R80G/S fork replacement
 

Hey everyone,
I'm restoring an '81 R80G/S and I'm quite sure I'll eventually want to replace the forks with something more substantial. The bike has already suffered a lot of abuse and I hear these forks aren't so robust in the first place anyways. Is it true that the fork tubes are prone to breakage, or have I been listening to too many anecdotes?

I know there have been plenty of people who have replaced theirs with XT forks, and I've seen HPN's setup. What are your experiences with the GS fork or fork replacements?

Lastly, if I was to fit a set of forks from a big trail bike (XR600 or CR500, most likely), will the weight of the GS be too much for the brakes to work safely? I'm guessing that it probably wouldn't be worse than the stock GS unit, which feels really weak to me.

Thanks,
Wright

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Wright Bagwell
http://www.geocities.com/wwbagwell/

Have you looked into installing a 41mm fork of the later GS series? I owned on of these bikes and always thought the fork was quite good. Beemer prices tend to by high, but the transfer-ability of brak parts and such might make it worth it, and it is diffinitly set up for the right weight. I was thinking the same thing about XT forks, but am not sure about the weight issue. HPN sells a nice 42mm fork for the older G/S, but expensive at 2000DM. I'd be interested to hear what you end up doing!

The old G/S forks have been known to break - but extremely rare, under extreme abuse only. BUT mine were straightened on day one, and now has a lot of hard miles on it with a better brake than standard, so I figure it's time to upgrade.

I'm installing a set of R100GS forks on my R80G/S. Went through all the various options, and gave up due to megacost for the good ones, or lousy brakes on the dirt bike versions.

The standard G/S brake is pretty sad, I changed to a 4 piston Performance Machine item a long time ago, with a K100 disk. I'm going to upgrade it again now that I have better forks that won't flex under braking.

A dirt bike brake is adequate for a dirt bike - but a fully loaded G/S at speed - I don't think so! DOUBLE the weight! Look at what they put on the R1100GS and rethink.

I'm thinking a 6 piston caliper on a 310-320mm disk. Decided against dual disks because of the weight, and a skinny 21" tire is probably inadequate traction.

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Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

i fittedthe front end of a R100GS paralever to my 86 R80G/S a massive inprovement in terms of strengh ,stability ,and braking. the only negative point is changing the tyre -more difficult due to the "tubeless rim"
bryan

I guess mounting an r100g/s fork didn't come to mind because in my quest for replacement parts, I've called many restoration shops looking for G/S parts only to have them say "good luck" finding anything that someone else hasn't snapped up. I'll keep my eye out for an r100 fork/brake setup. That's obviously the best solution.

Thanks guys,
Wright

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Wright Bagwell
http://www.geocities.com/wwbagwell/