Re: Replacing Conventional forks with USD

GBD Approved!

Not worth for day to day street riding.

Read through a few of these:
Upside Down Forks - Why? - ADVrider
Inverted forks vs regular forks - Sportbikes.net

Re: Replacing Conventional forks with USD

Thanks Divya for the approval,
The links are not opening here from my work place. I ll have a look at them back home. Its just purely looks perspective. I haven't dug deep on the usage. What do you think it will cost ?

Re: Replacing Conventional forks with USD

We had this discussion some time back. USDs have couple of advantages over conventional forks. First being reduction in unsprung weight. Second being (though secondary) a more robust upper assembly which helps in controlling flex at the triple clamps.

Other than these, USDs do not provide any other advantages over conventional forks if the internals are same in each of them. Yes, now-a-days conventional forks are being associated with damper type assemblies (cheaper to make) rather than the cartridge types that are associated with USDs. However, that is not to say that all USDs have cartridge type internals. For example while the KTM Dukes 200 & 390 have USDs, they have damper type assemblies in the internals. Therefore, the internals matter more than the external setup.

Re: Replacing Conventional forks with USD

Thanks Buddy, If I need to get mine Conventional replaced, how much do you think its gonna cost me to ?

Re: Replacing Conventional forks with USD

Aftermarket USDs are an expensive proposition. Depending upon the feature and quality of the forks they can be anywhere between US$ 800 to US$ 2,500+. Better bet it is to upgrade the conventional fork with a Gold Valve kit from Race Tech or cartridge conversion kit (again expensive, but cheaper than USDs).

Also, the USDs will not be straight 'bolt on' change. To use the USDs it is very likely that you will need to change the triple clamp tree and upper triple clamp and depending upon the configuration of the handle bars, clip on handle bars may be required.

Re: Replacing Conventional forks with USD


Yes the new ktm dukes are damper types and are actually weaker than cartridge types. Meaning when these ktm USD's leak, they bloody LEAK. And the fork oil seals are more prone to leaks due to the inability to handle high pressure situations like dirt roads or rough roads. Also costly to fix.