79 xs fork tubes

[cowboybob998]

Will 79 xs standard fork tubes work in 1980 special fork sliders ?
Any one ever done this ?

[Geezer]

You could make them work but the bike wouldn't be safe to ride.

Geezer

[cowboybob998]

You could make them work but the bike wouldn't be safe to ride.

Geezer

Why would it not be safe to ride, it would change the rake and trail of the bike and that is what i want to do but I think it will still be in the limets of control, what i need to know if the forks will work in the fork sliders
Thanks
bob

I will be puting the fork sliders on the 79 and useing the 79 frame and trees, I am trying to rake the front and lower it at the same time.

[Geezer]

They're about 4" shorter and you would have to use the standard springs too. The bike would be in a permanent state of nose dive...

Geezer

[Crazcnuk]

Actually the std tubes are about 4" longer, and will make the front sit higher than stock. (they aren't actually longer, I don't think, but the axle goes under the std forks and part way up the back of the special forks.)

You will have to lengthen the side stand too. I have a 79SF in my yard with std forks on it.

[bikerphil]

The Standard and Special tubes use a different bushing setup, it's not gonna work, BTDT.

[cywelchjr]

Yep, that's the real point. You could swap the entire fork setup, keeping the original trees, but the inner and outer fork tubes are not interchangeable between standards and specials.

[Geezer]

I wonder how DennyZ did it. He put special tubes in a standard then used the extra length above the top clamp to put on clip-ons...

Geezer

[cywelchjr]

He would have had to changed the bushings and such at the bottom of the tubes to the standard ones to work in the standard outer tubes. A mismatch will either bind or have too much slop depending on which way you go.

At least that is what I have read in here, I think it was when b_walker was replacing his bent forks.

[bikerphil]

When I tried the Special tubes in the Standard legs, they would bind up and not slide smoothly at all. The Standard tubes have the absence of a lower bushing, while the Special tubes have a lower bushing, just like most other type damper rod forks. Maybe he just left the lower bushings off altogether.

[cowboybob998]

thanks guys

I think I know what i need to do now.
I bought this parts bike with a good motor that had been wrecked the forks i think are bent, but i wanted to put the special front end on the standard trees, I may have some spare parts off this bike and would be willing to trade for some straight tubes, dont know yet need to get things apart and see what is hurt.
thanks yall
Bob

[bikerphil]

Bob, I have some extra Standard fork tubes in good shape. If you're interested, shoot me a PM.