Article And Photos By: Will Ramsey www.faithforgotten.com
W
hen Chris and Heather Callen arrive at your shop and park the Cycle Source Magazine mobile command unit out front, you know you’re in for a long night of motorcycle madness. Chris has this look he gets in his eye just before he tells you he has an idea that he needs your “advice” on. And just like that we are in for an exciting late night of problem solving as we retro fit a GSXR front end to an aftermarket FXR frame. The following tech illustrates the removal and measurement of the metric GSXR stem and the subsequent machining of a standard Harley stem that will properly mate back to the GSXR trees. A simple solution, requiring an excellent exercise in precise manual machine work.
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March ‘18 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
The first step is separating the trees from the fork tubes in order to remove the metric fork stem.
The stem must be pressed down through the lower tree. In order to avoid flexing, breaking, or sending the tree across the room from the press, it is necessary to support the lower tree around the stem. This quick measurement gives us a rough size to make a supporting member for the press.