How do you think '83 xl100 shocks would do on my CL100?

[v30magna]

I picked up a few bikes this weekend. 2 of them are early '80s XL 100s. Motor seems to be more like an XR75/xr80 style, but the bikes are mid sized, like my '74 XL100. The forks are the same diameter as my Project CL100, and they are spaced apart the same distance as my CL as well. The tree looks like it'll probably work (may have to use the CL100 lower and the XL100 top). If I use 2 of the left xl shocks, they have lugs that I can mount a fender to (new holes would need to be drilled in the factory CL front fender, but it'll work. XL100 shocks are about 28 inches from the axle to the top, CL shocks are about 25 3/4 inches axle to top. The difference in length isn't an issue, as the XL shocks travel more, so if I put them just a little high in the tree, the bike will level out when I sit on it. I'm running '74 KZ400 rear shocks, which are much stiffer than the factory rears, and are 1/2 inch longer than factory.

The question is: Do you think the XL forks would perform well? They are bouncier than the CL forks, they travel more, and aren't as tight as the CL forks, which concerns me. My factory forks are bent back, and the chrome tubes are shot (wouldn't hold oil seals if I tried), so I gotta do something.

 

[Scruffy]

Heavier fork oil would probably help with a lot of that. On my bikes, regardless of what the book says, I refill them with Dexron 3 ATF. Collapse the upper tubes into the sliders, fill the upper tubes to the top with ATF, extend forks, drop in guts, bolt up. So far so good. No blown fork seals yet.

And that's the key word, yet. I've either been very lucky so far or the factory oil fill on Savages, Intruders, and Vulcans is not sufficient, because my way uses a lot more fluid... Have not done either set of CL forks yet.

 

[v30magna]

ok, so try loading up with fork oil. Any other tips or pointers? Who else is running dirtbike forks on a road bike?

 

[v30magna]

Ok, update: Tried these out yesterday. I had to use the bottom tree from the CL100 because the neck on the CL is longer than the '81 XL100. Much to my aggravation the top tree from the XL100 will not fit! I found the XL100 tree sits further back than the CL, so it wouldn't line up at all. the CL tree sits about 3/8 of an inch further forward. At this point, the only way to make it work would be to lengthen the rod that goes through the frame neck on the XL100 tree, and use the whole XL100 tree and forks. Since this is precision work (must be perfectly strait), I'll say this swap is a no go for now, unless I can find a shop that'll lengthen the rod for cheap, or a tree top that clamps around the forks with the same location as the CL. I have a few ideas about doing the fab work to lengthen the rod myself, we'll just have to wait and see if I can find the confidence before I find a shop...

 

[v30magna]

Update: cut and welded the neck post. The xl100s was 20mm to short, so I cut it @ 80mm from the top of the post, cut 100mm off the top of the post on a junk ATC70 fork I had and welded it on (alignment was tough, but I got it). I now have XL 100s forks on my CL100! Only had to let the fork tubes come up 5mm past the top tree and she's level without me on it.

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

Just make sure full compression of the forks doesn't cause the wheel to hit anything, like the motor or frame...