Quick feedback on my DR650 fork conversion. I fitted a set of 46mm Kayaba forks from a YZ426 unto my DR. For it's age, the forks were in really nice condition. Previous owner added heavier springs and new fork seals not long ago he said. I'm unsure of the spring rate however.
Mods included:
Complete front-end of the YZ426. Made-up bracket for ignition switch and trailtech vapor speedo. I kept the YZ triple clamps standard, so had to add spacers above top headset bearing. The DR brake bolted straight onto the USD forks. I used the headlight brackets from a DR-Z400SM to secure my headlight to - worked real nice. I raised the USD forks about 2cm up in the triples to "shorten" them a bit to give the bike a similar geometry as per original.
All and all, not a very difficult job.. 2-3 evenings and a few beers.
First impressions:
Much plusher and more "connected" front tyre with the road. Bike does not dive under hard breaking. If I really jumped on the breaks, I could just about bottom the forks out on the original setup. The front-end is a bit "higher" then original, making the head angle slightly slacker. I noticed that in tight corners but feels good at high speeds - I think of it as my Dakar setup :lol8: . Bike feels very stable and I won't try to shorten the forks even more.
I still need to take the bike out for a decent off-road session, but so far so good. The rear shock is standard, and feels quite balanced to me. I might drop in a stiffer spring at some stage later.
Some cons
Smaller front brake rotor does mean weaker breaking. I still feel pretty safe on the smaller rotor and slow the bike down really quick. I will however look into setting up larger front rotor soon. No steering lock which is also another consideration..
The cons I can live with for now. Bike does feels more class and I always wanted to change the front-end, happy with the results so far..
Let me know if you have any questions :thumleft:
Mods included:
Complete front-end of the YZ426. Made-up bracket for ignition switch and trailtech vapor speedo. I kept the YZ triple clamps standard, so had to add spacers above top headset bearing. The DR brake bolted straight onto the USD forks. I used the headlight brackets from a DR-Z400SM to secure my headlight to - worked real nice. I raised the USD forks about 2cm up in the triples to "shorten" them a bit to give the bike a similar geometry as per original.
All and all, not a very difficult job.. 2-3 evenings and a few beers.
First impressions:
Much plusher and more "connected" front tyre with the road. Bike does not dive under hard breaking. If I really jumped on the breaks, I could just about bottom the forks out on the original setup. The front-end is a bit "higher" then original, making the head angle slightly slacker. I noticed that in tight corners but feels good at high speeds - I think of it as my Dakar setup :lol8: . Bike feels very stable and I won't try to shorten the forks even more.
I still need to take the bike out for a decent off-road session, but so far so good. The rear shock is standard, and feels quite balanced to me. I might drop in a stiffer spring at some stage later.
Some cons
Smaller front brake rotor does mean weaker breaking. I still feel pretty safe on the smaller rotor and slow the bike down really quick. I will however look into setting up larger front rotor soon. No steering lock which is also another consideration..
The cons I can live with for now. Bike does feels more class and I always wanted to change the front-end, happy with the results so far..
Let me know if you have any questions :thumleft:
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