I’m sure this is a subject that has been exhausted but I just wanted to ask a few quick questions. I have a 998 2002 bip and looking at fork upgrade. Apart from the disc offset being 15mm can you do a straight swap with 1098 forks? given they should be 53mm you won’t need the machined out 56mm like you would for the ohlins. also I assume the mudguard fixings are different so would need some fabrication of plates etc (no big deal) is there anything else I’m missing? also is this that much of an upgrade? I have the stock showas but they are quite corroded so really looking for the best upgrade. I’d be keen to go with 999r ohlins but just a question of finding some. thanks for the help
I've got 1098 Ohlins forks on my 916 so I needed the larger bottom yoke but other than that they are a fairly easy swap. As mentioned 15mm ofset discs required plus radial calipers with suitable brake lines, also need the 1098 axle and spacers, mudguard fixings are compatible so you can use either model, if you want to retain the mechanical speedo then you might need need to improvise a little - the cutout for the drive is in the 998 wheel so no problem there but there is no locating pin on the fork leg (probably not a big deal?) and you might have clearance issues with the drive and brake disc bolt heads? especially if you use spacers behind 10mm discs (not recommended) rather than actual 15mm offset discs, though I'm not sure as I use an electronic speedo driven from the rear wheel. Regarding whether it's an upgrade, I can't comment on 1098 Showa but the Ohlins are definitely an upgrade over the 916 Showa especially now that I've fitted Ktech valving and my brakes (Brembo HPK calipers/discs) are certainly better.
Thank you for that. Seems the only real sticking point will be speedo. As I was looking to keep original. Mind if I ask what digital you use on yours? You have a complete instrument panel swap too? maybe I’ll hold out for some ohlins in which case, I already have some monoblocs and lines so will be a full upgraded front end and will need to get some discs. Cheers
I've got a Translogic dash on mine; I think you would be OK with the speedo drive if you use 15mm discs - they obviously stick out 5mm further but various 916 types also used larger offset discs so cable should clear? and I think the locating pin is more for ease of fitting rather than retaining as the drive is effectively 'sandwiched' between the wheel and fork leg - I use a spacer to fill the gap. As for the discs, they are not so easy to find but 748R type will fit and you can get HP style discs from Mode Performance, I recently had to replace the carriers on mine due to wear and they supplied the correct offset with 6 hole pattern (later model including 1098 wheels are 5 hole) .
You can but I wouldn't, mainly because by doing that the disc carrier is no longer held tight around the lip/rim of the wheel hub and, frankly it looks shite...
Raced my 998 for about 5/6 years fitted with a 1098 forks,30 mm triples standard 998 wheels and discs 5mm spacers behind the discs no problem.
Thanks for the hep everyone, I’m sure I’ll be back with some more questions once I’ve located the forks I want.
I'd personally fit the showas with a cartridge kit in them. Would be much better than standard road ohlins. Unless it's the bling factor you want mate?
And if you want to change it to Öhlins, than I would prefer a period correct fork as example like the 998s FE. Correct disks and brakes, more than you need tbh. (And keep the original parts) Cheers and good luck.
Period ohlins pretty pricey and I’ve already bought the radial calipers. But if I could find some decent period ones I would be v tempted.
If you’re in a hurry....they’re hard to find, but sometimes they pop up. Pricey, but the correct fork for the 998.
First set I swapped i used disc spacers without issues (although this seems a controversial point). I also kept the mechanical speedo. IIRC it's pretty easy with the oem wheel. You need to shave off a very small part of the black drive to miss the disc bolts. I'm not sure the 1098 wheel spacers are a direct swap, I used a race bearing inner sleeve as a spacer. It's been done a few times now https://www.ducati.org/threads/1098-fork-brake-upgrade-on-996.20571/
