Cheapest price fork brace???

[jetmechmarty]

25-0036 is for the Sport (Special)

25-0031 is for the standard.

The years and model names aren't what we're accustomed to. Tarozzi is an Italian company. The XS1100 Sport is a Euro version that has leading axle forks like the US spec Special.

[skids]

$69.95 at Mike's XS.

I have seen these on xs11s before (not sure what models) and they appear to be a robust design.

[jetmechmarty]

I have seen these on xs11s before (not sure what models) and they appear to be a robust design.

It's an XS650 brace, so it will fit the XS1100 standard. I don't know if, or how well it will fit an XS1100 Special.

[motoman]

It's an XS650 brace, so it will fit the XS1100 standard. I don't know if, or how well it will fit an XS1100 Special.

That brace fit both models, and was originally an option from Yamaha Accessories along with the tail trunks, double bucket tour seats, shock adjusting spanner, chrome brake rotor shields, etc..

[Prisoner6]

25-0036 is for the Sport (Special)

25-0031 is for the standard.

The years and model names aren't what we're accustomed to. Tarozzi is an Italian company. The XS1100 Sport is a Euro version that has leading axle forks like the US spec Special.

Aaah, yes ... that clears it up, thanks. Not to go too far off topic here, but I seem to remember a Euro "1.1" for sale a couple of years(??) ago on Ebay here in the U.S. It looked absolutely immaculate, but I don't know if it was a true 1.1 or the seller just badged it to look like one. Anyone else remember seeing that bike? Can you even sell a Euro bike on the U.S. Ebay?

[fredintoon]

Answering the original question, the cheapest fork brace is the $10 used one at the garage sale.
Best one I'm familiar with is a TKAT.
The similar-looking Italian cast ones are likely as good but I doubt they are as sturdy.
The bent tube one worked OK on my son's XS750 but it was a bitch to install correctly.
They DO improve the handling. With all of the 4 that I have personal knowledge of, anyway.
However, if you don't fit one you can't possibly botch the install so it binds.
And yeah, they ain't an original part.
Oddly, that don't bother me in the least.

[Prisoner6]

Answering the original question, the cheapest fork brace is the $10 used one at the garage sale.
Best one I'm familiar with is a TKAT.
The similar-looking Italian cast ones are likely as good but I doubt they are as sturdy.
The bent tube one worked OK on my son's XS750 but it was a bitch to install correctly.
They DO improve the handling. With all of the 4 that I have personal knowledge of, anyway.
However, if you don't fit one you can't possibly botch the install so it binds.
And yeah, they ain't an original part.
Oddly, that don't bother me in the least.

Glad you brought up the sturdiness of the brace, Fred. I'm seriously considering a fork brace, and was wondering the same thing about the Tarozzi vs. the TKat brace (whether it would be as sturdy). Anyone tried both and could compare the two?

[fredintoon]

Glad you brought up the sturdiness of the brace, Fred. I'm seriously considering a fork brace, and was wondering the same thing about the Tarozzi vs. the TKat brace (whether it would be as sturdy). Anyone tried both and could compare the two?

Hi Marco,
TKAT's brace looks sturdier plus it being machined rather than cast prejudices me in it's favour.
To see for sure which fork brace was sturdier you'd have to test each brace to destruction.
This'd cost you $200+ to buy one of each and the use of a materials testing laboratory.
Either brace will survive normal use so go with the brace you most like the look of.

[DGXSER]

Interestingly enough, either of those two will set you back about the same in coinage.

[crazy steve]

Glad you brought up the sturdiness of the brace, Fred. I'm seriously considering a fork brace, and was wondering the same thing about the Tarozzi vs. the TKat brace (whether it would be as sturdy). Anyone tried both and could compare the two?

'Sturdy' is a question-begging term....

Any fork brace is designed to reduce flex. A casting is inherently less flexible and more stable in it's dimensions (which is why engine blocks and gear cases are almost always cast) so that would make the die-cast Tarozzi brace seemingly the better choice. But being a casting, it's less precise unless it's mating surfaces have been machined and if the flex becomes excessive, it will be more prone to break.

The Tkat brace is fully machined out of billet and will allow more flex before failure, so it won't be quite as rigid. The Tkat also has smaller mating surfaces for the 'bridge' that connects the two fork clamps compared to the Tarozzi, giving poorer leverage against flex, although that is probably a wash given the Tkat is fully machined.

Both are five piece designs and are less rigid than ones with fewer pieces.

The good brace to get is the now-out-of-production Telefix, a four piece design (and patented). A fully-machined casting, it's a superior design that has the best features of both the Tkat and Tarozzi but with much less flex.

[TomB]

Another issue I touched on previously is paint, the Tarozzi is painted (powder coated?) if it has a coating inside the clamp holes it will not grip as well as the Tkat.

Regarding flex, as you say Steve, any brace that is bolted together is only as good as the fasteners used and how well its assembled.

I never liked the clamp up assembly design due to its inherent weakness, the brace I originally made was of a two piece construction, two billet pieces of aluminium with precision machined faces bolted together with 4 bolts placed so they would be either side of the fork slider, and the holes bored at exact centres matching the trees hole centres, a bit akin in design to medieval punishment stocks. The bracing effect and assembly had the flex designed out. This design is very easy to make if anyone wanted to have a go.

Another problem with the 5 piece design is if the forks are not aligned at the fork bottom correctly and the fork brace is fitted and clamped up, stiction can be increased dramatically (I think you may have mentioned this before), another reason I went for the 2 piece design.

[crazy steve]

I'll agree, the fewer pieces in a fork brace, the better. The problem with the commercially available 2 or 3 piece ones is the manufacturer is limited to machining to the 'nominal' specs of a particular bike and if yours is at either end of the spec you won't have a precise fit with 'stiction' being likely...

[madmax-im]

I've had experience with TKAT and TeleFIX and both are excellent...TKAT was on my XJ and the Telefix is on Swampthing...neither inhibited the movement of the forks...

[madmax-im]

Answering the original question, the cheapest fork brace is the $10 used one at the garage sale.
Best one I'm familiar with is a TKAT.
The similar-looking Italian cast ones are likely as good but I doubt they are as sturdy.
The bent tube one worked OK on my son's XS750 but it was a bitch to install correctly.
They DO improve the handling. With all of the 4 that I have personal knowledge of, anyway.
However, if you don't fit one you can't possibly botch the install so it binds.
And yeah, they ain't an original part.
Oddly, that don't bother me in the least.

While I am one for originality of parts on a bike i will replace to upgrade any component that will enhance the performance of my bike in a meaningful way...A TKAT forkbrace...or any other for that matter does not detract from the orignality of one's bike...but it does enhance performance...

[DGXSER]

You can tell its winter. Ten pages on a bleedin fork brace, and most of it restating of opinions. To much time to talk about stuff instead of riding.