Ancient suspension? You mean standard telescopic forks. How much better do you guys really think your >factory< usd inverted forks are from the factory standard forks from 03-04 in less than a 5 year span?... Probably a LOT BETTER huh..lol Let alone riding on the street?
The difference in unsprung weight is negligible considering the engineers balance the weight ratios to best suit each model, they are optimized at the factory with all stock components. Also, rigidity on a (cast aluminum frame) with different pertaining geometries to both frames and suspension systems is incomparable. This is why putting a set of newer forks on a 03 doesn't make any sense, because to gain any actual benefit from the oem set up, you'd literally have to adjust the balancing weight ratios from those usd inverted forks which I can guarantee nobody on this forum has done. It's not the same thing as purchasing a set of aftermarket forks specifically made for that specific model either.
Finally, for someone in the 155 lb range, the 45.0 mm hmas cartridge fork is an awesome set of forks. Add some ohlins springs and They perform easily just as good as as a tuned set of usd without question. The 03-04 still has the same amount of travel too (119mm) as the 05-06 forks.
No reason to get all defensive about your ancient suspension...it is what it is. I'd like to point out that your style of forks has been abandoned entirely by the sportbike market. Coincidence?
You mentioned nothing about flex which is a significant part of the suspension world...
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No reason to get all defensive about your ancient suspension...it is what it is. I'd like to point out that your style of forks has been abandoned entirely by the sportbike market. Coincidence?
You mentioned nothing about flex which is a significant part of the suspension world...
I think you missed the point entirely too.
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gee i guess i need to ditch my ancient conventional telescopic forks for superior USD forks on my 03-04 600RR......... but this is the same ancient outdated conventional telescopic forks i used to beat the competition running superior USD forks on their R1, 1000RR, 1098 superbikes during my last race.
i also need to ditch my ancient conventional Nissin brake calipers in favor of the superior Tokico, Brembo, Soqi monoblock radial calipers that the aforementioned bikes use............ but wait this is the same ancient conventional brake calipers i used to outbrake my competition.
don't underestimate what a resprung & revalved conventional fork can do, a well tuned conventional fork can perform just as well as a well tuned USD fork, running USD forks don't mean squat if you can't dial it in & for street riding you won't notice the difference between a conventional & USD fork.
same goes for the brakes, for street riding you can't tell the difference between conventional vs radial calipers unless you're braking at the limit.
it's a good thing i spent my money on Ohlins springs & Bitubo valving shims to tune my ancient conventional Showa cartridge fork, if i happened to join the USD conversion bandwagon i would have just ended up with a stock under damped & under sprung forks that would require new springs & new valving to make it work which would have cost a lot more.
besides i love to beat guys on modern, technically superior 600, 750, 1000, 1200 sportbikes with my ancient, outdated & inferior 03-04 600RR, if i lose to them i can just make up an excuse that it's my bike but if i beat them they have no excuse.
one of the guys i raced against told me to "upgrade" to a 1000, i asked him why? he said "so that we wouldn't be humiliated if we got beat by a rider on a 1000, to get beat by a 600 is just too much" that is why i love my bike even more.
Any other 05-06 rider want to disagree rather than show how much better their "space aged" one year newer inverted forks are? Or do they want to post up their irrelevant automotive chassis certificates instead?
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gee i guess i need to ditch my ancient conventional telescopic forks for superior USD forks on my 03-04 600RR......... but this is the same ancient outdated conventional telescopic forks i used to beat the competition running superior USD forks on their R1, 1000RR, 1098 superbikes during my last race.
i also need to ditch my ancient conventional Nissin brake calipers in favor of the superior Tokico, Brembo, Soqi monoblock radial calipers that the aforementioned bikes use............ but wait this is the same ancient conventional brake calipers i used to outbrake my competition.
don't underestimate what a resprung & revalved conventional fork can do, a well tuned conventional fork can perform just as well as a well tuned USD fork, running USD forks don't mean squat if you can't dial it in & for street riding you won't notice the difference between a conventional & USD fork.
same goes for the brakes, for street riding you can't tell the difference between conventional vs radial calipers unless you're braking at the limit.
it's a good thing i spent my money on Ohlins springs & Bitubo valving shims to tune my ancient conventional Showa cartridge fork, if i happened to join the USD conversion bandwagon i would have just ended up with a stock under damped & under sprung forks that would require new springs & new valving to make it work which would have cost a lot more.
besides i love to beat guys on modern, technically superior 600, 750, 1000, 1200 sportbikes with my ancient, outdated & inferior 03-04 600RR, if i lose to them i can just make up an excuse that it's my bike but if i beat them they have no excuse.
one of the guys i raced against told me to "upgrade" to a 1000, i asked him why? he said "so that we wouldn't be humiliated if we got beat by a rider on a 1000, to get beat by a 600 is just too much" that is why i love my bike even more.
Any other 05-06 rider want to disagree rather than show how much better their "space aged" one year newer inverted forks are? Or do they want to post up their irrelevant automotive chassis certificates instead?
Your a idiot... Read the bottom it clearly states "Motorcycle Division"
We get it, you're the guy whom has sat in a classroom and has the most up-to-date modern suspension designed even after the death of our beloved space program took place, handcrafted by aliens from Area 51, in the spirit of Steve Jobs and all things technologically advanced.
Back to Post a pic of your 03-06 600RR!!!! please!
__________________
'04 CTB 600RR
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Speed never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you.
Certified... Not I work at a shop and have ancient suspension:D
your bike may have USD forks but inside it still has the same outdated 20mm cartridge damper with combined rebound/compression damping which our ancient forks have.
if you want to be really updated you might want to consider changing to a big piston fork like the 2013 600RR has or retrofit an Ohlins NIX 30mm or TTX 25mm gas cartridges with separate compression (left leg)& rebound (right leg).
your bike may have USD forks but inside it still has the same outdated 20mm cartridge damper with combined rebound/compression damping which our ancient forks have.
if you want to be really updated you might want to consider changing to a big piston fork like the 2013 600RR has or retrofit an Ohlins NIX 30mm or TTX 25mm gas cartridges with separate compression (left leg)& rebound (right leg).
Inverted forks are positioned on the motorcycle opposite or upside down when compared to conventional forks. The leverage forces that cause fork flex are greatest at the triple clamp area and weakest at the front axle. On inverted forks, the large outer tube of the fork is clamped in the bike’s triple clamps and the sliding inner tube holds the axle and front wheel. By locating the large diameter tubes in the triple clamp, the inverted or upside down fork have their largest and strongest parts combating the highest stress. This arrangement gives the forks high rigidity, which improves their response by reducing the side loading of the internal bushings (sliding surfaces). This kind of response is particularly important in high performance applications. Most inverted forks use cartridge-type damping systems.
Also, since the damping mechanisms are now held by the triple clamps, unsprung weight is minimized. Reducing unsprung weight is one of the biggest contributors to quality suspension performance, particularly for featherweight motorcycles like the YZ series or R1 and R6.
our forks suck bro! get some Ohlins 43mm gas charged Superbike forks & Brembo monoblock calipers! yours & mine are ancient!
So in conclusion, it looks like inverted forks provide better performance (more rigid, less sprung weight, etc.) but at cost of bit more maintenance (no easy fork oil drain it seems like on a standard fork)
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Easiest way to put it is this, Honda changed forks for a reason. If they didn't think it was "better" they woulda kept the 03-04 forks. Simple as that, discussion over.
So in conclusion, it looks like inverted forks provide better performance (more rigid, less sprung weight, etc.) but at cost of bit more maintenance (no easy fork oil drain it seems like on a standard fork)
actually you can drain the fork oil by removing the external compression damping adjusters at the bottom of your fork.
