2006 GS500f Fork question

[Howler]

Hi guys. I have had a recent incident with my 2006 GS500f and have bent the forks. The locale bike shop says the fork are too bent to straighten out properly. So I'm looking for some inner tubes. He informs me that he can get OME parts for 329 each or aftermarket ones for 225 each. Both of which can take up to 6 weeks to get. (I'm located in Kitchener/Waterloo in Canada). I can do a lot of the work myself but I am just not too sure what other options are available to me. Before I go and spend the money I would like to weigh all my options. I am fairly new to the bike scene so I could use some help or suggestions as to what parts I can swap out from other bikes or am I just restricted to looking for GS500 forks. ANY and ALL help is greatly appreciated. Summer is coming to a close and each day is a missed opportunity to ride. 

Thanks in advance.

[Dr.McNinja]

Hi guys. I have had a recent incident with my 2006 GS500f and have bent the forks. The locale bike shop says the fork are too bent to straighten out properly. So I'm looking for some inner tubes. He informs me that he can get OME parts for 329 each or aftermarket ones for 225 each. Both of which can take up to 6 weeks to get. (I'm located in Kitchener/Waterloo in Canada). I can do a lot of the work myself but I am just not too sure what other options are available to me. Before I go and spend the money I would like to weigh all my options. I am fairly new to the bike scene so I could use some help or suggestions as to what parts I can swap out from other bikes or am I just restricted to looking for GS500 forks. ANY and ALL help is greatly appreciated. Summer is coming to a close and each day is a missed opportunity to ride. 

Thanks in advance.

When we replaced my buddy's forks on his 2006 GS500F we ended up grabbing forks from an older model EK off Ebay (I believe that's what they were) and they were 100% compatible with the triple tree and all of that. Just be careful, we had to REALLY muscle those things into the tree to get them to sit and then spent another 2 hours adjusting and riding to make sure that one side wasn't higher than the other. I highly advise you bring two friends and a case of decent quality beer. It took us 6 hours, but me and my friend are built like horse jockey's.

[mike__R]

You should be OK if you can find a good used set on eBay - either whole forks or just the parts you need.

[GSnoober]

I agree that you should simply buy a used set of forks; in fact, you can post a "WTB" thread in the "FOR SALE" section here:

http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?board=2.0

MANY of the members have parts for sale, and I'm sure you could buy a complete set of forks for less than the price of the repairs you're considering.

In fact, some of the members (werase643, dgyver, The Buddha among others) can probably sell you an UPGRADED set of forks ready to install; just ask and see what is available. GS500 forks with aftermarket springs, a Katana 600 / 750 front end, whatever cuts your mustard is probably sitting somewhere in GSTwinnerland waiting for a new home...

Post an ad and take a shot at getting a better front end delivered to your doorstep. I consider buying from Fleabay to be a crapshoot; IMO, buying from a trusted member here, especially buying from one of the people who wrench a GS as often as they ride one, is a MUCH better way to meet your needs. NO ONE here will sell you junk; they have reputations to protect, so you'll know EXACTLY what you're getting BEFORE you send payment.

Post an ad; the sellers will come to you with parts ready to bolt-on...

Good luck; I can't wait to see what great options you'll have to choose from...

EDITED to correct a damn typo...

[adidasguy]

All forks are the same with the following exceptions:\

1. Newer forks have a mounting for the round reflector. This is because a reflector is required by law. The fairing covers up where the reflector used to go. You can get stick on reflectors (like on Trey) or reflectors that mount with a metal band (like I did on Suzi and Junior) if you get older forks

2. newer forks have a nicer screw cap on the forks. Older ones have a crappy looking screw top that is covered by a black plastic cap

Otherwise, they are the same. They are interchangeable.

Sets show up on fleabay. I bought a set for a little over $99 and another set with a nearly new triple with bearings for about $200. There are 2 sets right now. One for $169 and another set for $199.

[lucky4034]

Check the "trade" section of this forum first.... in most cases, you can find the parts you need and at very good prices.

There are a couple of guys here that have forks for sale.

[jmelchio]

When we replaced my buddy's forks on his 2006 GS500F we ended up grabbing forks from an older model EK off Ebay (I believe that's what they were) and they were 100% compatible with the triple tree and all of that. Just be careful, we had to REALLY muscle those things into the tree to get them to sit and then spent another 2 hours adjusting and riding to make sure that one side wasn't higher than the other. I highly advise you bring two friends and a case of decent quality beer. It took us 6 hours, but me and my friend are built like horse jockey's.

I'm wondering if everything was lined up properly when you did that. I've changed the fork springs on my bike (2006 GS500F) which involves taking both legs out and it was not hard at all to put everything back together. In my experience it's usually not good if you have to 'muscle' things together.

I'd save the beer for after the job to make sure you're sober while working on your bike  .

[Dr.McNinja]

When we replaced my buddy's forks on his 2006 GS500F we ended up grabbing forks from an older model EK off Ebay (I believe that's what they were) and they were 100% compatible with the triple tree and all of that. Just be careful, we had to REALLY muscle those things into the tree to get them to sit and then spent another 2 hours adjusting and riding to make sure that one side wasn't higher than the other. I highly advise you bring two friends and a case of decent quality beer. It took us 6 hours, but me and my friend are built like horse jockey's.

I'm wondering if everything was lined up properly when you did that. I've changed the fork springs on my bike (2006 GS500F) which involves taking both legs out and it was not hard at all to put everything back together. In my experience it's usually not good if you have to 'muscle' things together.

I'd save the beer for after the job to make sure you're sober while working on your bike  .

We triple checked. Everything was.

It may have been we didn't use any type of lubricant to get them to slide in, or that we didn't loosen the tree enough. They definitely were installed correctly though. Forks are a place you really don't want to make any mistakes on .

[Howler]

Hey Everyone. Thanks for all the info. It did help a lot. I was lucky enough to find a complete set of forks around here for quite a bit less. And bonus is I can pick them up today which means, this being the great news, I can be riding tomorrow. 

Thanks all again for the help.