Good write up I found 3/4 bearings for the old legs /axle when I put the 2013 wheel on. But when I do the front brake calipers and lower legs I will follow your lead. I have heard the newer master really makes a diff. Thanks for sharing

 

I can see the master making a difference. However, for my needs, I have no problem applying a little more pressure to get the desired result. Meaning, its not going to do a "stoppie" with two fingers, but with a fist full, it might! They are very positive, much better, smoother and controllable than the stock '95s.. I'm pretty content with them as they are.. On a side note, I did try an '09 master.. The issue I ran into was that it would not work with the pre '96 switches, and I was running out of money.. Hindsight, I probably would have bought the switches, but the timing didn't work out.. No regrets so far..

On a related note to the front end, I did add the Race Tech springs with gold emulators, with some Motorcycle Metal guided mod's.. Howard was great and walked me through some suspension details. I also used his rear blocks for the swingarm upgrade.. Details on that to come...

 

I was initially reluctant since the axle is pretty important, but once I realized that it already had a 3/4" end, I got pretty comfortable with the idea.. The main vertical clamping force is on the right leg, solid 1", the right does carry load, but its got the preload job as much as anything.. If 3/4" was good for the entire axle when this bike was build, I felt an extra 3/4" of that diameter would be just fine. One thing I didn't mention earlier. The cable does need to make a little sharper bend to get around the massive brakes.. Not anything bad, but it doesn't just lay below the caliper as before.. A +2" or 4" cable would be a nice addition if you could get one..

I purposely kept myself out of the trans, that sensuous disease would have talked me into a 6spd if I had opened it....... I did keep the EFI crank sensor though, and thought I could make an electronic speedo work for that if I ever had a problem with this drive. I just didnt want to change the instruments. It's the old pre '96 dash and believe it would be more un necessary work and expense for this project..

 

Good info HGM, the wheel/brake upgrades worked out great, + fresh engine, awesome.

How does the front suspension mods feel?

 

Very nice, Howard recomended a light fork oil(15wt, I think), but I decided to go with mid grade(20) instead..... Well, its a little firmer than I expected, though very positive with no dive on braking nor shifting. Very noticable.. Either way, when the guy you trust for info, tells you to do something, you should probably do it.... I'm going to play with my air pressure a bit, but I'm pretty sure I'll be going with 15W next go around..

I'll expand on my rear mods later, but I really need rear shocks to round it all out.. I'm just having a difficult swallowing the price tag at the moment..

 

HGM, I just installed Howard's 2.5-3 Ohlins a couple days ago, they definately do what they suppose to, money well spent.
He had the preload adjusted within a mm, straight out the box, I backed off the damping adjusters 1 click, awesome ride, I'm sure he can build them with his eyes closed.
And it now shows what the front end is lacking.

I have some tokiko calipers on hand for the front brakes, but I rather go the route you did with the later lowers and Brembos, later wheel and rotors.
And better performing front suspension.

I take it you did away with the anti-dive air system.
If I do some front end suspension mods, I'd like to run two separate hoses from the top of the forks, from the existing anti-dive fittings so I can still have access to change fork oil with a vacuum pump.

 

I did keep it.. After a bit of research, I found that the '99 and up baggers used a simple line like the rears, no resivour.. Sounded like a fine idea till I found out how prone to leakage it was. So, I just installed my fork air manifold with solenoid, as it was, with a schrader valve in the end of the hose that would normally connect to the handlebars.. This is just a temporary thing though.. I believe the resivour is pretty important for performance, so will be revisiting that shortly... I have yet to work it all out, however Graham indicated that it should be about the size of a beer can.. I'm not sure how others are, but on my bike, there is a large void under the battery box. My intentions are to build something to fit there. I will then use some form of tubing to minimize rubber hose flexing, but I assume it will work out just fine.. TBD, I just want to ride this damn thing for a bit before working on it anymore

 

So, a little update after 1500mi.. The front end was just obnoxious with the 20W in it. I ended up changing it out yesterday to 5W, after talking to Howard (about rears, next project ).. Its much better, still very positive, but much less harsh.. Even with the 20W, it felt good on a good road, but the big bumps were jarring.. I'll post back with updates later as I get more mileage on the 5W.. There is a 2.5W available too, might eeven give that a shot on the next change.. The whole idea is that the "shocks" work by controlling movement with the springs. The speed at which the springs react is controlled by the viscosity of the fluid passing through the holes. So, a thin oil will react faster = less jarring.. Its all pretty basic.. Speedo and brakes are sill working beautifully, though the rear belt adjustment is not as positive as I had hoped, I've had to adjust the damn thing twice..

I did strobe the engine. The timing looked like it ended up being 36* at 1500 according to the light and marks.. Its such a shitty marking system, I'm still not comfortable that its perfect, but I set it by the Dyna 2000P module procedure/LED on/off identification.. Seeing as I'm able to run on switch position #1 with no ping, unless conditions are absolutely perfect, I decided to leave it alone..

The Evl 3020 is very nice. It does leave me wondering if I would have preferred the 3010 I had intentions on, but I'm satisfied with the decision at this point.. The bike is my highway (3000-3500rpm) bike, pretty much in the 3020's sweet spot at all times. The cam with the carb and compression is much more snappy than stock and just overall a much more joy to ride..

Lastly, I had intended to run a big sucker to avoid the "road draft" and keep a low pressure in the crankcase. However, the damn thing is filthy and will be coming off in the future..

 

Hey, one more thing if you guys with air suspension on your baggers aren't aware.. The oil change is extremely simple.. I happen to have an electric vacuum pump from my wrench turning days/ auto ac.. However, a mighty vac would work just fine if you have a helper..

I pulled the Schrader valve and drained the forks as normal. Then, I put a vac on the Schrader and sucked the new oil up into the legs. Piece of cake.. Couple things to account for though. You need to capture the oil drained, so it can be measured, making sure you get the right amount back in. I would like to find a better way to suck it back in, but I just used a piece of vac hose that fit the thread. I also, like the idea of only using part of the pumps capacity to pull the vac. Essentially, I didn't pull the whole 29" on the legs, I took it a bit slower. I have to believe that if you got too aggressive with the vacuum, you may pull some oil into the pump, or dirt past the seals.. Anyhow, its as good an argument to keep the air suspension as I have heard..

 

Nice job, especially on the front suspension. I just tried to go the rear speedometer drive route and it simply didn't work. I will try notching my hub. The brakes are on the right side of the springer.
Thanks for this post HGM!
Tom