Inverted Forks on Gen 1

[Canadian FJR]

Could one install a new Gen front end on a Gen 1 by simply replacing the steering head, inverted forks and wheel?

Is it a straight forward bolt on?


Canadian FJR

[raYzerman]

Ask G, but I believe the ES USD forks are a direct bolt-on, you'd need the fender to go with it as it mounts differently. You would have to figure out how to set up and tweak the damping as no electronics are available. Rotary damping valves, methinks. You could go whole hog and put Andreani cartridges in, where the damping adjustments are in the fork caps.......

I have heard of mounting R1 forks on, but that requires the whole front end, wheel, etc.

[escapefjrtist]

Qualified maybe, but for GEN I would be a difficult swap. Not straightforward and likely not worth the cost and aggravation. First, whole front braking system is different. Compare caliper mounting points, brake lines different angles / length. USD forks require longer lines. ABS bike adds another layer of complexity. Ray mentioned front fender, there's also many clips / retainers needed. Handlebars are different.

Adjusting stock ES forks is easy. A stepper motor drives a needle/seat in the cap assembly. Laptop, free software and a $25 stepper motor controller is all that's needed. I have complete compression/rebound adjustment from full soft to full hard. Not limited to the preprogrammed OE settings. Works slick, takes me 5 minutes to adjust both sides. I reached out to Andreani ~18 months ago and they were willing to build a set of cartridges for the USD forks. Maybe some day...stock USD cartridges are decent so what am I gaining? Bling!!!

FWIW, another inmate converted a '16A to USD. Purchased all new OE parts and had Traxxion modify FZ-1 cartridges. Two unicorns in the wild now!

~G