SBK Conversion For Dummies

Alright, so I apologize in advance for not having as many photos as I'd like, but this is a pretty straightforward swap so I think if you're the least bit mechanically inclined you should follow right along.

This is written for a 2007 M695 with 25mm hollow axles. Some of the parts listed in this write-up may not fit other years or models. This should work for S2R800s as well.

Tool list:
Metric sockets
Metric allen keys/sockets
Big make the beast with two backsing Pliers
Needlenose pliers
Torque wrench that measures inch lbs.
Rubber Mallet
Large adjustable wrench
Two canned beers. Yes, seriously. Soda is a valid but depressing substitute if it's before noon or you have a sponsor.

Parts list:
Forks from a 748/998 with 65mm caliper bolt spacing
53mm Speedymoto SBK Conversion Top Triple (I bought mine from Motowheels)
53mm clip-ons (OR bar risers if you prefer, this write-up is centered around clip-ons). I went with LSL.
Monsterparts Master Cylinder Spacers (coffin style masters only I believe, if you have pee cup reservoirs this is not an issue)

Before:

After:

Step 1: Finding your forks
Nothing shocking here but ebay is the best source I found for ~~bikes that were stolen and parted out~~ used motorcycle parts. www.gothamcycles.com is another source as well.

Step 2: Addressing your top triple size issue
Your factory Monster forks are 50mm at the top triple and 54mm at the bottom triple. Makes it kinda hard to bolt up SBK forks which are 53mm at top and bottom eh? Never fear, you have options. The blingy and more expensive option is to buy the Speedymoto top triple that is specifically made for Monster/SBK conversions. SBK bore size, Monster offset, and milled out of pure sex. It makes the process very easy but you pay for convenience. You also wait for convenience. This may shock you but this isn't an item that tends to fly off the shelves in record numbers, so there was a 6 week wait getting mine, as they had to make it and anodize it. Helluva winter project.

Plan B is to have your factory triple milled. If you are going the riser bar route or just want to save some cash this is your better option. There are a LOT of machinists hungry for work at the moment. I got quotes for anything from $30 to $80 to chuck it up and bore it out. I read a thread on here about a guy that wanted to use a hole saw and a steady hand. Don't.

Step 3: Lifting the front
You're going to have to lift the bike off the ground for this, so make plans now as to how you are going to do that. I used an iron pipe frame a friend built, but there are plenty of purpose built front end stands out there. You want stable. The Monster is a pretty light bike, but when you're lifting it off your leg while screaming in agony it feels much heavier.

Step 4: Tear that shit off
You have all your parts, you have worked up the testicular fortitude to take apart a perfectly functional motorcycle, let's get our hands dirty. Remove in the following order:

1. All bar controls (mirrors, masters, switchgear, throttle tube, etc). Just let 'em hang.
2. Front fender
3. Calipers
4. Axle (you'll have to remove not only the axle nut but also the pinch bolts to get it out of there)
5. Front wheel (you can use a rubber mallet and a socket to knock out the axle if it's sticky, but be VERY careful not to booger up the threads)
6. Bars
7. Gauges
8. Headlight

Step 5: Measure your forks and remove them
When it comes time to put the new forks in you want to try and match them up as closely as possible in terms of geometry as your stock forks. The SBK forks are about 25mm longer so you can't just measure the top and be done with it. Measure from the bottom end of the forks (where you took out the pinch bolts) to the bottom of the lower triple clamp. Write down your measurement. Or just remember it. No big whoop.

Alright, time to pull the forks. It helps to have an extra set of hands here but it isn't required. Loosen the bolts on the fork clamps in the top triple, no need to remove them completely. Then, holding the fork firmly, loosen the lower clamp. The fork will slide freely at this point, and you can pull it down and out of the clamps. Rinse and repeat for the other side.

Step 6: Remove the factory top triple
There are two things holding the top triple on at this point, the pinch bolt over the steering nut, and the small wire bracket going over your gauge cluster mounting points. The pinch bolt is straight forward, just loosen it. Oh wait, that's right you can't, your ignition housing is in the way. Friggin Ducati... well in the meantime loosen but do not remove the small bolt holding the thin metal bracket on the front of the bike. That will allow you to move that out of the way by lifting it up and over the gauge mounting posts.

To remove the ignition, remove the top two acorn nuts first. Then carefully lift the ignition cover out of the way. The two posts the nuts were threaded onto then thread out themselves, but in their infinite wisdom Ducati didn't put any flats on them to make it easy. Grab a pair of BFPs and thread them out (Big Fucking Pliers for those following along at home). The ignition switch will now lift up and away. Now you can loosen the pinch bolt around the steering nut and pull off the top triple with a bit of wiggling.

Step 7: Make a decision
Now is the time to replace your head bearings if you haven't done it lately (read: ever). You'll need a tool to remove the steering nut for this as well. This write-up is not going to cover this step. So there.

Step 8: Swap over the top triple bushings
You have four pieces you have to salvage from the stock top triple. The two rubber bushings where the gauges mounted, and the plastic bushings where the top triple slid into the large U-mount. The rubber mounts are secretly made of silly putty. Do NOT twist them with your BFPs by the rubber part, they WILL shear off. Ask me how I know. Both ends are metal plates. Take a slightly more precise pair of BFPs and grab the metal plate on the side closest to the triple and thread it out. That sounds way easier than it is, but I have faith in you Jimmy, you can do it. The plastic bushings are a bit easier but can stick as well. Be careful not to ding them up too badly. Both parts can be purchased at your friendly neighborhood Duc dealer if you fark them up. Oh who am I kidding, the closest dealer is probably three states over and they're out of stock. Prepare to wait.

Step 9: Look at your bike and weep silently
Dear god what have I done? This was a gorgeous Italian beast this morning and now I have a pile of wires and hoses... Dad was right, I am a failure and will never amount to anything.

Step 10: Pull it together Nancy and put your new triple on
Take your shiny new farkly Speedymoto triple and swap over the rubber and plastic bushings from step 8. MAKE SURE YOU USE THE LONGEST BOLT from the Speedymoto kit to attach the triple over the steering nut. Do not tighten up the pinch bolt yet, and make sure you gave it a light coating of threadlock before you thread it in. Slide the plastic bushings into the U-bolt and reattach the thin metal bracket over the gauge bushings.

Step 11: Make shims for the bottom triple.
Crack a beer you master mechanic you, you've earned it. Also, you need thin aluminum to shim the 53mm fork into your 54mm bottom triple. So pound it. Invite a friend to do the same, or do like your drunk Uncle Ted and save them both for yourself. Either way, bottoms up. Resist the urge to crush them on your skull, you're going to need those intact. Grab a pair of scissors (for the love of God not your girlfriend's good scrapbooking scissors. She'll hate you forever, and the scalloped patterned edges are really hard to slide past your lower triple). Make two shims per side, cut to just slightly less than the width of the bottom triple, and about a 1/4" short of the circumference of the fork.

Step 12: Reinstall your forks
This step is a lot easier with help, but again, it can be done solo if you lead a lonely existence. It's pretty easy, so maybe drop a local streetwalker a $20 and get an extra set of hands. Mark the forks with the length measurement you took earlier, I used electrical tape but I recommend a grease pencil. Slide them in from the bottom to the depth mark, easing them through the bottom and top triple to prevent scratches. With your helper holding the forks in place stack the shims and slip them between the fork and the lower triple clamp. This can take some patience to get them in without banging them up. Take your time, the streetwalker has shockingly strong forearms and the fork isn't that heavy. Once they're in place, tighten one of the bottom triple clamp pinch bolts. That should be enough to hold the fork in place for the time being. Repeat for the other side.

Step 13: Assess the situation above the top triple
With my SBK forks installed, the LSL clip-ons were a bit too tall and needed more fork pushed through to have enough fork to grab onto over the triple. Small adjustments in this regard will not adversely affect the handling of the bike, but if you have to go more than a 1/2" of so you may have to reevaluate your choice of clip-ons. If you go with clip-ons that mount under the triple this won't be a problem.

Step 14: Insert the axle and check for square, tighten the triples up
With the forks loosely attached with the bottom pinch bolts, slide the axle through the forks. Make sure it slides easily through both forks and doesn't bind. Adjust the forks if the geometry is off. With the axle still in place, start tightening up the triple pinch bolts. I'm sure it's just me being anal retentive, but I always do it in the following order:

1. First Lower triple
2. Opposite top triple (14Nm)
3. Opposite lower triple
4. Last top triple (14Nm)
5. Steering nut triple bolt (14Nm)
6. Recheck everything

Step 15: Drill your axle
With the axle loosely, but fully, inserted line up the two slots in the end of the axle with the corresponding gaps in the fork bottom. Mark two holes for the rebound adjustment screws on the axle underneath the fork bottom between where the pinch bolts will go. The marks should be exactly centered on both dimensions of the fork bottoms. Put your axle in a vice wrapped in a rag to prevent scarring the surface and drill out the holes. A few notes - first, I used a 5/16" bit. Second, you need a QUALITY drill bit designed for metal to make these holes. The axle is hard as hell and will eat cheap bits for lunch. I used cutting oil as well to extend the bit's life. Lastly, the hole has to be as straight as possible. A drill press is handy for this. I also chamfered the edges of the holes with a file to make sure the metal burrs didn't prevent me from reinserting the axle.

Step 16: Reinstall your front wheel, fender, and calipers
Slide the front wheel between the forks, making sure it is facing the correct direction. The spacing is different on each side, so if you flip the wheel you get to do this all over again. Again... ask me how I know. Grease the axle lightly and slide it back through the right fork, wheel, spacer, then left fork. A rubber mallet comes in handy here to persuade it through, but be careful again not to booger up the threads. Once you see threads on the other side, reinstall the axle nut and tighten it to exactly "tight enough" ft/lbs. While you're tightening it, have your friend/streetwalker make sure the notches in the axle end line up with the notches on the fork leg to ensure the axle is properly oriented to access the rebound screws. Loctite and reinstall the axle pinch bolts. Slide the calipers back over the rotors and reattach them. Reinstall your fender while you're down there.

Step 17: Install your clip-ons
Mount your clip-ons over the forks and tighten them until they can just barely be rotated.

Step 18: Remount all bar accessories
Reattach your switches, throttle, and masters. For the masters, install the coffin spacers to allow the masters to clear the clip-on brackets. I personally don't drill my bars for the locating pins, I grind off the pins and use e-tape if the fit is not quite tight enough not to rotate. If you feel more comfortable drilling go for it.

Step 19: Set your bar angle
With everything reinstalled, turn your forks to full lock. Rotate the clip-on clamp and bar (this is why you left them slightly loose) until the controls just barely don't contact the tank at full lock. Do the same for the other side. Once that's set, tighten down your clip-on clamps to the specified torque.

Step 20: Optional - clock your master cylinder banjo bolts
It's pretty likely that the new angle of your master cylinders won't play nice with your brake and clutch lines. You can slightly loosen them and clock (turn) them to relieve any pressure. If you're very careful about this you can do it without introducing air into the system. I'm a stickler though so I bleed everything afterwards.

Step 21: Reattach anything else I forgot about
If there is anything loose that you had to remove or relocate, tighten it now. Reinstall your headlight and gauges.

Step 22: Take it out for a test drive
Blast down the road with your new setup

Step 23: Realize you forgot to reinstall your mirrors AFTER you're in rush hour traffic
Ok, don't really do this step. I did and wow it was a little hair-raising.

That's it. It seems a little complex but it really isn't. You're pretty much taking parts off and replacing them with parts that are almost completely bolt on.

Impression:
HOLY. SHIT. I knew my 695 suspension sucked and was undersprung for my weight (210 if you're curious how the spring rates will match up) but I had no idea it was THIS bad. The first ride was a little hairy because the bar angle was different, the settings were out of whack, and I had switched two triple bolts which caused the left fork to slide a little, but once I got it dialed in the difference is positively staggering.

The bike turns in faster, is rock solid reliable in the turn, and road bumps are actually absorbed by the forks (crazy, right?) Braking is improved and dive is about an non-existent as it can be. This is by far the favorite mod I have done on my bike and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with non-adjustable, crap Marzocchi forks.

I posted the following in another thread to give you an idea of what you should expect to pay:

748 forks off of Fleabay (chrome sliders) - $210 shipped
Speedymoto conversion top triple - $290 shipped
LSL clip-ons: $180 (sourced locally): $180

Not required but should be factored in:
Traxxion preload adjusters (functional bling): $40
Grips: $15

I got a quote locally for a fork rebuild of $170 and milling the stock triple for $45.

So -

Barebones swap: Forks, mill stock triple, handlebar risers ($40) = $295

Middle of the road swap: Forks, mill top triple, cheap clip-ons ($140) = $395

The full monty (my actual cost): $735

Hope you enjoyed the write-up. I did this from memory, so if you notice anything I forgot, point it out.