Ducati Monster Forum

I'm looking for info. on changing out the forks on a 696. Does any know if the stock 696 calipers, rotors & wheel will bolt up to the 848/1098 forks ?
 Thanks in advance

Calipers yes
Rotors yes/no - see below
wheel yes/no - see below

but you'll need some more things.

triples or bore and shim old ones,
brake rotors with correct offset (15mm) or spacers for old ones (5mm spacer),
     (unless you get sbk wheel then use sbk rotors)
sbk axle with sbk spacer (i used one monster one sbk can't remember which)
 (not sure how using sbk wheel changes that)

also the sbk forks are longer. so you'll need to work on that by pulling them through the forks more.
and not sure if they'll fit under the stock bars. many go to clipons instead.

if you want at this point you can also grab the rear suspension clevis from the 1100 and raise the bike taking advantage of the longer forks

Thanks Raux

The 696 lower triple seems to be 52 mm and I thought the 848/1098 were 52mm. The top 696 seems to be 50mm, the 848/1098 I thought is 52mm so I think boring the top is the simplest for me, are my measurments wrong ?

There's 60mm Rizoma risers on the 696 now and there is at least 50mm from the triple to the bars so raising the tubes should not be a problem but I like the idea of the 1100 clevis  the 848/1198 forks & clevis may add a little more lean angle to that low riding 696. But if I don't go for the clevis would you measure the forks off the bike compare numbers and then raise the 848/1098 forks the difference in numbers ? In other words if the the 1098 forks are lets say 8mm longer then I raise them 8mm to maintain the same bike geometry ?

I'd like to use stock wheel (cost savings)  I guess the 696 rotors have a 10mm offset & the 5mm spacers go between the rotors & hub.

Is the stock 848/1098 axle the same as the "sbk" axle and again I'm guessing that the spacer go between the wheel & forks and there will be one on each side of wheel ?

Thanks  again for your help

SBK forks are 53/53 in showa, 53/56 in ohlins

Spacer goes between the wheel and the rotor.  It spaces the rotor out 5mm from the wheel, and yes...one on each side.

No idea on axle size on stock wheel. 

you need the sbk axle because of the forks. the stock wheel with fit it though. the two axle spacers go on either side of the wheel.

yes you understand the fork length issue

TAft explained the rotors

the monster triples. are 50/54 so you need to bore the upper shim the lower
unless you get the ohlins they you need to bore both.

Sorry for being a pain in the ass but you guys are saving me a bunch of time (Thanks guy's) Just a few more questions
 
Do you know of a source for the shim materiel for bottom triple ?

And I was thinking the 5mm shims for the rotors I could use individual 5mm washers 1 at each rotor bolt which will leave a 5mm gap between the rotor & wheel except at the washers, but since these are the front brakes I want to be sure to shim it properly. Would the washers work or do I need a solid shim & if so do you know of a source for that type of shim material.
 
Thanks again

I think motowheels sells the shims you need.

as far as the rotors, i think there are minor sponsors that can make some up for you.

Here's a pic of my front end.

(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs911.ash1/181909_149463665110370_100001402122676_273972_5423756_n.jpg)

I went without the rotor shims and used Braking rotors for a 2002 748R which are 6 bolt 15mm offset, but a pain in the ass to source.

Nice looking front end ! It may take me a month or so to gather up all the parts I need but the ball is rolling, I'll post up some pics when it's done.
 Thanks for your help

Here you can find some info I´ve uploaded some time ago for an "How To":
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36913.msg649160#msg649160 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=36913.msg649160#msg649160)

And here a website where you can find the shims for forks:
http://www.desmoworld.com/shop/de/adapter-buchse.html (http://www.desmoworld.com/shop/de/adapter-buchse.html)

@ Raux - I will try to find those rotors. Really like them.
So, I have to find for a 2002 748R which are 6 bolt 15mm offset. No other Ducati Model?

Thank´s

Paulo

pretty certain that's the correct year.

http://www.braking.com/it/catalogue/dettaglio_prodotto.php?codice_articolo=STX62D (http://www.braking.com/it/catalogue/dettaglio_prodotto.php?codice_articolo=STX62D)

Save yourself $60 or whatever they are charging for a "shim".

www.mcmastercarr.com (http://)

Search shims, or shim stock.

Use brass of the appropriate thickness.  Bend it around the fork and trim prior to sliding the fork into the triple.  Use a strap wrench or other tool to form it around the fork.  Make sure there is space for it to tighten up (a slit).  Install. 

Take the $50 you saved and go buy a steak  [thumbsup]

Tell you what, any of you guys get to Nor Cal & I'll buy you all some beers !

Those rotors are nice & an easy fix for the off set problem but I'm trying to save a little money. Your 100% right the rotors are a pregnant dog to find. I found a guy on another forum selling an "almost new" pair of Galfer rotors for a good price  the part number of the rotors in Galfers catalog show them as a 320mm, 4.5mm thick, 6 bolt pattern with a 14.5mm off set the bike listed for that rotor is a 2002 998. Do you think there will be any problem with that .5mm difference ?
 Thanks

those are the correct ones

Thank-You !

I finally got all the parts in hand, 848 forks re sprung & re valved, Galfer wave rotors & all the shims the top triple is out being bored should be in hand in a few days. But I'm not sure on the fork length & positioning. The 848 forks are aprx. 63mm longer. So I measured the stock fork while on the bike (no pressure on forks) from the bottom triple to the center of the axle which was 400mm. I used that dimension to install the new fork. Is that the correct way to maintain the bikes stock set up ?
 Thanks

You did it correctly. You should be around the stock geometry now. How much fork is protruding above the triple? Hopefully you have enough clearance for the bars and you can still get at the adjusters.

Thanks, I haven't got the top triple back yet so I'm not sure on that. But I do have Rizoma 60mm bar risers so hopefully I'll have the clearance. Not sure but I think most others have used clip ons with this mod.

the risers should be enough for clearance IMO.

sounds like it's coming together nicely.  [thumbsup]

but pics or it didnt happen  [roll]

so glad i stumbled on this thread. ive been thinking of doing this for a few weeks now. my plan is to get ohlins front and rear for my 848 and then getting the calipers, rim and rotors from a 10 or 1198. and all the left over parts will go on my 696... at least thats the idea.

I hope so, you mentioned early on the forks were longer but like a dumb ass I didn't ask how much longer and assumed maybe 10-20mm not 63mm !

Pics will happen right after the 1st road test & [beer], I'm hoping for a very noticeable handling improvement over the stock forks.




Are you using the 1098 rim for it's looks ? Otherwise it seems easier to keep the stock 696 wheel. Will the 848 rear shock mount up on the 696 ?

actually i have an 848 showa rear shock that i'm going to attempt to mount on the bike.
I know the spring is softer than the 696, so I hope my stock spring which I powdercoated black will fit the showa.
but i am worried about the external tank that is attached to the fork

i was thinking the simplest way to do it would be to get the entire front end off a 1198s
something that already has the ohlins forks, triples, brakes, rotors, rim, and if it had the bars and reservoirs also that would be even better. i saw a set up like that a while back on ebay it was like 4 grand. but we will see what happens when my tax return comes in.

the sbk triples are different than the monster triples.

im hope to up grade my 848 with 1198 goodies.
then upgrade my 696 with the leftover 848 stuff so the only headache should be getting the 848 triples on the monster. and ill let someone else figure out the details and just follow their lead 8-)

Lots of good info in here.

Raux, you're making me want to do this again.   :-\

agreed

im looking into woodcraft clip ons regardless, but, i dont know if i should get a speedymoto triple now, or wait till i maybe eventually afford forks.

maybe run the clip ons with a pc'd stock triple for the summer, then upgrade the forks over next winter with the correct speedymoto triple. hmmmm.....

didn't someone grind smooth the original triple so it wasnt textured, then pc it?

it's worth it. amazing difference on the ride. can't wait til i can upgrade the rear shock.

Got it done, I think the Galfer rotors were worth the extra $ those alone shaved off 2lbs. & with the Galfer sintered pads there is a lot feel to the braking, the stock rotors & pads really stopped the bike almost over kill but with the Galfer you still have the power maybe even more but theres more feel from light to real hard braking. The 848 forks are much much smoother and don't feel like there bottoming out 1/2 way through the stroke. It's been raining like hell around here & I can't get in a proper test ride but here's a few pics for non-believers  ;D    http://s747.photobucket.com/albums/xx116/2link2/ (http://s747.photobucket.com/albums/xx116/2link2/)

If you get that rear shock sorted post up.

Thanks again every body for the help.

LOL holy protruding fork tops Batman!  :o I'd lose the bars and go to clipons if faced with that arrangement. But hey not my bike. Great job anyway, bet she rides much mo betta. [thumbsup]

not sure how tall you are, but if you get the 1100 rear suspension clevis mount you can raise the rear and front about an inch to make those forks look a bit better if you are going to keep the bars.

Yeah, that's 2 inches of tube above the triple ! I'm prolly the only one to do this mod & not have clip ons if it wasn't for those 60mm risers it would be a no go. This is my GF bike & she likes the up right riding position so the bars are staying. Anyway the rain quit & I got in a good ride the forks are awesome ! The bike used to corner fairly well but now this thing just flat rips, stable as as anything very confidence inspiring it feels like it's on rails very smooth even over very bumpy roads at high speed. I was pushing it pretty hard & never felt close to the edge. This fork mod turned out much better then I thought it would it now feels like a well sorted out race bike but still plush enough for street riding.

The GF is plenty tall enough so that sounds like the way to go. Is that mount at the top of shock or at swing arm ? ebay has a bunch of 1100 "dog bone" type mounts but they don't look like they would fit the & there listed for the Hyper & Multi nothing for the Monster 1100.

I will be keeping a handlebar setup too with my fork swap. My Rizoma Bar arrives this week with 42mm risers.  I may have to custom make some risers because the speedymoto riser top triple only offers a 20mm rise over stock. I want standard 'rise' which should be possible with my forks.

Doesn't look like Rizoma risers will fit the Speedymoto triple from the pics available on the webb. Christian wasn't able to confirm or not.

(http://www.speedymoto.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/03-0206BLK.jpg)

Cheers

Scott

Oh and as for height I was thinking the bike looks good sitting so low that I'll raise it with a DP performance seat. Best of both worlds  [moto]

To raise the rear there is a $20 metal piece that mounts on top of the shock connecting it to the subframe. the 696 one is about 1/4" smaller than the 1100's but that amounts to about an 1" rise on the rear. You can get it at any dealer.

Here's a thread where I better described it

http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=30414.msg527082#msg527082 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=30414.msg527082#msg527082)

Thanks. That's pretty simple. I'll only do that if I need to ie forks won't fit. I think the DP seat will be on the list before the fork swap - for rider comfort.

I have both so my 696 is significantly taller

It's probably worth it then? I'll order the part at the same time as the seat.

it's easily reversible if you don't like it.. for <30... not a bad mod. you more cornering clearance which is a plus

Nice, that's perfect a $30 fix that solves 2 problems.



The 20mm rise over stock is what the Rizoma 60mm risers give you so the forks will work with the speedymoto riser. One thing I had done was re-spring the forks to my GF weight the 848 stockers have 9.5's in them. I could have gone 8.5's but I went 9's and less preload and that's why there's over 5 lines showing above the top nut which put's the top screw about 8mm below the bars. You can pick up 5-10mm of clearance just by adding some pre-load. Anyway not sure how good those 848 forks are stock but as I said I had them re-valved by Catalyst Reaction www.feelthetrack.com (http://) and they are fantastic. I've have done many re-valves, cartridge kits ect. and full on Ohlins forks & IMO these 848 forks feel as good as any of those. Of coarse I'm not taking the 696 to the track (then it would time for a new rear shock) but if your forks have some miles on them I'd get em serviced & re valved prior to installing them. If your springs rate is correct the service and re valve is prob. under 200 bucks.

CLIP. ONS.

I agree fully.
TALL. BOYS.
WOOD. CRAFT.

Yes I think in this instance, clipons with rise are a better solution. Handlebars with tall risers are a clumsy way to try to solve this problem, just look at those compression adjusters. They're touching the bars! Riser clipons will allow for the upright riding position that is desired in this case, and allow for full access to the fork adjusters. Also, they look better.

BOOM.

The adjusters are not touching there is about 8-10mm of clearance from bar to adj I would not put a bike together like that you can also adjust them as it sits. The bar & risers were put on long before I decided to swap forks. The one thing I never checked into was the length of the 848 fork (my bad) I agree with you guy's clip ons should be used, but I've mentioned before this is my GF bike and how much coin I spend on it is driving right now. The bar & risers were a B-day gift and the forks were because I'm a nice guy and after a few rides on the 696 I decided that this bike is way to nice to have such POS forks on it. So maybe after the ride height clevis mod & pod filter mod I will look into some clip on's and sell the Rizoma stuff. But bottom line is how well the 848 forks preform they are stellar it really changed the way the bike handles, maybe I'll just throw a paper bag over the bars when parked.

Meh. I'm still sticking with handlebars. The BOOM theory didn't sway me.  ;)
My forks don't have much sticking above the fork cap. Combined with the clevis this is the way for me to go (for now anyway).

You guys are gonna cost me a lot of money.  Pick up a used 09 696 for my wife, tomorrow hopefully.

Your screwed ! (no pun intended) I started modding the GF bike with a tail tidy xmas gift & it hasn't stopped yet. The 696 is a nice bike & now after the fork mod it's a great little bike your wife is gonna have a blast & you'll fun modding it out & riding it if She let's you. The Gf spent 7.5K for it I probably spent close to 3.5K on mods & there's still some stuff I want to do it.

Yeah, I can't wait.  I have some challenges to start, she is like 26.5" IS, so I plan to back off the preload on the shock probably to end of threads and raise the forks 1" (looks to be about the max).  30% sag will get it almost 2" off the 30.3".

If still too stiff (she is 130 lbs), it appears the OEM spring (85n) off my MTS will work to soften it some more.  Before all that tho, I will be FORCED to break it in.  Only 385 miles used.  She is gonna love this bike after selling the F650GS twin (13,000+ miles).

I will start a thread on the lowering mods if I am able to pull it off without making it a straight line cruiser.  Need an air shock, drop to mount and redlight stops, then pump up to normal for riding.

check out the female rider section, they have a few tips on lowering the bike over there.

Okay will do.  Pulled the stock spring and installed my MTS1200 OEM after cutting it down by about 3/8".  This shock is 85kg I believe.  It is wrong length, but I trimmed some just to see if it is closer to the right spring rate.  It did change the static to less, but rider sag is like 1/8" less so hurt me on lowering the bike but probably better rate. I am about to go test ride it.

600 miles now (started with 385 miles) and the motor is starting to loosen up and run pretty good.  Who needs more than 6k rpm on this bike anyway, LOL?

The forks are really firm and need probably less dampening.  Anyone changed out the 7.5 wt for 5 or less?

update:  Okay, after test ride on some bumps and 50 - 60 mph stuff, rate is slightly better for me, but way too stiff for a 130lb rider.  Looks like I will be trying to find something in the area of 65 or 70 kg and 170mm.

oooo you haven't hit above 6k yet ? ;)

you get a kick in the pants when that happens.

Really likeing this bike.  Wife cannot or will not attempt to ride till I get it sorted so she can get lower than her toes.  We took it for a spin yesterday 2up just to whet her appetite, suspension was pretty good 2up but I scraped my boot once.  I have another seat, will cut it down an 1" today for her to test.  I don't want to go lower than 2" at the most on the suspension, I'm at about 1-1/2" now.

She had found the Honda 750rs which is a sportster clone (2.8 gallon tank) and fits her like a glove, so this bike came just in time.  LOL

Does anyone know the rate of the stock fork springs?  I decided to slow down a bit and at least try to get the correct spring weight for her before going with the 848 mod, give the OEM forks a chance to suffice for her at least.  She will not be riding as hard as most, just needs some better feel and compliance.

I still have the Tiger 1050 OEM fork springs rated .60 kg/mm but it has 150mm travel where the 696 only has 120mm so doubt they will be the same.

you may have issues on the 696 forks
they have 2 different size springs and only one damper.

The more I hear about the forks the more I wonder what Ducati was thinking, must be the new wave.

Traxxion cartridges are like $1200, anyone done those?  Way more than I ever was thinking about putting into this bike, but it sure does deserve good suspension, runs addictively.

If you search you'll find some threads about using the forks from the 848/1098/1198. In fact, I think Raux has done this. If you source the parts on the used market you should be able to do it for less than $1,200.

Used 848 forks                             400.00
spacers & boring top triple            150.00
Race tech springs & re valve of      300.00
848 forks


The best 850.00 spent. The Traxxion stuff is prob. real good but I don't think the stock forks would ever be as good as the re-valved 848 forks.

I am looking at the 848 forks for sure, and I have a mill and boring bar, also a clunker lathe that can do spacers.  Revalving and springs will need also.

If I can get the shock compliant, will decide on the forks next.  Need to get her on the bike so I can get some feedback on how she feels about it.  Being lowered it is sorta like her ninja250r, only on steroids and 1st gear is not a grandma gear.

Actually.. .the 848 fork may not be the best solution for you.
You are trying to lower the bike. Unless you go with clipons, the 848 would never fit  under your handlebar.

You might want to look at older Monster forks. They are shorter than the 696 forks.

The only issue will be brake mounts. You can either use the older brake calipers or upgrade the lowers with radial mounts from Style and Performance or modify the stock 696 to fit the older fork lowers. (kind of hard unless you have a machine shop)

I had purchased a used set of S4R forks that unfortunately were a bit too damaged. That's when I noticed the length issue.

Exactly why I have been slow to jump.  Link put his at 400mm, I measured mine (low as I think I dare go) and they would have to match 375mm, and he has a lot of stickout (preload backed off not withstanding).  I have 38mm risers, and she is still stretched out to reach the bars, may have to change bars (and cables) in the future anyway.

A real machinist would take the 848s and cut the internals to fit the 696 forks, assuming the ID is the same.  But, my 1943 Monarch doesn't hold close enough tolerances to do any precision turning.  LOL

Good point Raux, the 848's would be a poor choice when lowering the bike. When I was doing the swap I was told by a suspension guy that there are a lot of Japanese bikes that have the same size lower & top tube OD as stock, his thought was there would be no boring/shimming of the triple. I never checked it out as I already had the new forks in hand. So maybe you can get a decent set off a Japanese bike that are closer to the 696 length. I ended up raising the ride height now theres about 44mm of tube above the top triple which puts the adj. nut about 12mm below the bars. I'm using a 60mm bar riser. I could have gone with a lighter spring & more preload but I figured I'll back off on pre load for the GF & a heavier person could ride the bike & not have to re-spring it. I had no clue the 848 forks were longer until I mounted them up !  [bang] 

Welp, jumped into the deep end, so now will have to swim, dog paddle or something.

848 forks on the way, service manual downloaded.  270mm springs, that lets my ex tiger out with 295mm springs 6.0 sigh.  848 travel is 5", 696 is 4.7.  Might could limit the travel to 4" and cut the preload tube/shim for keep the preload adjustment down flush, give me some more room.

I keep thinking there is some dead space in there maybe, cut 2" weld back in a zone that doesn't matter, but the damper rod and weld.  Just thinking outside the tube a bit.

So much for taking it slow ! I was thinking the same thing about some dead space in the 848 since the travel is only .3 more & the tubes are over 2 inches longer. But IMO I would try & keep as much travel as possible. I know getting the bike lowered is your main concern so thats a whole another chalange. For what it's worth I think the main reason the GF is more confident on the bike is that She is now using 3/4-7/8 of the 848 5" which is keeping the front wheel planted on the pavement where as the stock forks She would only use about 1/3 of the travel. Good luck with the project & don't forget some pics & results when your done

I have some gold nitride lower tubes from an s4r that are in decent shape i think. everything is already disassembled. springs dampers, etc.
they are definitely shorter than the 696 tubes.

A little taller at the front than the rear (in lowering) may not be a bad thing, slow the handling some maybe.

If there is 2" dead space, best would be to cut at top and rethread the end, then shorten the damper rod.  Might need to lower the oil level to give more air gap.

Recut the seat (3rd time) and fits better now for her.  Ordered 66nm spring for shock.

Just some info FYI, I was also thinking to have the front a bit taller to accommodate the longer forks but IMO the stock geometry on the 696 works very well & even with the the wide handle bars the bike is not a real quick turner so I wasn't real found of raising the front. From the seating position it appears that the weight bias would favor the front. But I don't think thats the case, I used 2 scales to weigh the bike one under each wheel, with no rider & about 3/4 full tank it weighed 380lbs. 190lbs on the front & 190lbs. on the rear. With a 170 lbs rider the front weight was 260lbs & the rear 290lbs. I'm not sure exactly what those numbers mean when talking weight bias. At best the bias would be 50% front 50% rear which would seem in line with advertised weight bias of other bikes (I'm not even sure thats the correct way to figure out weight bias). I searched & could not find any weight bias numbers for the 696. Anyway with my goal to get more compliance & feel at the front wheel I thought raising the front was a bad idea.     

was the rider in riding position with feet on pegs, etc?

 I had 3 guy's, 1 holding the front, 1 holding the rear & the rider in riding position feet on pegs, I had rider pretty much in a neutral position. I was surprised too see so much weight on the rear & I was going to switch scales around, have rider change positions ect.  & try a few more weigh ins but my "help" were 2 20 year kids in a big hurry so the weight check was cut short maybe the numbers will change next time, even a little down pressure from the holders would cause the scales to go up. Anyway do you know how weight bias is done ? Rider on bike or no rider ? It seems with rider on the numbers will change with riding position & a guy carrying a lot of upper body weight could really add to the front by getting over the tank in a tuck as opposed to a some one that carries more weight in lower body. The rider I used was a skinny 6' 1" kid with no real upper body weight no helmet jacket.

I used one scale, one wheel at a time, no rider.  Front = 204, Back= 208.  Nearly full tank, stock 696.

I fitted up 48T rear sprocket and new 110 link D.I.D. chain.  Take off a little easier now in 1st, idle is 5 mph.

We made a ride this morning 2up on my Multi.  First of all, after riding the 696 for the last few days, my bike felt like a HEAVY GS PIG, and it only weighs like 480 with the topcase.

Proabably should start a new thread, but this being about the forks on the 696 seems good.

I pulled my forks apart yesterday to have a look see.  I have found that the OEM springs are like .56kg/mm - .88kg/mm progressive and uneven in length between the forks.

I found that the left spring is 485mm and the right is 402mm.  The reason I went in was to try an idea.  I have some OEM Tiger 1050 springs, 270mm .6kg/mm.  I cut the 696 springs and ground a flat put a washer (from racetech mod I did on the Tiger) at the bottom of forks and put the cut on that washer, then a washer between the two springs.

Same thing with the right side only different length to make the difference.  I used the straight rate part of the OEM 696 spring and tossed the progressive end.

Ride was really good, I ran over bumps that I had been trying to avoid to keep from getting ejected.  Forks do not bottom or even come close.  I might have some 848 forks for sale in the future!   [bang]

My plan, get 30% - 35% sag with the wife on board.  That would be about 38mm.  Raise the forks about 12mm.  These springs are very close to that.  Just waiting on rear spring to test this week.

Pic.  This is left fork, 696 OEM spring on top, Tiger 1050 on bottom.  I cut the spring about 3/8" longer than needed to make the original length.
(http://myweb.cebridge.net/dhanson/696tiger.jpg)

update:  Static sag = 20mm (probably could use some preload, cut the spring longer by 1/4")
             Rider sag = 35mm  (me @ 185 lbs)  30mm (wife at 135 lbs)  Almost perfect and since I am trying to lower the bike, will not worry about the static sag being on the low side.

That's great if you can the stockers to work. So with the frankinsprings how much of the travel are you using & do you still have the same travel length as stock ? The reason I ask is the major problem I had with the stockers was that last 1.5" - 2" of travel even with my 190lbs the forks never bottomed out but it felt like it, the bottom part of the stroke was so harsh the front wheel was all over the place. I thought part springs & part valving problem but it sounds like it's more spring related.   

I have slammed on the brakes trying to catch bumps, no bottoming, but handles really good.  I think the original spring has way too much progressive part and if it does not bottom with my frankinsprings (like that name) it never would with the original.

I put a ziptie on last night and rode over an hour all over the hardest/bumpest roads I have around here.  It is 3/4" from bottom, so total of 4" travel from top to that tie.

Got 52mpg by the way, wish my Multi would do that. LOL

P.S.  I got my 848 forks (they are beautiful!), and ordered .85kg/mm springs from RT.  By my measurements they will just fit under my bars (on risers) but not room for anymore preload backing off, thus the lighter springs for her weight should allow me to keep them down more flush.

Well it sounds like frankinspring fork works for you but riding that hard & your weight & still having 3/4" left of travel would probably mean a very stiff ride for a 130lb rider. FYI the suspension guy told me is that the stock 848 rebound valving is crap & He always changes that when working on the 848 fork He says the compression valving is fine no need to mess with it. Now for your next mod toss in some Galfer or Braking rotors to really get the front end right ! They make the correct off set so you'll shave 2lbs un sprung weight, save $50.00 in shims & spend $550.00 on the rotors it's a great deal I call it Monster math.

I didn't like the way the forks felt/sag.  Pulled them and weighed at 50lbs (+10 for weight of fork leg) and 100lbs, measuring with ziptie the sag.  Left fork was way less than the right.  Pulled the springs and installed 10mm PVC spacer with washer in left leg.  

Much closer to same weights and distance on both fork legs now.

Progress on 848 forks.
Ordered m8 x 25mm buttonhead torx 40 bolts (OEM are 20mm) and finished the spacers and axle bushing.  I messed up one spacer and marginal on another one, so may make another one.
(http://myweb.cebridge.net/dhanson/spacers.jpg)

P.S.  You will not find these parts in the catalog.  ;D

Update on the frankenspring.  I changed out the oil for 5 wt.  Put 500ml, book calls for 538ml (I only had one liter).  Tried to balance the sag with weight for each fork.  Set left to 65mm sag at 140 lbs (about right for rider and bike). On filling the right, it felt like a hydralic lock and stopped at 35mm.  Drained 125ml, sag now goes to 68mm, figured that is close enough.

Test ride to follow, if this does not get them closer to compliant, 848 forks here we come!

Welp, even tho the modified OEM 696 forks was working good, I talked her into letting me install the 848 sticks.

Took me all day starting about 11am.  Tearing the bike down was slow, I thought I had to take off the riser while triple tree was mounted, not so could have done that later as the center nut tool fit with the riser on.

Boreing triple tree was pretty easy, took several small .035" cuts.  I had already changed out the 9.6kg/mm springs for RT 8.5kg/mm recommended by RT for 135lb rider.  Putting it together was fairly simple, hard part was getting the .5mm 2-1/4" x 6-3/8" brass shim in the bottom triple. 

She wanted to keep the aftermarket handlebar so I had to use 1-1/2" riser and then reroute throttle cable as it moved throttle when going full lock to left.

I had to set the forks 395mm, measureing from bottom of lower triple tree to center line of axle.  I had the OEM forks set at 390mm, so was able to almost get the same ride height.  Sag is 30mm, it was the same on the OEM.

I get to test it tomorrow, maybe fine tune the comp and rebound, can't wait for her to try it and report!!

Thanks for all with the info and tips to do this mod.  I will get some pics tomorrow.

Test ride by wife did not go well, too firm.  So, after adjusting dampenng to try and help, no go.

Pulled the forks and removed 8.5 racetech springs and oil.  Swapped the 6.0 (tiger 1050 springs) out of the modded OEM 696 forks to the 848s.  Also swapped oil, so 6.0 springs with 5wt oil in the 848 sticks.

All back together, will test later.  I didn't realize how good of a job I did on modifying the OEM 696 forks, so the 848s will have to be tuned great to beat them.  If this doesn't get it, then possible revalve is in the works.

(http://myweb.cebridge.net/dhanson/696_848.jpg)
(http://myweb.cebridge.net/dhanson/696_848_2.jpg)
(http://myweb.cebridge.net/dhanson/696_848_3.jpg)

How much static sag did you get there seems to be quite a bit on mine and I have rider sag set at 35mm. I did have mine re-valved and they are super smooth for 99% of the entire travel, they soak up big and little hits very well and still keep the bike planted at speed. I ended up dropping the forks about 10mm beyond stock settings to add some trail I think I went from about 97mm to about 105mm. The next thing I'm going to try is shorting the wheel base about 25mm. The compression adj. is very sensitive on mine less then 1/8 of turn is noticeable.  If your fork mod works better then the 848 forks you should start selling kits, it would be a lot simpler then doing all the machine work !

Rider sag is like 36mm.  I lowered the forks 10mm this morning to 400mm measuring centerline of axle to bottom of lower triple.  Static is like 12mm or more, that is why I lowered the forks some to get the 390mm when she get on.  I made the preload spacer/washers only 15mm to keep the preload adjustment at the lower settings.  I'm at 2 rings.

I had 480cc of oil this morning and would not allow the forks to bottom, about 35mm left.  Took out 65cc, too hot to test right now, maybe this evening or morning.

My compression seems to have almost no effect that I can tell ( I may just be way out), but the rebound is very easy to feel and adjust.  May have to revalve at some point.

No joke on the OEM mod being so good, course only for her, way to soft for me.  Kind of aggravating in a way.  LOL

edit:  I rechecked the static sag, more like 15mm with preload all the way, gives rider sag of 33mm.  So, this indicates the .60 spring is too weak.  I have found that the suzuki DL1000 has a .70kg/mm spring, hmmm.