Are the "L" forks better than the stock ones?
No, they are not better, just that the geometry is different. The triple clamps for the L forks are straighter across (less triangular), which pulls the fork tubes back a bit toward the rider. Since the axle is in front of the tubes, it actually stays pretty much in the same place. If all that was done was replacing the tubes, the wheelbase will be a bit longer and trail will be reduced. Longer wheelbase will make it turn just a bit slower, but the reduced trail will make it twitchy. Maybe they balance each other out.
If you are interested in correcting that, I have a pair of lower fork tubes that I just took off my 850. Let me verify that they are still in good shape before we make any promises.
I actually thought of replacing the front pegs with floor boards.
I am in the process of doing that right now with my 850.
Where is the best place to buy brake parts. I would like to upgrade them what are popular conversions and where can I get the parts?
Unless you want to do "stoppies" with just pinky-pressure, you don't really need to convert anything, just clean up your disks and install some new pads. It is always a good idea to check the condition of the pistons and seals in the calipers, too. Installing stainless brake lines would be a long-overdue upgrade.
Another thing I would like is a cruise control, what is a popular one for this bike and some new hand grips mine are cheap plastic/rubber compound.
For a "cruise control", I use a Vista Cruise Universal throttle lock. Seems to work the best for me, even though it is not the cheapest. They make another model that sells for about $15 that clamps across the throttle tube and 'anchors' (very loosely) on the throttle cable, but I don't like all the slop in the system. The Universal model sells for $30-35, can get a bit fiddly to install, if you want to do it "right", but the results are worth it. My wife and I both have them on our 850s.
Hand grips are highly personal. If you have larger hands, look for something with a larger diameter to keep your hand from cramping up. My wife's hands are not so large, we found some barrel-shaped foam grips that she likes.
My bike:
Her bike: (photo taken while setting up for plug chops)
Another previous bike: (showing that it doesn't really take much away from your hand position)
Front floorboards will be hard to find, but they are out there.
As mentioned earlier, I am in the process of installing some Markland boards front and rear on my bike. Progress has been slowed down by having to drill out a broken bolt, but I was able to mock them in place and give them a tentative thumbs-up.
Keep in mind that the boards are a bit lower and farther out than the pegs, so you will be scraping boards a LOT sooner than you would the pegs.
The L forks are not better.
But they are not any worse, either, when set up with the proper triples. It would be more practical to change the tubes than the triples, because the proper triples will bring the forks back far enough to hit the tank at full lock. Since your forks are probably already begging for service, just take them apart, put on a different set of lower tubes and be done. While you have the forks apart, consider changing the springs. The stock springs were barely adequate when new, and now, 30+ years later, they are shot. Some prefer Progressve-brand springs, others prefer Sonic springs, which are straight-rate.
Let me look at my spare tubes tonight, I will let you know if they are worth claiming.
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