Who needs a fork brace??

[2fast]

Me too!

I just got the same message. I don't know how many he made, but if you want one, now is the time to contact him. Good Luck!

[dntemp_ca]

Hey, Ironride
This may be a dumb question, but will an "air fork balance kit" help a bike without air adjustable forks? ie: should I consider putting one on my 78E?

[Bill__Woods]

Hello again,
I have a Tkat fork brace and love it, and would recommend it. I have found asource for the Daytona fork brace for the xs1100 for $45.00. check it out HERE

From the example picture, I like my Tkat one much, much better.
Does this mean Tkats hands are healed, has anyone talked to him? I don't think he has been on this forum

[Ironride]

Dennis,
Sorry about not being more explicit in my posting. To be honest I was thinking about what I did to mine, and others that made a noticeable difference in handling. Needless to say not all bikes are equipped with air assist forks, and have no need for an air balancing kit. But I still believe that many, (not all but many) riders never check the fork oil much less change it. This is a shame as good fork oil in equal amounts will make a bike handle better. One other thing I would like to add is lubing the bearings in the steering yoke. Again, this seems to be one of the things that most riders are forgetful to do. I have seen bikes that were so dry and rusted in the yoke that when you turn you could feel a "ratchet affect" in the handlebars due to crusty bearings; you can imagine how well something like that would handle. I guess the reason I wanted to mention these inexpensive ways to help the handling of a bike is knowing my own customer base. You see I'm out in a rural area where money is a bit tight for a good section of my customers, and I'm sure it's the same all over. I also wanted to put a bug in the ear of everyone that is going to install a brace to make sure that everything is as it should be in insure the very best performance possible, and to get the most of your investment. I hope this is helpful.

[ACE]

I remember when the XS1100 were out for the first year and remember reading about two problems. One was some of the rings in the engine were not seating right. The other was the front forks were unstable and recomended a fork brace.
I can atest to the problems riding without on, I thing i saved the brown stained underwear. Once I thought it was all over for me.
I have ordered a Tkat braceand hope it's here soon.
I'd recomend this on ANY and ALL XS1100
ACE

[2fast]

I got it!!!

I got my fork brace from TKat last week. What a great fit! I went on flawlessly in just a few minutes. I have this forum to thank, without it I never would have known it was out there.
I just put a part wanted ad up looking for a set of front motor mounts. If anyone has a spare set, please let me know. Thanks.

[Dennyz]

fork brace on the XS

There is a good technical reason to put a fork brace on the XS1100.

The front axle is held in place by a single pinch clamp on one side. When the bike was new, the front axle was adjusted properly, and the fork tube tolerance where fresh, the front end of the XS was fairly stable.

Overtime, the unclamped side of the axle and the fork tube tolerances open up. This permits the shock bodies to move around relevant to each other. This has the effect of steering the front wheel and adding to an already flexible front suspension.

A rider that does not push their bike in the turns, may not feel any looseness in their front ends. However, a time may come when this rider is forced to make a defensive maneuver at a medium to high speed. They could be in for a real surprise.

Those of use that have experienced the "wobble of death" don't want anything to do with it. Proper fork setup and maintenance, along with a fork brace significantly minimize this risk.

Ride Safe,

[bikerhawk]

I also can vouch for the quality and performance of the Tkat braces. I have one on my XS750SF and it has made a huge difference, and I'll hopefully get one for my 1100H very soon...I imagine it well help that bike even more. Of course, the new tires, fork rebuild, and maybe even a gasket set are in line in front of the brace...

[TopCatGr58]

Forkbraces NOW Available!!!!

From Tkat on the Yahoo Group:

Well, at long last I've beat the pgms back into some semblance of
order. I can now make both Std's & Spc. F/B's.

I even have a few unspoken for.

Next up are the XS650's.

Would s'one please post this to the forum? 'Preciate that.

Costs:
$85 domestic, $87 USD Canuk, $92 USD off shore. Personal checks OK but
no PayPal/plastic.

Tkat
1745 Grant St. #5
Santa Clara, CA
95050 USA

Please include shipping addy & description of item ordered,
make/model/yadayada.

Ciao,
Tkat

[jetmechmarty]

How do I reply to the XS650 query?

[brock]

Re: Forkbraces NOW Available!!!!

Originally posted by TopCatGr58
From Tkat on the Yahoo Group:

yahoo group? how was i left out of THAT loop?

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Marty,

Just reply or send an email to him at his web site, TKAT.com.

Brock, the Yahoo group was created for those that didn't want to come to the web site(FORUM), they were used to getting chat and info in email individual or digest format. Just go to Yahoo groups, look for "AllXS11s". There was an original XS11 group, was owned by JP, owner of this FORUM, he closed it down when he started up the FORUM on XS11.com. This site is the busiest, but there are knowledgable folks on the Yahoo group as well!
T.C.

[jetmechmarty]

forums

T.C.

That's kinda funny. There is a very busy XS650 group on the web that is individual emails. There are two boards like this one. The email group is far busier. I guess that might say something about the folks that play with these bikes.

[poorboy112597]

I have one from Tkat, good investment

[jetmechmarty]

That fork brace is very simular to Teleflex system which is bound in time to wear from the twisting motions of the fork tubes for the simple fact,there's only so much clamping force you can apply before the top of the fork tubes start collapse or the sliders themselfs start binding up. Now i'm not saying this is a bad system but these are the drawbacks that have hounded the Teleflex for years. That's why a tubular fork brace is a far superior setup in that it exerts a self-correcting force when corning forces are high and there's less chance of the fork tubes binding up from this system as compared to clamping forces of the clamp brace. Just something to think about before you buy.

I just took this from a recent post on the XS650 board. This is in reference to the TKAT brace.