looking for upgrade for 1998 M900 triple clamps

[dansamp]

Does anyone make an upgrade for the older Monsters
I am looking to upgrade my suspension etc. and am having trouble finding
an aftermarket triple clamp set up for my M900
I contacted Speedy Moto and they couldn't help
I can't even upgrade to SBK forks because nobody even makes a top clamp
much less the bottom one 

any suggestions

apparently the earlier Monsters had a different steering angle than the 2nd generation etc

any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Dan.

[junior varsity]

Search, chief!

I've been there, done this many times over.

You can get a top and bottom triple clamp - billet aluminum from the Costas in Italy via IMA S.r.L. (http://www.imasrl.com). They are great to work with - and cost is fantastic. They can do boring for standard Monsters 50/54, SBK 53/53, and Ohlins 53/56.

Here's a shot of my bike (which is also featured on their website):

[junior varsity]

My bike is a 1999 - so same stuff as you got. We've got tapered steering bearings from the factory. The IMA triples still have accommodations for the standard Monster style bar, though I run clipons.

I used to have a CycleCat top triple, which was nice. It was lighter than the IMA SrL top triple, but also not as thick, nor did it come with a bottom triple.

Also, the IMA triples are at a 30mm offset (still a direct bolt on, mind you - of course you'd be installing new steering head bearings when swapping bottom triples, and its good regular maintenance anyhow)... This is the same offset as the newer Monsters (02+).

[junior varsity]

Shot of the top triple while I was working on the bike:



And a better lighting picture to show the bottom triple's beefiness, during install before I bolted up the U-bracket for the headlight, etc:

[Düb Lüv]

+1 on the IMA triples.

for the price you can't beat it, especially compared to others like motowheels own brand. they can do special boring for an extra 40 euro. i'm going to have some bored for my r6 forks.

[dansamp]

wow,
thanks for the info,
ideally I would like to get some 1098/848 style forks and also upgrade the brakes and rotors
obviously I would have to change wheels as well

speaking to the guy at speedy motor (he was very generous with his time)
the 1st generation Monsters had a 27 degree offset and then they changed to 30 degree
is it possible to still have the 27 degree offset when upgrading
I believe the 27 degree would be quicker steering ?

again thanks for the info

Dan.,

[dansamp]

Question for a m .
did you notice a difference in the steering with the bigger bottom triple clamp

the guy at Speedy Moto said I had quite a bit of things to upgrade before I would "need" a stiffer triple clamp

Dan.

[junior varsity]

wow,
thanks for the info,
ideally I would like to get some 1098/848 style forks and also upgrade the brakes and rotors
obviously I would have to change wheels as well

This wouldn't be an issue - I believe those Showas are also 53/53. So no big difference here. You'd need to change brakes to ones that fit radial mounts (spendy, but on eBay - check GothamCycles and our parts classifieds), you'd need a new axle to and a new wheel, rotors for the wheel, and don't forget your front tire in the replacement cost projection. The triples are going to be right in line with the costs of everything else, surprisingly.

speaking to the guy at speedy motor (he was very generous with his time)
the 1st generation Monsters had a 27 degree offset and then they changed to 30 degree
is it possible to still have the 27 degree offset when upgrading
I believe the 27 degree would be quicker steering ?

again thanks for the info

Dan.,

The first gen is more like 25mm.  30mm feels fantastic, fwiw.

Question for a m .
did you notice a difference in the steering with the bigger bottom triple clamp

the guy at Speedy Moto said I had quite a bit of things to upgrade before I would "need" a stiffer triple clamp

Dan.

The top triple is more for looks than for stiffness. The bottom triple, on the other hand, is what the steering stem is connected to, which is what connects the forks to the steering head at the frame. I see the bottom triple as doing all the work - When you brake - the force is applied predominately to the lower triple, to the frame. Yes, some is sent through the stem to the top triple as well, but the bottom seems to be the work horse.

So I would disagree with SpeedyMoto guy. The bottom triple is a great part to upgrade. Especially if you were looking at doing a conversion to superbike forks to get their superior valving to begin with, as well as radial brakes and the options for more "current" wheels.  It is a prime time to do the triples - which will cost you around or under $500 for the set, in black, silver or gold, and in the appropriate boring size, and you'll retain the ability to use stock headlight mount, gauge mount, and stock bars (if you choose to).

[dansamp]

a m ,
you say the 30mm feels fantastic,
does it steer quicker or is it that it may be more stable in corners ??

Dan.

I am looking to make it the best it can be but I do have a limited cash flow

I spent quite a bit upgrading my '95 900 SS/SP with SBK forks and ohlins shock etc, etc
and then I totalled it on the track

[junior varsity]

Hard to say just how much the triples changed handling as I also raised the rear ride height considerably. The bike is quite quick turning right now.

Living where I do now, I haven't found many high speed sweepers to see how well it finishes or how stable it really is. Dallas just doesn't have enough long curvy roads, at least not that I've found.

Its also difficult for me to give good comparison feed back from my Monster to another now that little remaining is stock - I'd say it steers like an M1000 (non-S2) with the rear ride height jacked up, but with clipons. And it spins up much faster. And its rackety-er. But it also has a different frame and suspension setup making comparison not so good to begin with.

As I see it, the extended offset has slightly lengthened my wheel base. Ever so slightly. That would add stability. But, the longer offset decreases overall trail, increasing steering quickness and losing a bit of stability. The jacked up rear ride height loses some wheelbase, puts my weight further forward, and also changes rake since the entire frame should pivot in a clockwise direction towards the front end.

More complicated than I can explain very well without making wild hand gestures and drinking a little bit. It seems to ride well. I may remove the additional ride-height spacers since I have an adjustable corsa rocker now. It can do the same work, weighs less and would eliminate the need for such things I believe.

[Some Dude]

More complicated than I can explain very well without making wild hand gestures and drinking a little bit

This should be in your signature because it's awesome 

[junior varsity]

what we need is a more extensive writeup about your bike, before we get to things like who shot john.

[Mojo S2R]

Wow!  Beautiful.   

[brad black]

ima ones are good from the set i fitted to a customer's bike, and cheaper than you might expect.

and it's not really a case of need as such.  if you're going fast enough to flex the std ones you're doing a few things at a more intense level than the original design was intended for i believe.

[crimsoncloak]

I have a set of triples for this kind of thing.  Setup for Ohlins (53/56) with 30mm offset (works good with a jacked up rear ride height).  Dimensionally similar to the standard item, but billet aluminum and black anodized.

I had them listed here for a while but they never found the right buyer I guess.  Lemme know if you'd like them.  I could do $390 + shipping.  Or I always like partial trades for Superbike or M1100 parts.