Fork Brace

[ribbert]

I was giving thought to a fork brace. I notice the fork outers only have about 5mm clearance as they pass through the bottom of the fairing. The RPM brace appears to be thicker than that. I assume the front end of my bike is normal.

Has anyone had clearance issues?

Noel

[FJmonkey]

The brace does not move high enough to pass through, no problems with my RPM brace.

[ribbert]

The brace does not move high enough to pass through, no problems with my RPM brace.

That's interesting, mine do. The wipe marks extend about 40mm past the fairing.

[craigo]

The brace does not move high enough to pass through, no problems with my RPM brace.

That's interesting, mine do. The wipe marks extend about 40mm past the fairing.

My fork brace will not clear the fairing however, it does hit on the horn bracket at full compression. that is, judging from the marks on top of the brace.

CraigO

[Country Joe]

The brace does not move high enough to pass through, no problems with my RPM brace.

That's interesting, mine do. The wipe marks extend about 40mm past the fairing.

Just wondering if you have the fork tubes pulled up in the triple clamps. I have mine pulled up about 5/8" above the clamps.

[rktmanfj]

Klavdy had an issue with the shields on his Superbrace hitting the fairing... used to be a pic of it around here somewhere. 

[JPaganel]

My fork brace will not clear the fairing however, it does hit on the horn bracket at full compression. that is, judging from the marks on top of the brace.

CraigO

You can rotate the horn bracket 90 degrees and that will stop.

[ribbert]

Thanks for all the replies.
Yes, the forks are raised, but only by 17mm.

As you can see, the forks travel well past the fairing. My air horn would also be in the way but that can be relocated.



Noel

[Pat Conlon]

Noel, what fork springs do you have?

[FJmonkey]

I just realized that the newer FJs have larger fairings, I wonder if my 86' has more room for fork travel. Plus, I have RPM valves, but I had the brace before the valves....

[tmkaos]

Noel is being polite and not bitching about my fork brace that I sent him.    Noel's had some good advice for me, so I thought I'd spread some FJ Karma but I may have sent him a lemon.. I looked at my '92, which obviously was the bike I had in mind when I designed the brace, and my forks do not compress enough to engage the brace into the fairing. I think that it is obviously a factor of a couple of things,
A: where your forks are set in the triple clamps ie ride height
B: spring rates etc

Now my particular FJ has a custom top clamp and bars


Which makes my bike completey useless as a comparison.. But my shocks always protruded about 10mm above the top of the clamp and that's the way it always was from buying it.
I have 1.0kg springs and Racetec emulators, and I'm a fat bastard, about 115kg, whatever that is in lbs.

Noel, I may have to modify your brace to suit your bike as it looks like perhaps you have both softer springs and a lower ride height set than my bike? I have a spare brace here so maybe I'll machine down the caps and send them across the ditch to you..








James

[Arnie]

James,

Just curious to know what the radial thickness of the cap on your fork brace is.
Knowing the thickness, it would be easy to measure to clearance.
I don't have a fork brace, but my Triumph seal protectors did interfere with the fairing.
I don't think a brace would get up into the fairing, but I did have to relieve the opening as well as carefully position the seal protectors to keep it from hitting.

Arnie

[ribbert]

Noel, what fork springs do you have?
[/quote




I have the original progressive springs set to "Marshmallow," the hardest setting, and I can get the forks past the bottom of the fairing just bouncing on the bars.

I only have the forks 17mm through the yoke.

It seems some here say their forks never go that high. If the fork travel is 150mm (as per the manual) and it's only 110mm between the forks and the fairing, why not?

Noel

[Arnie]

Noel, what fork springs do you have?
[/quote




I have the original progressive springs set to "Marshmallow," the hardest setting, and I can get the forks past the bottom of the fairing just bouncing on the bars.

I only have the forks 17mm through the yoke.

It seems some here say their forks never go that high. If the fork travel is 150mm (as per the manual) and it's only 110mm between the forks and the fairing, why not?

Noel

Noel,

If your forks are sprung soft enough that you can get the stanchions to or above the fairing just by bouncing.... then you really need some additional spring.
To use your numbers, if the fork has 150mm travel and there's only 110mm (after static sag of 25-35mm) between the fork stanchions and the fairing, then it won't take much of a pothole for you to bottom your forks - HARD.  This might cause a lesser rider than yourself to lose control.  That's why not.

Arnie

[Pat Conlon]

Spot on Arnie...