Many people are talking about rear shocks but what about front? The Traxxion forks look great, but at over $1000 I can't spring (ha ha) for that. What are some options for the front that will give me an improvement that doesn't cost too much, like less than $300? I would love it if I could give the bike an upgrade for less than $1000.
Options for improving the stock FJR Front forks
Basic service - If your forks have been on the bike for a while, like more than 30k miles, with no servicing, the suspension oil is probably pretty well broken down and thin. This will make it so you can't get enough damping on either compression or rebound.
If it is a Second Gen the sliders are most likely riding on bare metal bushings (the Teflon coating has worn off) which will make the fork resistant to move due to the friction of the bushings
A rebuild of the forks with new bushings and fresh oil will go a long way toward restoring the performance you had on day 1. I'd also replace the seals (even if they are not leaking) since you will be removing them for the bushings.
Replacement Springs -
You can upgrade the springs for a little over $100. This could be done as a part of the Basic Service or not. You want to calculate the correct spring weight based on the weight of the bike, the load you intend to have on the bike most often including passengers, gear and cargo, and your goals of the suspension upgrade. Many of the spring rate calculators will give you a race or sporty spring rate. If you want the forks to be more compliant for comfortable touring you'll want to go a bit softer or stick with the stock springs.
After upgrading the springs with some of a higher rate, you'll need to increase the rebound damping adjustment and decrease the compression adjustment.
Damping upgrades -
This is where the majority of the money is spent on a full upgrade, and the biggest part of that is in the labor. If you can do the work yourself you can get re-valving kit from GP Suspension for about $300. Of course, if you add this to the spring upgrade (> $100) and the regular service items, the total will be around up to ~$500.
I don't have any experience with the other shops, but I believe the GP kit is one of the cheapest.
To send your forks to GP (or one of the other shops) and have the work done will be more than double that cost, plus the cost of shipping the forks around, and being without your bike wile the forks are always, unless you are lucky enough to live near one of them.
