82 XJ 550 Seca Fork Swap?

Hey guys. I'm back to working on my XJ again after a rather snowy winter with no truck (blown head gasket.... fixed now...) and a car with summer "racing" tires (pretty much slicks) so that was a good time. I'm digging out the XJ again and was thinking about just swapping the entire front end (triple tree and all) for a set of forks that already have most of the stuff working on them. The forks I have I don't trust, which means rebuilding or replacing the forks, brakes, all the controls and levers and whatnot on the handlebars, master cyl, throttle cable....... pretty much everything forward of the gas tank. I thought it might be easier and faster (at an increased price probably) to just swap them for a different set of forks that already have working brakes etc. I know the XJ 550 Seca has 35mm tubes and the 550 maxim is a different size, (thanks Len) but im not opposed to changing all of it, triple tree and all. Any suggestions that would maintain the stock, (or close to stock) steering geometry? Dual Disk front brakes would be sweet, but single is fine. Thanks guys
Richard

 

In my experience (which I admit is limited) modifying a bike/car for better performance or WHY isn't usually an easy short-cut to nirvana. Right now I'm part way through a front end swap on a GS500 Suzuki by using a DR650 front end to make dual-sport bike. I figured a triple-tree stem swap would be the most tricky part, but as always there's more to it e.g. new yoke/triple-tree thickness affecting stem length through the headstock, steering stops in different places, lack of mounts for clocks etc... etc.. Plus your replacement parts will likely need some kind of refurb anyway.

Of course if you're fully tooled-up and have your own machine shop it's likely to be a piece of cake. If you're a guy in a shed though, think hard.

 

That's exactly what I am, A guy, in a 12'x12' box with an AC and a small table, theory crafting ways to make my build a little easier than what its looking like at the moment. lol. As it is I'm going to have to replace the whole front brake system, new throttle cable, new grips, new clutch cable and levers, the forks themselves aren't in great shape, Master Cylinder is in rough shape, and the brake caliber is stuck so the bike is always braking..... (annoying when im trying to move it) etc etc, so I just thought since it might be hard to find a decent set of xj 550 seca forks with the brakes and whatnot on them I might look at something else that might fit that may be more available. If not I'm just going to have to rebuild everything and that's gonna take a lot of time. (I know a different set of forks is gonna have to be looked at and everything but I can almost guarantee a different front end will be far less work than what I have) SO, that being said I would love to hear your thoughts. Ive been thinking hard and I just can't decide which route I want to go, all of which would be a moot point if I can't get a set of front forks that will work on my XJ without major modification. Thanks for your input.

 

how do you know that the fork set up you buy is not going to need work or be better than what you have?
master cylinder and caliper build does not take long to do 17$ 1nd 14$ for caliper and master cylinder rebuild kits.
25$ for snap ring pliers you will need brass brushes len sells to clean out the grooves in the caliper. he also rents the pliers and hones if you do not want to buy the tools
just a few hours of your time. while the cal and mc soak in carb cleaner you can fix the controls right control is easy whats wrong with yours?
left control there is a diy thread on that
10$ solder iron for the soldering you will need to do

a few links for you
HOW TO: Change your fork seals
HOW TO: Rebuild Your Master Cylinder


Choosing a sight glass for your master cylinder

HOW TO: Tell if you need a new clutch switch by just looking

 

If you're determined then I suggest you start here..http://www.allballsracing.com/index.php/forkconversion to match up bearing (and thus hopefully stem sizes)

A fork only swap is unlikely so get the full front end unless you want to fanny around with wheel spacers etc.. Also try something related eg FJ600/XJ600..

Good luck.

 

seca diameter 34.92
maxim dia 35.92
you can change the whole triple tree but forks may come into contact with tank
I have put the seca tank on maxim (just a test) and tank /fork clearance was fine, do not take that as saying you will not have problem with max forks on seca.
both bikes use same head stock taper bearings

axle to fork tube top is same distance 767 mm I will recheck that measurement tomorrow . diff is that axel is forward of tube center line on maxim . seca is on center line

 

Yeah I was thinking a whole front end swap would be more inside the realm of possibilities. Thanks for the info, ill keep digging

 

Sweet, Thanks for that info. Good to know. I wonder how that axel forward of the fork tube would affect handling. I can swap fuel tanks if certain forks come too close or contact the stock tank I have. so im not TERRIBLY worried about that, but depending on which front end will work kinda affects if that will even be an issue.

 

Whelp, looks like im gonna rebuild the front end I have. Lots of work to do! Thanks for the info guys. Helped make this decision a little easier. I noticed the left fork is leaking. so I should probably replace both of those seals. I'm deffinately gonna be using those links you sent me XJ550H!!! Thanks guys. I'll let you know how things go!

 

+1.

Gary H.