R80G/S front forks
 

The top fork yoke steel plate looks a bit of a cheap design.Has any-one had any experiance on how to improve the basic design,maybe with a after market one.
Perhaps Grant can answer this one as his bike is the same ,and he carried some weight.
Any recommendations on how to stiffen and improve the basic setup for RTWT.

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Read the writeup on our bike - link on left, "Our Trip"

Basically the standard top yoke is a joke - toss it and get a cast or machined one. Several available.

Note that the standard G/S fork legs have been known to snap while riding - NEVER straighten them, always replace. If used very hard off-road they can eventually break. Takes a lot of hard abuse, but it does happen.

You can put R100GS forks right on, it's a straight bolt up. BUT you also need the front wheel.

With the standard forks a better fork brace is also recommended, as is a better brake. A 4 piston caliper makes a big difference, especially for two-up.



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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I'm going to add support to what Grant suggested: if at all possible replace the front forks/ wheel/ brake with one off a R100/R80 GS (easiest) or another suitable donor.

I found that pounding on washboard caused the top fork bolts to loosen up and leak. I had to shim them to keep them tight, and add a o-ring to keep them from leaking. Despite this, they are still poorly dampened and flexible, and the brakes are pretty bad as well. You can fix the brakes, but I'd advise a fork change first. Upgrading to a R100/R80 fork makes a big difference, and the front brake is tolerable. This upgrade along with a new rear shock deals with 90% of the major issues with the G/S.

Apparently certain Showa forks will bolt right on as well, although most of these are off smaller, lighter bikes so more modifications are required to make them work.

I have for sale a set of forks and trippleclamp from an "89GS. Send me a letter to fxguy69 at hotmail dot com and i'll give you the details if your interested. If your creative, you can use a wheel from a late model KTM dirtbike. This gives you the option to use bigger, better brake disks and calipers, but some mods need to be done.

Just today I test rode the G/S with all the gear I'll be lugging around. 88 pounds of gear for 2 years on the road. The G/S felt a little heavier, but the shock is holding up nicely. I tightened the rear 2 turns. I went to play in the dirt around Iona Beach. It feels bit like my RT. More inertia, but still rides very nimble. No idea why you'd want to change the front shock. I think Grant's bike was overloaded with 2 people and monster-sized cases ... a modern GS might have been better, or a goldwing ... <snicker>

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Kevin

http://www.nohorizons.net

Exactly, or taking the forks of a (more) modern GS might go a long way, considering the rest of the bike is largely unchanged!

Just because it works doesn't mean is can't be improved on.

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