gsxr1100 fork tube extensions

[gsBert]

hi,
me again.
i have 89 gsxr1100 forks on my 81 gs1100
the front sits very low, looks great but the fender knocks on the oil cooler.

i have fork tube extensions that slide around the top of the forks and adapt into the top triple clamp. looks like someone made them on a lathe out of a chunk of aluminium. they will raise the front by about 1.5 or 2"

does anyone have any experience with this type of device? would you think it's solid enough to be safe? should i use it or am i checking if the gun's loaded by putting it to my head and pulling the trigger?

again, thanks for whatever advice you may have...

 

[Billy Ricks]

They just slide over the upper tubes with no means of a solid junction? I wouldn't do it if so.

 

[gsBert]

well, they have a little screw to hold them on, but it's kinda like the screw you use to hold your fanblade on the motor shaft on a ceiling fan... come to think of it, that's exaclty what it looks like.

the fork tops will be pushed up firmly into it and they (extensions) lock in the top triple clamps. the bottom clamp holds the fork firmly as usual.

heres a bad ascii drawing of the parts (ignore the "_" its jsut for centering as the spaces dont show:

___||====|| >
___||====|| > fits in the top triple clamp
___||====|| >
_||=======|| >
_||=======|| > fits around the top of the fork tube
_||=======|+ >
_=========

the "+" is the little screw im talkign about

the whole part is hollow, so it still allows adjustment of at least the compression or rebound (whatever the top one is) but not the preload.
material thickness is about 1/4 to 3/8th of an inch.

 

[Billy Ricks]

You may as well have a hinge between the upper and lower triple then. Could just get someone hurt.

 

[gsBert]

aw man billy, you posted your last one while i was replying to your previous one you're one trigger happy gs'er...
so go up there and make fun of my drawing wouldya?

 

[SqDancerLynn1]

The only way I would do it is if it was made of steel, To thread into the top of the tube & then the fork cap screwed into the adapter

 

[Anonymous]

The wheel is pretty heavy, imagine lifting the front wheel while cresting a hill. You've got a good 30 pounds of static weight plus inertia pulling on a set screw. At the very least find out how long the bike has been the way it has...also put a mark on the parts to see if they are moving. It may work but it sounds scary. I'm too paranoid to ride on something like that.

Steve

 

[gsBert]

thanks for all the input.

first let ne say that i am not currently using the extensions on my bike but am contemplating it for clearance issues (i corrected my biggest clearance problem by inflating my front tire yesterday, lol)

second, about that 30 pounds of weight pulling off the triple clamps. if i get airborne creting the top of a hill, wouldn't my rebound damping stick my wheel back on the road before anything got loose, i mean it's a gs for crying out lout, not a cr250... lol, seriously, shouldn't the lower clamp be able to hold the fork in place?

also, im really happy with the way the bike steers right now, what will it be like if i raise the fork? slower?