front fork interchange knowledge.

[Bigbill]

I purchased two front fork setups with disc brakes. I'm going to add the front disc brakes to both my bikes saving the old parts.

My question is from 84 to 87 are all the front tubes the same inside? There both 50mm. One set has the chrome chipped on the tubes. I'd like to swap them out with the standard brake drum tubes?

I purchased two sets of newer disc brake front forks from the liquid 500cc 86/87 husqvarna bikes. I figure the 500cc forks may have stiffer fork springs and stiffer valving?
Dont forget I'm a big rider over 300lbs. I'm thinking a 430 cr would speed up the bike and better suspension and brakes is a plus.

I remember beginning on the Suzuki ts-185's we were hot stuff but we were riding bucking Broncos back then. The left side kickers aren't as plush to ride as the new bikes but I do find them a lot smoother than the antique iron. Antique iron is way older than vintage. This is when the antique riders in the beginning were the real iron men.

I find it odd I can ride any left kicker without working on the suspension. I can't ride it like the suspension was tuned for me but it's rideable. With my 98/99 new husqvarnas the suspension was never off road usable. Way too soft. When the front wheel hit something the tree felt like it was hit with a sledge hammer from the bottom. I got hammered I couldn't ride off road. Yet I could get on any left kicker and ride it. I guess the average rider is 175/200lbs?

Ok I'm talking about changing the 50mm tubes from the drum brakes and installing them in the 50mm lower disc brake housings with the 500cc valving?

 

[justintendo]

they are all 40mm but there are differences. the 84-86 are similiar but the 87-88 are much different inside, with improved bushing, damping rods, and valving. the calipers also have different bosses on 87-88, as they are dual piston brembo instead of single piston. 87-88 also utilizes a fixed rotor and floating caliper, where the earlier disc floats and the caliper is fixed. you must use the correct front wheel if you use 87-88 forks. i dont think you can use the 87-88 parts for what you are doing. pretty sure you could use the 85-86 tho

 

[everfree]

they are all 40mm but there are differences. the 84-86 are similiar but the 87-88 are much different inside, with improved bushing, damping rods, and valving. the calipers also have different bosses on 87-88, as they are dual piston brembo instead of single piston. 87-88 also utilizes a fixed rotor and floating caliper, where the earlier disc floats and the caliper is fixed. you must use the correct front wheel if you use 87-88 forks. i dont think you can use the 87-88 parts for what you are doing. pretty sure you could use the 85-86 tho

Wondering if a triple camp is available to use new 48mm forks on my 87 430?
I have a pair of forks w/ brake + wheel from a 2012 te310. Is the steering head diameter the same?

 

[justintendo]

2012 may be too new. i know that 92up to 20?? triple trees will go right in your swede frame. not sure when the they stopped fitting in.

 

[2premo]

2012 may be too new. i know that 92up to 20?? triple trees will go right in your swede frame. not sure when the they stopped fitting in.

oddly the 92 is a bastard, it uses different bearings, but a 93 front end fits right in with the old bearing races even

 

[2premo]

I purchased two front fork setups with disc brakes. I'm going to add the front disc brakes to both my bikes saving the old parts.

My question is from 84 to 87 are all the front tubes the same inside? There both 50mm. One set has the chrome chipped on the tubes. I'd like to swap them out with the standard brake drum tubes?

I purchased two sets of newer disc brake front forks from the liquid 500cc 86/87 husqvarna bikes. I figure the 500cc forks may have stiffer fork springs and stiffer valving?
Dont forget I'm a big rider over 300lbs. I'm thinking a 430 cr would speed up the bike and better suspension and brakes is a plus.

I remember beginning on the Suzuki ts-185's we were hot stuff but we were riding bucking Broncos back then. The left side kickers aren't as plush to ride as the new bikes but I do find them a lot smoother than the antique iron. Antique iron is way older than vintage. This is when the antique riders in the beginning were the real iron men.

I find it odd I can ride any left kicker without working on the suspension. I can't ride it like the suspension was tuned for me but it's rideable. With my 98/99 new husqvarnas the suspension was never off road usable. Way too soft. When the front wheel hit something the tree felt like it was hit with a sledge hammer from the bottom. I got hammered I couldn't ride off road. Yet I could get on any left kicker and ride it. I guess the average rider is 175/200lbs?

Ok I'm talking about changing the 50mm tubes from the drum brakes and installing them in the 50mm lower disc brake housings with the 500cc valving?

the early valving is better, the later bushings are better
my brother put 85 CR valving in his 87 forks
you could swap the entire 87 front end would be easier, the triples are the same, slide out the old forks and in with the disc front end

 

[justintendo]

i have a 91 that has odd bearings, i thought that was the last year they were bastard?

 

[fran...k.]

IMy question is from 84 to 87 are all the front tubes the same inside? There both 50mm. One set has the chrome chipped on the tubes. I'd like to swap them out with the standard brake drum tubes?

I purchased two sets of newer disc brake front forks from the liquid 500cc 86/87 husqvarna bikes.

With my 98/99 new husqvarnas the suspension was never off road usable.



Ok I'm talking about changing the 50mm tubes from the drum brakes and installing them in the 50mm lower disc brake housings with the 500cc valving?

Bill this one on three occasions makes what seem to me as incorrect statements in asking questions, I made the font bigger

The diameter of the tube is 40 mm (conventional as opposed to upside down) for most models 82-88.
During that run they used a bronze upper bushing with two 7mm seals up to say 1986 or so. Then they used what look like teflon coated metal parts top and bottom with one 10mm seal and a snap ring on top of it. The 85-86 disc brake and lower leg to attach it to are diffrent than the 87-88 I have encountered. My 86 auto had the bronze bushings (well one bushing per leg) and disc brake but all of my other discs have the teflon best as I recall. Like said prior 87-88 more complex in side.

My 1998 had " magnum" conventional where 1999 on for at least 5 more years were the upside down. Neither have worked too well for me.

The offset of the steering stem to fork tube is different for the rubber mounted vs rigid mounted handlebars that change more or less with the dual/mono shock change. Wr, te, ae generally have shorter suspntion than cr, tx, axc, xc.

This is a bit confusing "Ok I'm talking about changing the 50mm tubes from the drum brakes and installing them in the 50mm lower disc brake housings with the 500cc valving" I think you are asking about taking the 40 mm tubes from the earlier and putting them in the lower leg of a later model. The valving is inside the inner tube isn't it? The bronze bushing set up won't work in the teflon set up.
You could probably use real modern stuff husky or ktm if you use the more modern neck bearings because as they went to an aluminum stem the inner race got bigger and the beraing numbers changed but the diameter of the outer race that goes in the frame is the same. Need change the cup in the frame to do it right the taper the rollers ride on isn't a correct match otherwise. The stem lenght is real close. Of course the steering stops can't be ignored but most likely will work ok.

 

[Bigbill]

Yup I have two complete different disc brake setups. Your right one is the 86 and the other is 87. I was hoping to swap out the tubes on the 87 and rebuild both forks so two bikes will have disc brakes. My quest will continue.

 

[rancher1]

Wondering if a triple camp is available to use new 48mm forks on my 87 430?
I have a pair of forks w/ brake + wheel from a 2012 te310. Is the steering head diameter the same?

I believe you may be able to do this, it depends on whether you can swap the steering stem pins. I put the newer forks from a 2004 on my 88 510. Most of the triple clamps husky used can swap steering pins and the height between bearings remained constant thru the years.

 

[Bigbill]

I just picked up another set of 87 husky front forks. I have one set of '86 & two sets of '87 front forks.
Now what brand of fork seals do I get? There was one brand that fitted loose and they would pop out. I want to disassemble, clean, inspect and add new seals and oil.

 

[justintendo]

if you are using those forks, they have a circlip that holds the seals down, they wont slide up. i like the k&l seals. cheap and made in japan. i believe the key to keeping them leak free is having fresh rubber scrapers over them. if you dont want to search, the seals that phil sells are pretty good

 

[Bigbill]

The seals I purchased from Dennis Kirk years ago would pop up when riding. They didn't fit very tight and had no split ring holding them in.

 

[justintendo]

take a look at the forks, there should be a snap ring just above where the seal sits. or at least a groove in case someone threw away the snap ring. they started this about the time when they went to single shock.

 

[fran...k.]

I never had a problem with the two seven mm seals. The one 10 mm seal is often substituted for a 9.5 mm ones and I think they moved back and forth (as much as the snap ring and pocket allow) making the fit worse and possibly oil getting around the seal. Most likely one seal has less drag but with the option of new or newer front ends the nothing to replace, pre teflon coated inserts isn't a bad choice.

 

[Bigbill]

I tried installing two seals once and had too much stiction. 18 years ago my forks all had the Harley syndrome they marked there spot. Some leaked and some didn't.

 

[justintendo]

have you ever used a seal mate? check out the one motion pro sells. i used to use 35mm film but this works better.

 

[Kartwheel68]

If you want to race vintage, in most organizations disc brakes are illegal. For 2015 AHRMA will have a new class called Pre Modern that will allow front disc only, but if you have a twin shock Husky in that class you will be outclassed by the mid-late '80s bikes allowed in that class.

 

[Bigbill]

Oh no say it isn't so. Ill have to change the front forks and tire and install the brake drum front end. I'll keep that in mind.