Lowering Forks on Yamaha XS750

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FranklinMarquette

New Member
Hey everybody. I am a complete newb with bike building and this project will be my first. My XS750 is completely stock at the moment. Its all stripped down and waiting for new parts. I am going to pick a seat soon and cut the frame to fit accordingly as well as build a new electronics tray. After that i'll send most of the parts and the frame in for powder coating. Then it will be time for me to figure out suspension.

Are there any notable chassis upgrades/changes worth doing before I have the whole frame powder coated?

What is the best rear/front suspension setup. I've heard talk of lowering the front end a couple inches but have no idea what the best approach is or why it is necessary. What rear shocks are good ... i've heard good things about Hagon.

I know im a little new to this but I am eager to learn. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
Don't lower the bike. Get a good set of rear shocks in the stock length (Hagons are great) and leave the front end as is but rebuild the internals with modern bits.
 
Okay and where do I get the "modern bits" to rebuild the internals with? Im guessing the frame is good as-is minus the seat modification. Why do people lower them then? What are some of the best websites to order these parts off of?
 
FranklinMarquette said:
Okay and where do I get the "modern bits" to rebuild the internals with? Im guessing the frame is good as-is minus the seat modification. Why do people lower them then? What are some of the best websites to order these parts off of?
Click to expand...

You can get new springs from some place like racetec (can also get emulators if you want to go nuts) or you can go progressive springs. I generally run racetec in my bikes. New seals and dust covers you can just nab off ebay, they are generally all the same. Just take them apart, clean them up and put them back together. Those places along with Hagon will help you pick the right springs for your weight/riding style. There are alot of options out there. I think progressive/hagons are your best entry level components without getting into chineeseium.

People say to 'drop the front end' on alot of bikes, it will generally make your bike turn in harder. It changes the way your bike handles. If you are new to this I wouldn't go changing your bike geometry until you ride it forwhile and can make a good judgement as to what you need. You can always drop the forks down in your tree 1/2"-1" to test what that does to the ride. Raising the back does the same thing
 
I think I need to do some reading before anything haha. Do you know of any good articles regarding suspension. I'd like to fully understand the benefits of all before I pursue anything.

Also I no longer have the original manual/diagrams for the bike. Whats a good option for a manual with exploded diagrams. I just would like something handy when reassembling it and for ordering stock parts like bearings, seals, etc

Thanks for all the help!
 
Progressive and RaceTech are companies that make suspension components. In this case, fork springs. Emulators are internal fork components that "upgrade" fork performance. Check out a book called the Race Tech Suspension Bible.
 
You can usually find cheap copies on EBay
 

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FranklinMarquette said:
I think I need to do some reading before anything haha.
Click to expand...

Is there somewhere to nominate this for the "best noob statement of the year"?

Good on ya man

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
Emulators emulate cartridge forks. Most older forks have damper rods in them that are not as precise or even give a low and high speed compression damping. Read that book that Von put up and you can learn alot and apply it to your riding. Those old vintage short wheelbase bikes turn pretty quick.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using DO THE TON mobile app
 
Okay perfect ordered up the book it's exactly what I was looking for. So as far as the manual goes ... I've found one by Haynes and one by Clymer ... which one is prefered?

@HURCO550 haha I just want to make sure I understand exactly what I'm doing before I do it ... hopefully it will save headaches in the future :)
 
So sort of off topic from the original question but ...

My current plan just to make things easy is to use the original rotors (maybe have them drilled ... anybody know a company that would do it?) and rebuild and repaint the original calipers with SS pistons, SS HEL brake lines, and EBC kevlar brake pads. Now it costs about $100 per caliper to rebuild so my question is will this be worth it or should I start looking into custom fitting a different rotor/caliper combo on? Also what master cylinders front and rear would work well with the stock setup?

Thanks again everyone! Ill post a link to the build thread as soon as I start taking pics haha
 
Economy cycle drills rotors but you could just do it yourself. Best thing would be to let a pro resurface them first to freshen them up as long as they are within factory spec.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using DO THE TON mobile app
 
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