Advice on a Frontend swap

[nuns_all_know_karate]

Hey guys, I just picked up a 07 gs500f and the steering head bearings are shot and the front fork feels very spongy. I have two options -- I replace the steering head bearings and go with new fork springs/heavier oil, or I find a donor bike with a frontend that I can put on. I've been reading up on fork swaps on this forum but I wanted your input on which frontends would be the simplest to put on. I've been looking at 04 - 08 GSXRs because that seems to be a reasonable year range but are there any other easy swaps out there? Can I go older than an 04? I'm about to start calling all the salvage yards to track one down and I want to make sure I'm not doing anything dumb. I know I'll pretty much need the whole frontend from the gauges down and I don't have the tools for this kind of work so I'm going to take it to a shop I trust. I'm just imagining the scenario where I buy a frontend and the shop calls me to say it's going to take a bunch of fabbing or extra hours of labor


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Big Rich]

The "easiest" would be stock. I haven't seen a front end swap yet that just bolted on. There will be some machining to make it fit, and going thru a shop won't be cheap.

Sorry man.

[iamhiding]

from what ive read, slabby gsxr front ends are the easiest way to go if but... parts are hard to find as the bikes have become a rarity or katana 600s (not the early kats)

the difficult bit on most swaps is getting the stem in the yokes/triple right, allballs have a really good chart for comparing bearing sizes which from that you can either match inner diameter between bikes to figure out stem diameter or use it to find appropriate bearings should the stems not match.

after diameter length of stem is a concern, theres a few ways to deal with it, its really not that difficult in most cases. either spacers to take up length or pressed further into the bottom yoke/triple if its safe to do so, failing that getting a new one machined or finding something suitable from another bike are the options but sod trying to compile a stem length chart online.

fork length is something you need to look at, but its something that is down to preference, you wouldn't want something massively shorter/longer. generally USD forks are shorter.

if you get a complete front end ie wheel, brakes blah blah it makes it alot easier.

steering stops on the frame will likely need to be modified or new ones made.

forget the term year range, there'll have been forks made in the 80s that are much more suited to the gs than its standard ones, you need to do some more research and figure out lengths and whats going to be an easy swap, theres a few gs pages elsewhere and places like customfighters. you'll likely find something thats pretty much bolt on.

//

you'd be surprised how much better the gs forks are with heavier oil and some braided lines. it completely transforms the bike. in terms of function, it would bring it up to where you need it to be and for very little cost. if you had the space, tools and time to research and do the job yourself id say hell yeah do the swap but remember to be realistic.

speaking as someone who has spent far too much time and money modding bikes and has seen too many projects started and not followed through... figure out what your priorities are. function, cheap transport, will you have the bike long, resale value, looks, commuter, project, how committed you are to it etc and take it from there as its alot of money to throw into 'just a gs500'. everything i have just turns into a crazy project wether i want it to or not. realistically unless you're looking to make the bike really really perform (for what it is) and start making it a mental little gs with all the other work involved, its a road youre probably better off not stepping down.

slightly hypocritical of me considering what ive done/im doing to my gs right enough never mind the other bikes haha but its all been cost effective as im fully hands on with it. the hours ive thrown into it would exceed the value of the gs quite substantially if they were being billed and thats before the cost of parts (all bought on the cheap mind you). all money i'll never see back but i know where my priorities lay and i'll have the bike for a very long time.

yeah dude excuse the ramble and i dont want to put you off doing it but theres some food for thought.

im in the middle of a rear wheel conversion to run decent rubber and gathering parts for a gsxr 750 wp front end swap.

[Mr. BIGGZ]

from what ive read, slabby gsxr front ends are the easiest way to go if but... parts are hard to find as the bikes have become a rarity or katana 600s (not the early kats)

the difficult bit on most swaps is getting the stem in the yokes/triple right, allballs have a really good chart for comparing bearing sizes which from that you can either match inner diameter between bikes to figure out stem diameter or use it to find appropriate bearings should the stems not match.

after diameter length of stem is a concern, theres a few ways to deal with it, its really not that difficult in most cases. either spacers to take up length or pressed further into the bottom yoke/triple if its safe to do so, failing that getting a new one machined or finding something suitable from another bike are the options but sod trying to compile a stem length chart online.

fork length is something you need to look at, but its something that is down to preference, you wouldn't want something massively shorter/longer. generally USD forks are shorter.

if you get a complete front end ie wheel, brakes blah blah it makes it alot easier.

steering stops on the frame will likely need to be modified or new ones made.

forget the term year range, there'll have been forks made in the 80s that are much more suited to the gs than its standard ones, you need to do some more research and figure out lengths and whats going to be an easy swap, theres a few gs pages elsewhere and places like customfighters. you'll likely find something thats pretty much bolt on.

//

you'd be surprised how much better the gs forks are with heavier oil and some braided lines. it completely transforms the bike. in terms of function, it would bring it up to where you need it to be and for very little cost. if you had the space, tools and time to research and do the job yourself id say hell yeah do the swap but remember to be realistic.

speaking as someone who has spent far too much time and money modding bikes and has seen too many projects started and not followed through... figure out what your priorities are. function, cheap transport, will you have the bike long, resale value, looks, commuter, project, how committed you are to it etc and take it from there as its alot of money to throw into 'just a gs500'. everything i have just turns into a crazy project wether i want it to or not. realistically unless you're looking to make the bike really really perform (for what it is) and start making it a mental little gs with all the other work involved, its a road youre probably better off not stepping down.

slightly hypocritical of me considering what ive done/im doing to my gs right enough never mind the other bikes haha but its all been cost effective as im fully hands on with it. the hours ive thrown into it would exceed the value of the gs quite substantially if they were being billed and thats before the cost of parts (all bought on the cheap mind you). all money i'll never see back but i know where my priorities lay and i'll have the bike for a very long time.

yeah dude excuse the ramble and i dont want to put you off doing it but theres some food for thought.

im in the middle of a rear wheel conversion to run decent rubber and gathering parts for a gsxr 750 wp front end swap.

Of the thousands of posts I've read on this forum, this by far is a top 5 contender. Well said and it should be it's own sticky!! BRAVO!!