Cheapest price fork brace???

[jetmechmarty]

Hey...why not post new topic with a poll about fork braces?

[IanDMacDonald]

I've always been interested in putting a fork brace on my bike, especially after seeing how well machined Tkat's is. The deciding factor was always price at the time. With a decent income tax refund coming, I definitely think it's time to show the bike some love. The death rattle changing lanes was trouser-staining material up till a few months ago. Now, I just go with it and convince myself that the bike is not going to fall over.

The to-do list keeps getting bigger:

1. Re-paint engine, tank, side covers and cowl
2. Re-build front & rear MC's
3. Re-build front & rear calipers
4. Clean & repair all connectors
5. HID headlight upgrade
6. S/S cap screws for engine & carbs
7. Replace cracked ignition cover
8. Look into one size smaller main jets in the Spring (137.5)
9. Look into one size larger pilot jets (45)
10. Install Tkat fork brace
11. Install S/S brake lines

[jetmechmarty]

The to-do list keeps getting bigger:

1. Re-paint engine, tank, side covers and cowl
2. Re-build front & rear MC's
3. Re-build front & rear calipers
4. Clean & repair all connectors
5. HID headlight upgrade
6. S/S cap screws for engine & carbs
7. Replace cracked ignition cover
8. Look into one size smaller main jets in the Spring (137.5)
9. Look into one size larger pilot jets (45)
10. Install Tkat fork brace
11. Install S/S brake lines

Ian, your list is in the wrong order. Do 2, 3, and 11 first. Then, 4 & 7.

[IanDMacDonald]

So, while I was typing my shopping list, all that went down one page back? Lmfaooooo. I'm going to buy one because it looks bad ass, and may help the bike a little. I have otger bikes, so the whole R6 front-end swap goes out the window.

[motoman]

Fork brace, without question firms up front fork flexing. Stationary testing of that with and without brace proves it works(test it if you don't believe it). Engineering theories is all good, but real-world application IS the bottom line. Majority of the time, alot of difference between the two. The XS11's handling stock, as we know is limited and scarey at best on occassion. The fork brace resolves that......to the point that the rear dual shock set-up fails to follow suit. Short of mono-shocking that end of bike, it is what it is. In a nutshell, if you want superb power, handling and braking in the same package, go buy a friggin' new scoot.

[Poprock]

Have a TKAT on my SG. Front end has never felt wiggley. XJ air shocks on back handle that end real well. I don't ride too close to the machine's limits, and this set up has always seemed adequate to my needs.

[XS1100 Newbie]

After installing the TKat fork brace this summer, i cannot see why they didn't include one from the factory. I do ride mine hard, so there is a need, but i would not have a bike without one now. They work well!

[bikerphil]

This is taken from an old article about making the XS handle better, it explains the need for a fork brace pretty well...

"The XS11's front fork lacks torsional stiffness--something it shares with most bikes that do not clamp the front axle on both sides. The most important factor in front fork stiffness is how well the front axle is clamped. Of course, the XS11's axle is clamped only on one side. When new, friction between the fork leg and the axle will hold it pretty well. After a few thousand miles, however, the axle polishes the hole it fits into and the fork assembly will begin to move around. This is one of the reasons wobble problems tend to show up after several thousand miles. The answer is a fork brace."

[James England]

I didn't mean it really. Just a tactic to distract fom the graphs and engineering theory.....

[skids]

I think Hoek's law doesn't really get to the root if the issue and neither is the moment (or second moment) of inertia. The brace basically helps the two lowers act as a rigid unit. It does shorten the effective length of the forks and this probably helps to prevent the very slight twisting action between the triple trees and the axle. Given the fact that two of my standards had little affect from the brace and only one other did improve, all else being equal, I would say that the brace compensated for some slop in the fork action of that bike.

[WMarshy]

I didn't mean it really. Just a tactic to distract fom the graphs and engineering theory.....

I didn't want to go there because the value of it is limited in a forum discussion but I also cant sit back and let someone provide completely inaccurate information either. Would you sit back and say nothing if someone said running less than 32 psi in your front tire will result in you crashing and burning?

[IanDMacDonald]

I'm not an engineer or anything close. I just figured common sense came into play and that a "fork brace" was self-explanatory, that it acted as a "brace" to "support" the forks. How can that not be helpful to a bike that rides like a bent paperclip at high speeds in the curves?

[crazy steve]

If you really want to improve the XS's handling, there's this....

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...ight=Fork+swap

[bikerphil]

Yep Steve, after riding with this mod for a couple of years, it's so much more solid now.

[Cobia]

I can attest to the improvement in the handling of Phil's bike with the FJ front end, it rides as if it's on rails.
Yet, for all of us still riding with stock front ends, my uneducamated theory is this. Whenever you can provide another anchor point and shorten the 3+' of travel between the triple trees and the axle you're going to have a more responsive steering response. There's something to be said for tying the tubes from the trees to the bottom of the tubes in order to keep the sliders and wheels running true and responsive.