fork pre-load spacer

[Blue9R]

I'm changing the fork springs on my track bike per your suggestions to my earlier post regarding fork oil.My question is about the overall length of the fork spring + the pre load spacer.
I calculated the length of the spacer needed per the Race Tech instuctions that came with the new spring. If I add the length of the new spring + recommended spacer it is almost 3/4 of an inch shorter than the existing (stock) spring and spacer. Is this normal?
Just wanted to make sure before I cut the new spacer

Thanks

[Philbie]

It's better to be too long than short. From what we've done in the past with stiffer springs is take the old spring and spacer length and make the new set-up the same. You should be fairly close. Check the sag #'s and modify. I haven't had to recut but maybe I've been lucky.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

Are they conventional or inverted forks on the bike?

I recently used the wrong measuring method on my brothers '98 900RR and found I was ending up not only pre-load internally, but pre-load again when I would go to screw the cap onto the end of the fork. I knew this wasn't correct so I took everything back apart and re-measured everything to find my numbers were correct by using the method I was measuring it with, but that was the problem, I was measuring it as though they were inverted forks and they were conventional! Being that I had mainly done inverted forks in the past it was an easy mistake for me to make.

Conventional forks have the smaller diameter fork tube clamped in the triple clamp, inverted forks have the smaller diameter fork tube at the bottom of the fork (where the wheel is mounted) and the larger diameter is clamped in the triple clamps. The reason for this is by clamping on the larger diameter tube in the triple clamp it provides a more rigid assembly which is the reason you see this type of fork assembly on most performance sportbikes currently being produced (600 and above). Both my GSXR 750's have inverted forks but my '99 GSXR 600 has conventional forks, that's why I wonder if it's the same situation with your bike. Every bike I have done required the spacers being cut when using a RaceTech kit - but that's only been my experience so far so it's not a guarenteed thing.

[Blue9R]

I have conventional forks on that bike

thanks