Suzuki C800 and M800 Fork extenders

Have a look at this Link its very interesting Link to webslingers

It shows you how to put a spacer in your forks to extend them by 2.5" which will change the riding position slightly and stop the foot pegs from scraping.

Seems a fairly simple and effective idea. Foot peg scraping is not something that bothers me personally on the 800. Of course as with all mods, insurance and warranty void issues have to be considered.

Would extending the forks like that not make them harder and put more strain on the head bearings ?

They would certainly be stiffer but it is a common (ish) mod that I have seen in many different guises of my years of biking. A mate done the same mod years ago on a different bike and people were saying he would end up bottoming out the suspension on potholes but he never did but that would be because of the stiffer suspension. I personally found the c800 suspension a bit sloppy anyway but that was probably be down to my riding style.

The C800 has a magic carpet for suspension compared with my 883 Harley which I'm convinced had the wheels directly bolted on to the frame. I quite like the way it sails over bumps a bit like an old Mk10 Jag I once drove. Can't say I'm tempted to start driving rods down the forks but I know what it's like when you get an idea in your head - I'm going to do it just to find out if it doesn't work . It gives me pleasure when I read that bikers have been doing foolhardy things for years...makes me feel sort of normal!

Bluesman wrote:

The C800 has a magic carpet for suspension compared with my 883 Harley which I'm convinced had the wheels directly bolted on to the frame. It gives me pleasure when I read that bikers have been doing foolhardy things for years...makes me feel sort of normal!

Not sure why you say it's fool hardy? I reckon if you stiffened up the rear suspension by use of the adjuster and did that mod on the front you would have a cruiser that would be a dream in the bends and hold the road a hell of a lot better. I know it's each to his own and some people have different ideas about what they won't from the intruder but I think a lot of the quick riders may really enjoy the handling capability if both mods were done. I say both as the last thing you won't is a bike that is soft at one end and hard at the other as that would be horrendous.

captain crash wrote:

.....a lot of the quick riders may really enjoy the handling capability.....

That's true but I think tinkering with the Intruder's suspension may alter the bike's original purpose a bit. I think anyone who is disappointed with the handling may have bought the wrong bike for their preferred riding style. Still I'm sure someone on here may well have a go so it will be interesting to see how they like the end result.

Bluesman wrote:

the bike's original purpose!

uh oh I think i can see where this thread might be going again

Bunso Steel wrote:

Bluesman wrote:

the bike's original purpose!

uh oh I think i can see where this thread might be going again

Cruisers are for cruising maybe?

Bluesman wrote:

I think tinkering with the Intruder's suspension may alter the bike's original purpose a bit. I think anyone who is disappointed with the handling may have bought the wrong bike .

Bunso Steel wrote:

Bluesman wrote:

the bike's original purpose!

uh oh I think i can see where this thread might be going again

pledge wrote:

Cruisers are for cruising maybe?

So does that mean that Dave should not be adding ape hanger handle bars and that Alfie shouldn't have altered his seat and that Ray shouldn't have added his aftermarket exhaust and that Martin shouldn't have redesigned his bike to be a complete one off, and on and on and on. Why should the bike be left as Stock and not be an excellent platform to get something that makes the individual even happier.
I give up

A bike is whatever the owner wants it to be but if too many things have to be altered maybe they could have been got on the bike to begin with - there is plenty of choice. I'm all for modifications which are natural tweaks but fundamental alterations leave me personally wondering if something was not quite got right at purchase time. I'm not against this mod or any other - if someone does it and their bike is wonderfully transformed as a result - then I might do it, you never know. Never say never. In my book though buy a bike which is more or less right for your intended use (trail bike for off road, sports bike for handling, cruiser for whatever cruisers do best, adventure bike for globetrotting etc etc) If you change it - no prob. If you seek to transform it radically - maybe you need a different bike or more than one bike. I'm not against any of the mods on this site - it's what makes it tick a lot of the time and I applaud that. It's when there are more mods than bike that I beg to differ. I may be shot down for these views but hey that's what makes this site such an exciting place to be! As long as we ride Intruders, modded or not surely that is the important thing here!

Anyway talking about exciting....Swansea have just gone top of the Premiere League! The season is very young but I am enjoying it whilst I can!

All to often I read if your not happy with the bike maybe you should have got a different one or words to that affect. I just don't understand why that should be the case.

If you are the type of person like Alfie and Dave and Martin and so many others on this site that enjoy taking the bike to new levels that give personal satisfaction on so many levels, all the way from the first time they think about it, to the drawing, to the shop looking for a usable part for there idea, to the work bench and finally to the bike, how can anyone say they must have bought a different bike. if it wasnt for these guys that look to change the bike from its stock state most members would probably not even be here. As these people add the spice that generates the interesting talk.

When we look at some of the mods that have been done on this site and how radical some have them have been, the one on this thread is very tame as all you are doing is pulling the old spacer out and replacing it with a slightly longer one. Some people are happy with stock bikes and thats great for them and some will think outside of the box completely and move the goalposts, neither is right and niether is wrong but the second one is very interesting and at times exciting.

So when these things are considered, I would say to your statement John that you may ask yourself why they didn't buy a different bike and to that I would say that there is not a bike that these guys that do these mods would ever leave a stock. Because biking to them isn't just riding from A to B, its a much much bigger experience than that.

captain crash wrote:

All to often I read if your not happy with the bike maybe you should have got a different one or words to that affect. I just don't understand why that should be the case.

I can't remember owning a motorcycle that I've not modified to suit me, If I bought the perfect bike I think I'd be tinkering before long,
in the words of Mr Honda "what if" yes we get a few :shithhappens: but when a plan comes off and everyone can learn from the people who try mods.

Interesting read CC. Very good debate as well,always makes the forum more interesting.

Great find Crash
I had seen this done before myself but it had completely slipped the old grey matter.

Stiffer front suspension along with cranked up rear spring = better handling & cornering (mmmmm possibly)
Stops the floor boards from scraping
Fractionally longer rake that would look better with my new ape hangers

Sounds like my kind of modification, it's on the to do list

captain crash wrote:

All to often I read if your not happy with the bike maybe you should have got a different one or words to that affect. I just don't understand why that should be the case.

I think it's that some people prefer to swap bikes and some like to modify the one they have got. When I swap my Intruder I'll move on - been there-done that. I'll try something else - streetfighter maybe or a cafe racer. I will keep my Intruder near to stock so part ex would be easier. For the moment I'm happy. Like to spend all my time riding. No problem with those who like to tinker. Just the way I am.

Everyone too there own bluesman, can't fault you, you pay your money you make your decision.