle this wide variance. For that I am likely going to need to change T clamps and wheel assembly. Combined this is a large expense and cost vs return is a big consideration. People such coopernicus that can help with experience or research are mucho appreciated. I am hoping to avoid making costly mistakes right now. For example I had not thought about the stem or the bearing issue's.
 
If you could score a lower T clamp from a 48mm Sachs bike or an older Ohlins equipped GG, you might have more options and save the trouble of changing stems, bearings, steering stop fit, etc. Look at all the fork clamp area diameters and compare the clamps, maybe something will be obvious. I started doing this last year, then just fixed my 45s and planned on the '12. I'll see if I can find all the numbers.
 
I'm sure any suspension can be made somewhat compliant(ie 45mm zokes) but as you mention it really depends on rider skill level and preference as to what should be considered a well performing suspension. Me personally I can't stand the 45's I think the high speed dampening was mediocre at best.
 
Good info. When I got the bike there was a t clamp set for 150 that was for the 48's. I wish I would have bought them. Dang it. Hind sight.

Thanks again.
 
trev, internally my forks are not anywhere close to what stock set up is. I have a functioning mid valve vs a blow off and I have built an aggressive rebound stack to control the harsh return. I play with air chamber to tune for conditions as well. This fork has limits though. I tend to be able to tune it well for certain terrain but I struggle to get it set up for variable terrain. I can ride them fine if I just slow it down and pick more conservative lines. Thanks for the input. I found in the choppy stuff, like running down a single track section in the desert...high speed, choppy, rough, the forks beat the hell out of me. Part of it was rebound damping and part of it was a progressive compression valving. In stock form neither exsisted. With mods it was much better and I would almost run pace. Never could get up to speed though. That is my current project.
 
FYI, I think the upper clamp is the same for all, the lower is different.

The other problem you run into with different bramd Tclamp swaps is the offset. The GG offset is 21 or 22mm I beleive. If you find a front end that can be fit, but the offset is say 24mm, it won't help the steering.
 
This is exactly what I'm talking about when you say rebound dampening at high speed, when I ride my brother inlaws 2011 300 it just beats me up and tires you out. Good to here that the mods made a decent improvement though.
We are sending the 45's to enduro engineering to see what they come up with because he forced with the same problem of spending to much on a new front end set up.
 
Brent,

Here are some numbers, compiled from threads here in this forum about a year ago when we were discussing this:


Fork upper tube diameters:

GG Zoke 45
54mm - upper
57mm - lower

GG Sachs 48
54mm - upper
59.3mm - lower

Husky KYB 48mm
54mm - upper
59mm - lower

47mm Showa (CRF450X)
54.5mm - upper
58.5mm - lower

I did not verify the accuracy of all this for obvious reasons, but ScottyR is a GG and Husky dealer and did verify the Husy KYB fit.

My last thoughts on this were if the Yam KYB 48mm SSS forks are the same diameters as the Husky, a GG/Sachs lower clamp, a set of these and a front wheel/caliper from a blown up YZ would be a good solution. There is even mention of the fast Euro GG riders doing this. Good luck it would be cool to see it done.

Oh, and GG clamp offset is 21mm
 
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