Been thinking- fork swap

[BrentMartell]

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.

[GMP]

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.

[nambo-trev]

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.

[BrentMartell]

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.

[BrentMartell]

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.

[GMP]

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.

[BrentMartell]

Thanks again. I agree. I don't want to take away from the turning capabilities of this bike. I love how it turns.

[nambo-trev]

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.

[GMP]

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

[BrentMartell]

Wow, you are awesome!