98 front forks

no way that I know of - but I know very little about forks.

All I do know for certain is that the OEM progressive spring is the most worthless pile of twisted iron there ever was. The $140 for replacement springs is the best money a guy can spend. I went to 1.0kg (on my 3rd gen) in the front and nearly eliminated dive under braking. Now that I'm used to it, I wish I would have gone with the 1.1kg. Surprising to me, the ride quality was not negatively impacted IMO.

I guess it really depends on what you're after. If you think your going to turn the VFR into a track bike then the front forks may not cut it. But in most cases that would be making a silk purse out of a sows ear. If you want to improve the handling of a good all-round sporty touring bike, new springs go a LONG way. I have not set up the front on my '98 yet but front springs will be a given.

 

To my knowledge, the OEM is a progressive. It is a progressive on the 3rd and 4th gen.

You will want a much stiffer straight rate and less preload than OEM

 

I haven't had my '98 forks apart yet and seen how much adjustment there is. In my '90, the adjustment is made by changing spacers above the spring (under the cap).

With the progressive spring, the factory had about 3" of preload. Bike sitting with no weight on the front, you would have to compress the spring about 3" to screw the cap down. With the straight rate spring, I was instructed by my local suspension guy to adjust the spacer so that there was only 1" of preload. The aftermarket spring is a different length than OEM so the process involves some simple math, measurements, and cutting of a new spacer out of alum or PVC tube.

 

pretty sure they were just a bit shorter.

you don't want the same total length as OEM + spacer because you want less preload. New spring and spacer combo will actually end up being an inch or two shorter.

 

Exactly. Same stack of spring and shim would have the front riding at full extension or near to it. No doubt with enough preload you can get the front static height correct. But the soft spring rate makes the front fold like cheap lawn furniture under braking.

 

the calculator said I should use a 1.1kg. I went with a 1.0 because it's what my local suspension guy had on hand. The first few days I was thought, "whew, glad I went with 1.0kg, this is perfect!!" Now after getting used to it, I feel like it could have been better and I would have liked the 1.1kg.

I would compare it to my bike used to ride like a Cadillac, now it rides like a Porsche. Bike feels great on the small bumps and railroad tracks, doesn't dive in the corners or under braking. The brakes actually feel better because the bike isn't folding up underneath me. I don't know a single person who's replaced their springs and thought it was a bad idea and I think the $140 is the absolute best improvement per dollar you can get. People spend 3x that much for an exhaust system because it "sounds" cool.

Keep in mind that the rear suspension and the front work together. Making a change to the front without changing the rear will make it feel different in hard corners and you may not like it. dropping the front end of the bike a few mm in the triple clamp may help offset any corner geometry problems. I changed my rear shock to a 929 before I changed the front springs.

Fact is, if your front springs aren't right for your weight and riding style, the rear isn't either. The g-forces in hard turns compress the springs. Changing the front springs and not the rear will take the g-force cornering compression out of the front but not the rear. The rear will continue to sag while the front stays up and it will change the rake and trail. The bike will resist turning kind of like a Harley.

People like the 929 shock because it has compression and rebound adjustment, they're butt cheap on ebay, and as close to plug and play as you can get without dropping a couple big bills. The 929 drops in the 5th gen but you have to fabricate a new upper mount that's roughly an inch or so longer.

 

Jamie Daught(something-or-other) does 929 shocks for the VFR somewhere around a few hundred bucks. He's a member here and I'm a little surprised he hasn't piped up in this thread. The 929 shock will run $40 on ebay. He refurbishes them and makes the top link so that it's a plug and play swap into the 5th gen. I have read many posts from folks happy with his work. Lead time can be out there a bit but I think he's quicker in the winter.

I bought my own off ebay for $40 and have been happy with the spring rate. Made my own mounts for the 3rd gen and the 5th gen. I haven't done an oil change on either shock yet but it's on the list.

 

example:
00-01 HONDA CBR 954RR 929RR SHOWA REAR SHOCK cbr929rr | eBay

The stroke is the same as the VFR shock and the lower OEM linkage works perfect with the 929. But the external reservoir on the 929 shock makes it around an inch or so shorter. So a new top mount must be fabricated.

 

example:
http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanic...aughertys-5th-gen-rear-shock-upgrade-kit.html

Jamie machines the top of the shock and makes that adapter to fit in the OEM clevis. I fabricated a longer clevis without machining the shock. Either way works great.

 

dude really? it's $140 bucks. you can dump 'em on ebay for a couple buck loss if ya had to. Just do it!

if it turns in too quick, my limited understanding of motorcycle geometry would say that the front is too low. I.e. too low in the triple clamps, too weak of springs, or too high in the rear. I would guess from the wallowing in the rear that she's definitely not too high there but has either weak spring, worn out oil, bad valving (i.e, shitty VFR shock).