86 fxrs fork swap - Springs?

[WeGottaKnow]

Took off my 35mm forks and inside the tubes were skinny Springs with spacers. They were easy to compress and easy to screw the fork caps in. I’m replacing with 99 below 39mm sportster forks that have way have way bigger springs in them. Monsters. No spacers and way thicker gauge. They’re way more stiff. What is preferred here? Both sets of tubes are the same stock length and I’ll eventually upgrade to +2” tubes and preload adjusters. Wasn’t counting on changing Springs then if I don’t have to.

[farmall]

First use what you have and note results. Fuck the preload adjusters, those get set once and left so why spend money for a tiny adjustment range? I use PVC spacers instead for basically no money. I can afford any fork I want but have no use for preload adjusters on a street bike. If your stock springs are too soft, add spacers. I like Progressive springs but don't consider them vital. I don't go nuts on my HD front ends because if I wanted a sport bike I can buy a real one far better than some obsolete (but fun) cruiser. I have two FXRs and they're my favorite HD for daily use.

Trackerdie dampers which are a bit longer than the FXRT dampers (the longest stock dampers) give more travel. I put suspension travel and comfort first. I installed a set in my FXRT forks when I cleaned 'em up for my rebuild and they're nicely made. Your idea of +2 tubes is good too.

This will compress your springs easily. Pic shows my FXLR I converted to FXR length suspension. (FXLR is the FXR for midgets.):

http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49444

Upgrading your brake caliper is a VERY good idea because the stock single piston is a piece of shit and two of them ain't much better. (I got the dual setup in 1988 when I bought that FXR new.) Braided brake hoses improve feel and reduce wasted lever motion. I run adapters and four piston calipers. Calipers are basically "dumb hydraulic clamps" and you have many more choices with the 39mm front end.

If you don't care for riser bushings (I hate the slop and ran solids since new) a tidy way is to run the rubbermount Sporty top triple clamp. Pic shows the difference but author was rubbermounting his bars on a rubbermount Sporty. http://xlforum.net/forums/showpost.p...76&postcount=2 They're cheap on Ebay.

[WeGottaKnow]

THanks for all of the info. This is really helpful. I have seen your post about the caulking guns before and was thinking about as i was working on the swap. I'll definitely be putting one of those together.

The dampers weren't on my radar but I'll look into them a bit further. Could be a good solution for me.

I was thinking about getting a Harley Brembo caliper soon. Seems like a good option. I'll probably stick to the single caliper.

[brooklynbomber]

+1 on trackerdie dampers. They actually give you 2 options of height with spacers

[brooklynbomber]

I also add Race Tech Emulators in every 39mm front end and really improves front end responsiveness and lessens front end dive.

[WeGottaKnow]

I stripped out one of the old damper tube bolts on the new forks going on and it's really set me back. Did some routing around online and saw several suggestions and videos on how to drill it out. I'm not having any luck after about 8 hours of drilling and am starting to get concerned that I went too far or that I may have used too small a drill bit. Anyone have any ideas on how to salvage something like this? Pics included.

[Jakerz]

Looks like you're centered for the most part. Is the head off the bolt yet? I'd pick up some left-handed bits and try those, you can drill a smaller pilot hole and then go to the bit you want so it tries to dig into the bolt and hopefully breaks it free.

Jake

[WeGottaKnow]

The heads not off yet but that’s what I’m looking for. The thing that’s concerning me if that I’ve got past where the washer would be.

[Jakerz]

You don't want to use a bit that's larger than the threads on the bolt itself, that way if you get through the head it'll just continue on into the body of the bolt.

That's an 8x1.25mm bolt, the tap calls for a 17/64 drill so I would order a few of those from McMaster Carr

https://www.mcmaster.com/drill-bits

Jake

[farmall]

Is the rod sitting still while you drill it or spinning? One way to hold damper rods is stick something long and tapered into them to wedge them. It's very common for them to spin. You can use the screw you removed to size drill bits to remove the head. I buy packs of cobalt alloy bits because they far outlast HSS junk.

You can look up damper rod tools. Some look like square screw extractors and since you have one rod out to see the hole as a pattern you can make something suitable to keep the rod from rotating.