Author Topic: The USD project is on the road (now with pics!) (Read 5269 times)

turbofb · « **on:** May 14, 2007, 01:12:05 AM »

I put my first 50 miles on the frontend conversion today,mainly to scuff up the new tires and get a feel for the new legs and riding position.
I must say,I have absolutely no regrets about this project....its AWESOME!!The riding position is still comfy,maybe more so than my big FZR.There is no buzz through the handlebars,despite the lack of rubber dampers.The bike is so small and the reach so short,that little weight transfers to my wrists.The new Dunlop Qualifiers stick like glue,although I doubt Ill ever be able to use them to the edge,they have such a pronounced crown,Id have to lay the bike on its side to get the chicken strips to go all the way.The frontend was initially very rough,until I relaized that the compression damping was cranked all the way in.A few turns here and there settled the forks down nicely.Its a night and day difference from the soft,stock forks.Ill have fun messing around with all the screws on these things.I know stock suspension cant hold a candle to aftermarket race stuff,but the stock adjustments really do make a pronouced difference in the compression and rebound action....maybe its because the bike is so light.The brakes are crazy,its like "Ludicrous Speed" in reverse!I havent mashed them to the point the rear comes up,but they feel like they could detatch my retinas if I pulled hard enough on the lever.For the maiden voyage,everything wetn great,I have nothing but awe for this upgrade and I cant wait to explore the limits of what the bike can do.

Heres the final product for now,still some stuff I need to take care of like gearing,a new chain and my GSXR400 swingarm,but for now Im gonna ride it a bit since shes been laid up for the last month or so....

turbofb · « **Reply #1 on:** May 14, 2007, 02:57:03 AM »

And,Ill get some better/bigger pics tommorow......Im not sure what happend with the camera,but it looks as bad as some phones Ive used....

Garyola · « **Reply #2 on:** May 14, 2007, 09:39:11 AM »

Very nice work! It looks great.

G

del la sol · « **Reply #3 on:** May 14, 2007, 10:44:05 AM »

Nice write up, looks great! I've read that for the gsxr rear shock you have to relocate the coolant resevoir, how did you adress that, and any other issues?

Was the front end as simple as pressing in the bandit 400 stem and bolting it on?

Herr Tod · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2007, 01:46:32 PM »

Looks cool. What year USD is that? I notice the front fender is different than mine ('92), and some details too. I'd get a GSXR750/1100W shock instead of a K1/2/3 model, I've had both and the old shock handles a lot better than the new one.

turbofb · « **Reply #5 on:** May 14, 2007, 02:39:45 PM »

The rear shock is out of an 06 GSXR750.Its basically a bolt in,except that the coolant res has to go.I havent got another yet,I intend to get a res that will fit under the right side rear panel,like my Yamaha's are.Not running any resevior isnt a big deal,the cooling system is still full when the engine is warm.It just means a little air is drawn into the system when the bike cools down......vehicles ran this type of system for decades with no issues.I went with the newer model because they are abundant and it was brand spankin' new.

The frontend is a hodge-podge of Ebay parts.No one sells a complete setup anymore,they get more money by parting it all out.The triples and forks are from a 95' GSXR750,the calipers are from a Huyabusa,the fender is from an 01'-03'ish GSXR and the wheel is from another guy's 90's GSXR.

You dont need to press the stem,the entire tree is a drop in affair if you stick to the pre-SRAD (91-95) bikes.Its always a good idea to use new stem bearings,mine came with new ones,in the box which was awesome.

400runner · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2007, 05:12:13 PM »

Great job. I have had mine with an 05 gsx1000 frontend for almost a year and I love it. you will have lots of fun with this conversion. I found that the bike felt some what under power because the suspension worked so well. I take mine out to the canyons here is Los Angeles and its where it makes all the difference. The TWISTIES

Looks good.

Herr Tod · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2007, 06:22:27 PM »

Quote from: "turbofb"

Not running any resevior isnt a big deal,the cooling system is still full when the engine is warm.It just means a little air is drawn into the system when the bike cools down......

You are mistaken. The cooling system needs the reservoir as a buffer. Try riding with the overflow hose high up in an empty bottle, when the engine gets warmed up the bottle will fill with coolant. When I ran the new GSXR type of shock I made brackets which put the batteryholder, and thus the coolant reservoir, 40 mm's backwards.

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2007, 06:26:12 PM »

Quote from: "Herr Tod"

Quote from: "turbofb"
Not running any resevior isnt a big deal,the cooling system is still full when the engine is warm.It just means a little air is drawn into the system when the bike cools down......

You are mistaken. The cooling system needs the reservoir as a buffer. Try riding with the overflow hose high up in an empty bottle, when the engine gets warmed up the bottle will fill with coolant. When I ran the new GSXR type of shock I made brackets which put the batteryholder, and thus the coolant reservoir, 40 mm's backwards.

I agree got to have it they dump water like mad

turbofb · « **Reply #9 on:** May 14, 2007, 07:36:50 PM »

It did dump a little water the first time I warmed the bike up,due to expansion.Upon contraction,the cooling system takes in air instead of water,so there is a pocket of air at the top of the system now.Since air stays at the top of the system,to normally be burped in the resevior,that pocket is pushed out when the cooling system expands and reaches normal temp.It hasent lost a drop of water since the first startup a few months ago,and I have carfully checked the hot water level shortly after shutdown and its about 1/4" below the radiator cap level.Im not saying your wrong,I do plan on finding a res. that will fit in the tail,I just havent got around to it yet and Ive had no issue running an open system.A very large number of the machines I work on still run open systems,like many cars did up until the mid 70's.

Heres a few hi-res pictures I took today,my camera was on Email mode yesterday......

pmackie · « **Reply #10 on:** May 14, 2007, 08:04:46 PM »

Nice, clean looking conversion. Well done!

del la sol · « **Reply #11 on:** May 14, 2007, 08:17:27 PM »

so sexy

Red01 · « **Reply #12 on:** May 14, 2007, 09:49:35 PM »

I just wish they made modern front fenders that were long enough in the back to keep the motor a little cleaner. My B12's fender is still too short, even with the Fenda Extenda on it.

GooseMan · « **Reply #13 on:** May 15, 2007, 11:57:35 AM »

Sweet! Looks badass!

For some reason, I'm not too fond of the front fender...I dont know why, but I dont like it. But thats just me!

I'm weird like that.

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #14 on:** May 15, 2007, 01:06:47 PM »

just think of cavitation if you know anything about boats or jet skis a impeller that has air to is cavitates and creates hot spots on the blades of the impeller and soon you have something that cant effectively push the same amount of water flow as things also heat up bearings go bad and seals sealed cooling system . short and sweet hope i explained it clear enough im no jet ski expert but i did stay at a Holiday inn express last night LOL.

Bike looks real nice mate.
cheers
Jay