Daugherty Front And Rear Suspension Install

Just had my first ride with the new Jamie Daugherty setup... I bought his CBR600F4 w/mount for the rear, and the fully adjustable front cartridge kit for the forks.  I did not want to learn fork internals, so I shipped him my OEM units for him to install the cartridge kit in (plug and play for me).  I am very satisfied with the pricing, service, and shipping - I would absolutely recommend his work to anyone.

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Install notes:

     FRONT:

• Get Jamie to install the cartridge kit in your forks, drink beer.
• Bolt forks back into place - use your service manual!
• I raised my forks 10mm in the triples

     REAR:

• You WILL need to take off the exhaust and undertail tray.  Get over it.  I didn't want to, and I ended up with a scratched up shock and then had to remove that stuff anyway.
• Leave the top mount loose so you can angle it as you push the shock into position, then torque mount bolt once its standing in its new home.
• I trimmed the undertail tray front left corner ahead of the clip, to allow the remote reservoir hose to sit comfortably.
• I drilled 3 holes through the battery tray to zip-tie the remote reservoir.  Works great 1-up, 2-up it is slightly rubbing so I will continue to tweak.

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Ride report:

Wow!  It seems that everyone who has upgraded their suspension says it is the best money you can spend - but having only ridden my VFR and Ninja 500, I don't have the experience to know what a good suspension feels like.  Now I understand - the ride is slightly more stiff, but you can feel the suspension working to absorb all imperfections on the road and keep the bike planted, and going into corners you have 100% confidence and control.  VERY happy so far, it truly feels like a new bike, and more importantly it feels like how the bike should have come from the factory.

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Update:

This install worked fine for 1-up, but for 2-up riding the remote reservoir was juuuust slightly contacting the brake line/chainguard bracket.  It probably wasn't a big deal, but a brake line isn't something I want to play around with.  I decided to tear down the rear again, take out the undertail tray, and trim the area above where the res was currently mounted so it could sit up higher.

If you look closely at the right side of the bracket, you can just see where the res was contacting.

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Tore down the rear:

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Undertail tray with the initial cut outline: (I did the whole cut with a Dremel and then cleaned up with a utility knife)

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Cutting has begun:

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Cutting complete:

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Reinstalled and mounted:

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Removed the front zip tie for a cleaner look, and sealed the strap hole with RTV

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Complete!

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Happy to have the install fully completed to my satisfaction - and the bike feels better than ever!

Had  the  same  setup  on  the  03 .  It  just  so   much  better .

Roll  On  ..

How much did the shipping cost?

He charged me $60 for return shipping which was VERY reasonable.  (that is for a rear shock, my full forks now with the new cartridge kit installed, and he even sent back my old internals).

I paid roughly $40 to ship my forks there in the first place.  He did the install of the cartridge kit for free, so total of roughly $100 shipping is a lot less than I would have paid the local shop hourly to do the cartridge kit install (not something I wanted to try myself)... and this way I know it is done right.  Money well spent.

Yeah, kind of wishing I sent my forks off to Jamie right now...the fork socket bolt (bottom of fork) on the first fork came out easy peasy. The fork socket bolt on the second is spinning with the damper.  Even went out and bought an HF electric impact gun and impact hex bits.  Freaking thing is spinning like a top.  #$%^!!!!

Yeah, kind of wishing I sent my forks off to Jamie right now...the fork socket bolt (bottom of fork) on the first fork came out easy peasy. The fork socket bolt on the second is spinning with the damper.  Even went out and bought an HF electric impact gun and impact hex bits.  Freaking thing is spinning like a top.  #$%^!!!!

I  read   in  a  couple  of  sites  where  the   owners  removed  the   spring  and  took   a  wooden  broom  handle  cut  at  a  wedge  and  jamming  it  into  the  internal bottom  of  the  tube.  Good  luck.

Roll  On  VRRD   ..

Thank you sir for both the suggestion and the good wishes.  I'm going to sleep on it...  

That sounds like a good idea.  When I've been frustrated / exasperated with something is usually when I F it up the most.  Let a cooler head prevail later.

Just had my first ride with the new Jamie Daugherty setup... I bought his CBR600F4 w/mount for the rear, and the fully adjustable front cartridge kit for the forks.  I did not want to learn fork internals, so I shipped him my OEM units for him to install the cartridge kit in (plug and play for me).

I did the DMr CBR shock a year or so ago and recently installed the DMr fork cartridge kit.  The cartridge kit was simple compared to wedging that CBR shock into place. The shock was a bit of a pain for me.  The forks were easy.  I took my time with the first fork because I read and re-read the instructions as I went.  The second fork only took about 5 minutes to disassemble and reassemble with the new internals, and just a few more minutes to add the fork oil with a few pumps and some measuring.  I know you said you'd rather have him do it, and that's cool.  I just wanted other folks that read the thread to know that it's easy to do. 

Installed the same shock a couple of weeks ago, and I'm in the process of installing the fork kit now; lost one of the bottom bolt washers past closing time, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to button everything up. Besides that, I was really surprised at how easy everything came apart and went back together once I tore into it; the hardest part was getting the fork caps off, as they seem to have been torqued on by a gorilla at the factory. What was your final measurement from the triple tree to the top of the fork? I can't remember what it was stock, and I want to drop my front end a bit as well.

As you correctly state, the shock is a gigantic pain the ass to get in. I didn't go as far as taking the undertray out, so it took quite a bit of wedging and a second set of hands to get in. I'll have to try that trick with trimming the undertray for the reservoir, I have it mounted right in front of the passenger peg at the moment, and the hose is bent at way too sharp an angle for my liking. 

One tip to anyone doing the fork kit, or generally doing fork maintenance: get an oil measuring tool like the Motion Pro one or the knock-off Cycle Gear sells. It probably saved me close to an hour of work and a lot of mess; you just set it at the desired height, place it on top of the fork tube, pour in the oil, and suck out the excess.

What was your final measurement from the triple tree to the top of the fork? I can't remember what it was stock, and I want to drop my front end a bit as well.

I had already dropped mine before doing the forks.  41mm is stock and I dropped it 10mm, IIRC.  Measurement is to the top of the tube itself.

Just had my first ride with the new Jamie Daugherty setup... I bought his CBR600F4 w/mount for the rear, and the fully adjustable front cartridge kit for the forks.  I did not want to learn fork internals, so I shipped him my OEM units for him to install the cartridge kit in (plug and play for me).

I did the DMr CBR shock a year or so ago and recently installed the DMr fork cartridge kit.  The cartridge kit was simple compared to wedging that CBR shock into place. The shock was a bit of a pain for me.  The forks were easy.  I took my time with the first fork because I read and re-read the instructions as I went.  The second fork only took about 5 minutes to disassemble and reassemble with the new internals, and just a few more minutes to add the fork oil with a few pumps and some measuring.  I know you said you'd rather have him do it, and that's cool.  I just wanted other folks that read the thread to know that it's easy to do. 

Yeah I can see how it will be easy once I get the fork socket bolt out and you can't beat the experience of tearing apart and putting back together...

Took the fork to the car shop and we tried the air gun on the fork socket bolt but alas, no joy.  Took the fork apart tonight (well top half anyway) and will try the wedge method that Mr. Switchblade referenced earlier.  

As Custer said at the Battle of Little Bighorn, "I will not be defeated!" (ok I just made that quote up).

Just had my first ride with the new Jamie Daugherty setup... I bought his CBR600F4 w/mount for the rear, and the fully adjustable front cartridge kit for the forks.  I did not want to learn fork internals, so I shipped him my OEM units for him to install the cartridge kit in (plug and play for me).

I did the DMr CBR shock a year or so ago and recently installed the DMr fork cartridge kit.  The cartridge kit was simple compared to wedging that CBR shock into place. The shock was a bit of a pain for me.  The forks were easy.  I took my time with the first fork because I read and re-read the instructions as I went.  The second fork only took about 5 minutes to disassemble and reassemble with the new internals, and just a few more minutes to add the fork oil with a few pumps and some measuring.  I know you said you'd rather have him do it, and that's cool.  I just wanted other folks that read the thread to know that it's easy to do. 

Yeah I can see how it will be easy once I get the fork socket bolt out and you can't beat the experience of tearing apart and putting back together...

Took the fork to the car shop and we tried the air gun on the fork socket bolt but alas, no joy.  Took the fork apart tonight (well top half anyway) and will try the wedge method that Mr. Switchblade referenced earlier.  

As Custer said at the Battle of Little Bighorn, "I will not be defeated!" (ok I just made that quote up).

IIRC, Jamie's instructions said to contact him if you couldn't get the bolt out. He may have a trick or two up his sleeve.

What was your final measurement from the triple tree to the top of the fork? I can't remember what it was stock, and I want to drop my front end a bit as well.

I had already dropped mine before doing the forks.  41mm is stock and I dropped it 10mm, IIRC.  Measurement is to the top of the tube itself.

Yes, 41mm stock, drop 10mm = 51mm from upper triple to top of fork tubes.

On a separate note, my remote res is juuuust touching the brake line bracket (the one that holds them to the chain guard) when riding 2-up only... I am going to trim about 1/2" off of the undertail tray where it is mounted now, such that I can mount it 1/2" higher.  If you are familiar with the undertail tray, the outer edge is a small U-shape for battery wiring, then a larger U-shape for battery itself to sit in.  I am going to simply cut the bottom 1/2" off the wiring U so the reservoir can sit higher, then drill new holes and strap it on.  I only need maybe 1/8" so it doesn't contact the brake lines, but I only want to do this job once, and as much as I don't want to I'm going to do it properly by removing the undertail tray again to ensure a smooth/even cut and clean strap holes. 

Pics to follow, plan to do it on the weekend.

What was your final measurement from the triple tree to the top of the fork? I can't remember what it was stock, and I want to drop my front end a bit as well.

I had already dropped mine before doing the forks.  41mm is stock and I dropped it 10mm, IIRC.  Measurement is to the top of the tube itself.

Yes, 41mm stock, drop 10mm = 51mm from upper triple to top of fork tubes.

On a separate note, my remote res is juuuust touching the brake line bracket (the one that holds them to the chain guard) when riding 2-up only... I am going to trim about 1/2" off of the undertail tray where it is mounted now, such that I can mount it 1/2" higher.  If you are familiar with the undertail tray, the outer edge is a small U-shape for battery wiring, then a larger U-shape for battery itself to sit in.  I am going to simply cut the bottom 1/2" off the wiring U so the reservoir can sit higher, then drill new holes and strap it on.  I only need maybe 1/8" so it doesn't contact the brake lines, but I only want to do this job once, and as much as I don't want to I'm going to do it properly by removing the undertail tray again to ensure a smooth/even cut and clean strap holes. 

Pics to follow, plan to do it on the weekend.

+1  That's  how  i  mounted  my  rear  shock 

Updated post with detailed re-install of remote reservoir

Thanks for the update.  That's a much cleaner install than hanging it off the subframe strut.  Were there any issues with getting the wiring harness to fit back inside the tray?  I found it a bit of a wrestling match to get everything to tuck back inside (including the seat latch cable) even without the reservoir intruding to the space. 

Nice work. 

I had less tray to stuff them into after my trim job, but the wiring stacks nicely against the frame rail there - no interference, no issues.  

Just went for a 2-up ride and the reservoir was fine in the new position.  No contact with the brake lines, clearance was good, and the reservior is in exactly the same position after the ride so no movement.   :happy:

Got the fork kit installed Tuesday and Wednesday. The whole thing was much easier than I'd expected, only problems I had were losing the crush washer on one of the bottom bolts, necessitating a wild goose chase that was the reason it took two days, and having to buy an impact driver to get said bolt seated. The fork caps were also torqued on extremely tight from the factory and took so much strength to get off that I was afraid of damaging the tubes. Jamie's instructions are very detailed, with useful illustrations to walk you through the process; I had never done any kind of fork maintenance before, but I had no trouble at all understanding how everything came apart and went together.

I took a short test ride that night and noticed an improvement in handling and front-end feel straight off, but I was able to take a much longer,  faster ride through some very challenging curves today. Every single aspect of the bike's handling and braking is vastly improved, to a much higher degree than what I noticed with the shock upgrade last month. The dive and lurch under braking is gone, I have a MUCH better feel for what the front tire is doing, and turn-in effort and transition speed are vastly reduced. Absolutely worth the money, it feels like a brand new bike.

Got the fork kit installed Tuesday and Wednesday. The whole thing was much easier than I'd expected, only problems I had were losing the crush washer on one of the bottom bolts, necessitating a wild goose chase that was the reason it took two days, and having to buy an impact driver to get said bolt seated. The fork caps were also torqued on extremely tight from the factory and took so much strength to get off that I was afraid of damaging the tubes. Jamie's instructions are very detailed, with useful illustrations to walk you through the process; I had never done any kind of fork maintenance before, but I had no trouble at all understanding how everything came apart and went together.

I took a short test ride that night and noticed an improvement in handling and front-end feel straight off, but I was able to take a much longer,  faster ride through some very challenging curves today. Every single aspect of the bike's handling and braking is vastly improved, to a much higher degree than what I noticed with the shock upgrade last month. The dive and lurch under braking is gone, I have a MUCH better feel for what the front tire is doing, and turn-in effort and transition speed are vastly reduced. Absolutely worth the money, it feels like a brand new bike.

Dragon  today ?

I wish I could :( Going the first weekend in August.

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk

 
One tip to anyone doing the fork kit, or generally doing fork maintenance: get an oil measuring tool like the Motion Pro one or the knock-off Cycle Gear sells. It probably saved me close to an hour of work and a lot of mess; you just set it at the desired height, place it on top of the fork tube, pour in the oil, and suck out the excess.

Or you can go to department or dollar store and purchase a turkey baster.  Use a zip tie to set the depth.  Been using this setup for about 20 years now.

Update on the status of my DMr suspension upgrade...when last I posted the internals were spinning with one of the fork socket bolts (bolt came out of the other fork nicely).  After a half-hearted attempt at the wedge method, I decided my best course of action (ok, only course of action) was to try to drill the bolt head out.

[image: Fork socket bolt decapitation]
Fork socket bolt decapitation

  Fork socket bolt head extracted!!!     [image: Fork socket bolt copper washer]
Fork socket bolt copper washer

  Copper washer underneath fork socket bolt head.  Success is mine!     Not being the brightest individual, I never attempted to figure out a way to keep the head (and internals) from spinning so needless to say this was an embarrassingly time consuming effort.  For those who have to do this in the future can anyone think of a way to keep the bolt from spinning?   Also, I really don't understand what keeps (or is supposed to keep) the compression damper from spinning when installing or removing the fork socket bolt?   Obviously something keeps it from spinning but also obvious is that it is not fool-proof (or idiot-proof).   Once I got all the parts in the plastic tub I couldn't figure out what the bottom out cone was.  Needless to say it was still in the fork...D'OH!!!

 
One tip to anyone doing the fork kit, or generally doing fork maintenance: get an oil measuring tool like the Motion Pro one or the knock-off Cycle Gear sells. It probably saved me close to an hour of work and a lot of mess; you just set it at the desired height, place it on top of the fork tube, pour in the oil, and suck out the excess.

Or you can go to department or dollar store and purchase a turkey baster.  Use a zip tie to set the depth.  Been using this setup for about 20 years now.

Please elaborate on using a zip tie to set the depth on the turkey baster method for measuring the oil.  Is it as simple as put a zip tie around the baster at the appropriate level and then let zip tie rest against top of fork?  Thanks!

Update on the status of my DMr suspension upgrade...when last I posted the internals were spinning with one of the fork socket bolts (bolt came out of the other fork nicely).  After a half-hearted attempt at the wedge method, I decided my best course of action (ok, only course of action) was to try to drill the bolt head out.
 
 
 
Fork socket bolt head extracted!!!
 
 
 
 
Copper washer underneath fork socket bolt head.  Success is mine!
 
 
Not being the brightest individual, I never attempted to figure out a way to keep the head (and internals) from spinning so needless to say this was an embarrassingly time consuming effort.  For those who have to do this in the future can anyone think of a way to keep the bolt from spinning?
 
Also, I really don't understand what keeps (or is supposed to keep) the compression damper from spinning when installing or removing the fork socket bolt?
 
Obviously something keeps it from spinning but also obvious is that it is not fool-proof (or idiot-proof).
 
Once I got all the parts in the plastic tub I couldn't figure out what the bottom out cone was.  Needless to say it was still in the fork...D'OH!!!

One tip to anyone doing the fork kit, or generally doing fork maintenance: get an oil measuring tool like the Motion Pro one or the knock-off Cycle Gear sells. It probably saved me close to an hour of work and a lot of mess; you just set it at the desired height, place it on top of the fork tube, pour in the oil, and suck out the excess.
 
Or you can go to department or dollar store and purchase a turkey baster.  Use a zip tie to set the depth.  Been using this setup for about 20 years now.

 
Please elaborate on using a zip tie to set the depth on the turkey baster method for measuring the oil.  Is it as simple as put a zip tie around the baster at the appropriate level and then let zip tie rest against top of fork?  Thanks!

Yep...that is it and just that simple. My son raced amateur MX, Areanacross and Supercross for years so we did fork work to damn often. Used the motionpro for about a season before the seal gave up. Used the turkey baster for the next 20 years.

I finally got it all back together and wanted to share some pics of my reservoir mount.  I had Mr. Daugherty install a longer than stock braided reservoir line with the idea that I was going to mount it behind the passenger peg since I wanted it completely out of the way.

After much deliberation my plan was to swap out the passenger peg bolts with longer ones (front - 8x45mm, rear 8x60mm) and mount a bracket to the end of the bolts and hang adel clamps off the bracket.  Bracket was a 1" x 4" x 1/8" aluminum...probably should have used 1/16" thickness instead in the name of sprung weight savings...

[image: Reservoir mounting baracket]
Reservoir mounting baracket

The reservoir was mounted as high as possible for max clearance and that presented a challenge because there isn't a lot of room between the plastic tray and the back of the passenger peg mount (about 15 mm) Unfortunately, the hardware store was out of the 5X12 stainless bolts (used to mount the adel clamps to the bracket) so I had to settle for the 5X10.  2mm doesn't sound like much but definitely would have been helpful when trying to mount the adel clamps to the bracket.  Also, there is barely any room to get a nut on the front passenger peg bolt but I was not going to be denied.  Here are some more pics for your amusement...

[image: Reservoir Install location sans passenger peg]
Reservoir Install location sans passenger peg

[image: IMG 0213[1]Close-up of install location]
IMG 0213[1]Close-up of install location

[image: Reservoir from side]
Reservoir from side

[image: Reservoir from rear]
Reservoir from rear

I finally got it all back together and wanted to share some pics of my reservoir mount.  I had Mr. Daugherty install a longer than stock braided reservoir line with the idea that I was going to mount it behind the passenger peg since I wanted it completely out of the way.

After much deliberation my plan was to swap out the passenger peg bolts with longer ones (front - 8x45mm, rear 8x60mm) and mount a bracket to the end of the bolts and hang adel clamps off the bracket.  Bracket was a 1" x 4" x 1/8" aluminum...probably should have used 1/16" thickness instead in the name of sprung weight savings...

 

The reservoir was mounted as high as possible for max clearance and that presented a challenge because there isn't a lot of room between the plastic tray and the back of the passenger peg mount (about 15 mm) Unfortunately, the hardware store was out of the 5X12 stainless bolts (used to mount the adel clamps to the bracket) so I had to settle for the 5X10.  2mm doesn't sound like much but definitely would have been helpful when trying to mount the adel clamps to the bracket.  Also, there is barely any room to get a nut on the front passenger peg bolt but I was not going to be denied.  Here are some more pics for your amusement...

       

That looks great.  Nice work!

Thank you sir!  

I'm not saying how much aluminum I went through due to design changes and general screw ups.  One would think it is not that difficult to drill four holes but I successfully proved otherwise.

Got to ride my 130 mile loop this morning with the DMr suspension.  Cogswell stated it eloquently in another thread... to paraphrase... big improvement when leaned over but less plush.  The sweeper with the suggested speed of 35 that I normally take at 60 was taken at 65 with a much more planted feel to it.  To be fair I have not even set the sag on it or tweaked the knobs yet so I'm confident the plushness can improve.  I can now see what everyone meant when the said the preload is a tough adjustment on the rear after the conversion... 

hey Guys, on average how long did it take you to remove rear shock and replace with the DMR unit? I have one sitting next to me in it's box and need to figure out when to do it (wether I can do it on my isngle day off or wait for say, 2 days or so)

single day should be more than enough

study the workshop manual and schematic so you know the steps/sequence and make sure you have the right tools

clean you underside first if really dirty

I think a shop can do this in 2 hours...

What Dutchy said...I am not quick and was able to do it in under a day.  Make sure you have a jack to help mainpulate the swing arm when removing and installing.  I believe I found it easiest to get the upper bracket into position by itself first and then install the shock...

Post #11 of this link was also VERY helpful to me: http://www.vfrdiscus...-6th-gen/page-2

Getting my fork seals done next week (they both blew at the same time... damn deep pothole and undersprung front) and I was figuring to get hte rear shock done at the same time as the seals. if it's only an extra like 2 hours then happy days.