i'm planning a fork conversion one way or another but... has anybody attempted an inverted fork conversion? i guess i need to know the diameter and length of the triple tree, angle and length of the inverted 600RR forks vs F4i, and the radius of both bikes lock to lock to figure out if this is possible or not. i've got a full machine shop available to modify anything but i'm mostly worried about the triple tree fitting in the yoke. I assume the geometry of the bike won't change much depending on the angle and length of the forks but if anybody can throw me those numbers it will be easier to figure out if it's worth giving it a shot or not.


also..

for swingarm conversions... what year swingarms are compatable? I've looked on ebay and it's an affordable winter project. I've got a few questions for people in the know. what year(s) swing arms will work? what 1000rr shock years are compatable? i noticed both nissin and tokiko(sp?) rear brake calipers.. i've heard tokico is better but will the bolts patterns match?? the tutorial says 03-04 for the parts but a lot of the parts i see on ebay are advertised for 03-06.

 

It sounds like you want an RR. Sell your bike and buy one, it is safer and easier, let Honda do the engineering.

 

+1000000....
after you do the said conversion, the bike will behave very differently...and most likely not conducive for hard riding purposes. it's not a direct bolt on, you'll need the entire front end.

 

no, i don't want a 600RR. I want an R1, but that's a lot of money to try and save up while your going to college full time. I've got $2k now, and i doubt i could sell my '01 F4i to make up the difference on the cost for even a beat up R1. i read the tutorials and not a single person had anything negative to say about the handling. they all said it improved in strides. I'm bummed that i probably won't get an R1 for next summer, but this was an attempt at a cheaper alternative to making me happy until i can afford a newer bike. it will give me something to do all winter not to mention a sense of pride for my machine when i'm done. i dunno i'm still in the planning stages.. so i could really use those #s and some inside advice. opinions are not necessay.

 

i dont get you... your bummed out that you cant afford a new bike so you decided to spend more money on a used older bike, right?
just save your money and get the R1 later on.
you can get a nice 01-02 R1 with decent milage for 5.5-6grand.
over all, this project that you want to do sounds like a waste of money. changing the whole front end is a lot of work!

 

is your bike beat up? I seen F4i's go for $4-5k depending on shape.

 

I don't understand why people on this forum tell people why they shouldn't do the projects they want. Many people get joy out of figuring things out on their own. These are the type of people that become engineers. Let honda design it, like they designed the cams in the early vfrs. Engineers don't use magic to design things, it's usually a mix of math and materals science. Believe me designing something yourself weather it be a simple electronic schematic or taking blueprints to a machine shop and having your own "custom" parts made is an awesome feeling and i encourage anyone to be original. As for the compatibility for most of my projects i use the manuals and part numbers to find compatible parts. Some times the parts have different numbers but are interchangable, like the f4 and f4i crankshafts. Believe me i ride the bike it works. Don't let people get you down do what you want. You will do better doing your own searches than asking questions on a how do i fix my turn signals forum.

 

you hit the nail on the head donniekak. I have a degree in automechanics and i take a lot of pride in what i do. i went back to school and i'm taking a minor in math/physics right now for a premedical science degree so you could say I love to know how things work and how to make them better. The whole point of this project is that it's cheaper to do these mods than to buy a newer better handling bike. swingarm mod would be ~$200 and i've seen front end assembly's go for ~$500. i'm assuming the new RR rims are lighter than the F4i rims plus inverted forks = more accurate suspension. most of the money i put into it i could get back from selling the parts already existing on the bike because they're in good shape. I'm still looking into the possibility of getting a more aggressive handling bike but the way it looks now.. if i spend some $$ i could update mine and customize the dog**** out of it for cheaper and get better results.

 

Personally i feel a lot more satisfaction making performance compared to purchasing it. Your going up the right alley for handling performance. One thing the honda engineers have had a handle on since 99 with the 600's is weight. These bikes are already so light its hard to gain performance through weight reduction. Running your bike on almost empty gives more weight loss than taking off everything not necissary to make the bike run. Look at some suzuki forums or stunt forums, the suzuki guys do an inverted fork conversion. They put 750 forks on the 600's. Depending on how you are at aluminun fabrication i think you could make a new upper and lower tripple out of some plate and use the f4i bearings. Whatever you do have fun.

 

I don't really know if any serious fabrication is going to need to be done.. i'm not sure how the steering lock is going to fit or the lower triple tree with the steering stops. I'm going to call a honda dealer tomorrow and see if they will give me the diameter and length for the center of the triple trees. that's the part i'm worried about not matching up. The 2007 inverted forks on the RR says 41mm and the 2006 F4i (which should be compatable with a 2001) says 43mm. now, if that's the size for where the triple tree is clamped on, that shouldn't be a problem at all because if i remember correctly from when i had my forks off, there was still about half a centimeter left on the bolts that clamp the triple tree onto the forks. That is assuming the measurement is for the fork boot... i should probably double check on that too. the rake is 23.7 on the RR and 24 on the F4i. that's a very minimal dimensional change, i doubt it will have any effect on the accuracy of the RR shocks being at 24. i still need to figure out the height for the triple tree to clamp to but i have a feeling that is going to be a a series of trial and error until i find something that responds the best with my front tire.