nothing wrong with the early gsxr forks, have they been serviced lately ? have you tried setting them to factory settings then road test and see how the bike handles ? if too soft take a screw driver with you and adjust them one click at a time till you are happy.
as to chroming the USD's, separating the leg from the bottom calliper mount is a right P.I.T.A. i did one of mine as it was rusty at the bottom, but i just bought a new after market one off be gay, think it was £110 !!!