Swapping to other forks like the YZ then brings on other legal issues which can impact on insurance and registration in many countries. In Oz a blue slip is needed and in an accident/insurance situation if an assessor notices the different forks it can void the insurance and opens a can of worms. In some European countries rego authorities simply wont approve the machine for rego even with an engineering certificate. With the Terra/Strada swapping full Shiver cartridges from a TE or similar into the existing fork legs gives the best result of performance and rego compliance
I suggest you start looking at insurance implications - given that insurancecompanies are "morally bankrupt" & that changes of forks could be considered negatively
Obviously you've never needed to deal with a morally bankrupt insurance company Keep the bike looking as it was built & there're be no reason for questions
Hey Ricky, just so you know, engineerk9 gets out there on his bike, I mean OUT there, and generally SOLO. And I'd bet be's been doing it before you dribbled out of your old man's .....
Thanks Wayne - I think that the modifications that Terry Hay at Shock Treatment is more than adequate for our TR/Stradas at realistic cost & simplicity - it's transformed the front end on my TR
Thank you sussurf - I assembled my first bike from BSA, Triumh & Matchless bits'n'pieces in March 1960, I've been riding ever since - I was fortunate that my Uncle Billy was a motorcycle Cop & taught me how to ride relatively safely - there is a certain something about riding long distances solo (even across deserts), I also used to single-handedly sail yachts I'd designed & built myself, across the ocean
Just returned from a ride in the bush on the terra with the yz KYB conversion. In spite of what some folk are saying here its astounding how good my bike is now but a bit limited by the rear suspension. Even in my initial conversation with Mr Terry Hay he said that Id still only have limited travel and no adjustability with the race tech solution which is why Ive gone with the KYB. He wasnt that into my choice of fork but was prepared to work with it because I wanted more travel.I took it to another shop where they were a little more positive about what I was after and it was a lot closer to where I live. Next I intend to replace the rear shock with something good which will be expensive but I reckon it'll be worth it I do ride a proper dirtbike so I reckon Ive got a fair idea of what Im after with my ADV bike. Which I can appreciate not everyone wants
I think we're all open to worthwhile upgrades to our suspension but there are some legitimate concerns on legality etc. which is why I think a cartridge retrofit inside the standard tubes would be a good idea. Who ended up doing the work for you? I've heard that Technik are also quite familiar with these forks now and have their own solution.
My concern now after the fork conversion is the rear swinging arm, which bends allowing the tyre to contact up under the seat - Or maybe I should stop jumping off cliffs (!)
Trooper Lus in Moorebank did my forks and I have a mechanic friend put it together. on another note i have mates with the shiver forks on Husky s and the seals blow all the time , they are a pain to fix too thats probably why they moved to KYBs like on my WR300 and yeah need to replace the rear shock to turn it into the 690 killer. Im sure youd need to do a bit of work to one of them to get it right and they are bloody expensive to start with Im really not too concerned with insurance issues but thats up to me. Whos to say an assessor wouldnt dis allow a claim because of a cartridge re fit?
Trooper Lu are the reason I had so many problems with my TR - I wouldn't go there even as a last resort Terry Hay at Shock Treatment sorted the rear shock for me, well enough to undertake seriously long desert/adventure rides Cartridge refit no issue, fork swap different issue
Not that you'd be immune from repercussions with a cartridge swap out, just that it wouldn't be so visually obvious to an onlooker and may fly under the radar of investigation.
Fitting the TE/Shiver cartridges into the existing fork legs means there is no structural change to the forks and hence no requirement for an engineering report/Oz Blue Slip and in effect it is merely enabling valving change by fitting the more sophisticated cartridges which are designed to fit Marzocchi 45mm forks instead of the sealed cartridges so there can be no implications from an insurance perspective, just like any other make/model owner having their forks serviced and valving changed.
Cant fault the work on my forks and Ive had a few fork set ups. Im reluctant to let anyone work on my terra apart from Moto GC in Melbourne where I bought it. Ill be throwing out the original rear shock and fitting something out standing a bit more travel, adjustability and hydraulic preload is what Im after but it'll have to wait a few months
I fitted Racetech shocks to my ZRX1100, amazing improvement - again Terry Hay (Shock treatment) set them up perfectly for me
