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What's the best upgrade that you have made to your stock front suspension? ( lots of great options for rear shocks are out there so I'm good there)
The FXR is a blast to carve up corners but the stock front suspension is up to this bikes potential. I have some ideas but I would like to know what has been done and actually improved handling.
I put a 1200R front end on my 83 FXR which allowed me to run modern twin 4 piston callipers and better rotors. Larger tubes, better brakes and doesn't look too out of place. I have the correct strut front fender, arrived today actually.
I put a 1200R front end on my 83 FXR which allowed me to run modern twin 4 piston callipers and better rotors. Larger tubes, better brakes and doesn't look too out of place. I have the correct strut front fender, arrived today actually.
Looks sweet, did you buy the whole front end including tree's?
Looks sweet, did you buy the whole front end including tree's?
First I'll say it wasn't a straight bolt on affair and my 83 had different challenges than my 84 did because of the steering lock tab design change. I bought the new forks from HD, came complete and even filled with oil. I bought the upper and lower trees elsewhere then cut the steering lock tab off the lower tree not the frame. Didn't have that issue on the 84 though. Then the other variable was the spoked 19" front wheel, stayed with the stock cast wheel on the 84 which was the easier path. The spoked wheel left zero room for centering error and the right side speedo drive on that particular wheel had to be narrowed as did the inside of the right lower leg. So basically everything that connected to another thing gave me a challenge. The spoked wheel being the biggest pita but I wanted that look and dual rotors and 4 piston callipers so it was my own doing. If I buy another fxr down the road I'll do the same mod again no question. The final issue is the strut fender mount. You need to re-drill mount holes to get the fender where you want it, the current fender I bought from lowbrow for $60 because mine had the wrong fender when I bought the bike, the lowbrow as a quick bolt on solution at the time.
Front callipers are a 2000 or so FLH I found on ebay, the ones on the 83 were listed as CVO which just means they were silver not black. The 84 above has a redrilled repop front fender and left side speedo. I found an original front fender on ebay for the 83 with the right side speedo cable tab which is what Im running on the 83 which could be another reason why clearance and centering was a challenge. Still worth the trouble.
Evo FXR and a hot motor was all the rage in my shop more then 10 years of building them into runners - maybe 100 of them total back then we only used the 1989 and on version ( starter and clutch mostly ) and fork anulaters
Evo FXR and a hot motor was all the rage in my shop more then 10 years of building them into runners - maybe 100 of them total back then we only used the 1989 and on version ( starter and clutch mostly ) and fork anulaters
RaceTec makes emulators for 35mm forks, do they make a difference?
Are the early FXR's 35mm tubes or 39mm tubes? If 39, I would think there must be easier upgrades out there keeping your trees and changing everything below the lower tree. We have all seen FLH shovels get upgraded to later tubes using stock trees. But based on the commentary I am assuming they are 35mm.
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FXR front suspension
