Home made Fork Brace

[sterob]

Has anyone made a fork brace for their Airhead? I'm thinking of trying to make one of the 'hoop' type ( for want of a better description...)
This seems like it would be relatively easy to fabricate. I have my 77 R100/7's front end in bits at the moment so can take some measurements and see how I go.
Has anyone got a better design or one that is easier to copy? I'm not after the ultimate fork brace or anything, just something that offers moderate improvement in the front end and is relatively easy to build.

[Rob Frankham]

Unless you're a precision engineer, don't even think of it. A fork brace must be right to a pretty close tolerance 'else you'll pull the forks out of alignment and create far more problems than you solve.

Rob

[vanzen]

Unless you're a precision engineer, don't even think of it. A fork brace must be right to a pretty close tolerance 'else you'll pull the forks out of alignment and create far more problems than you solve.

Rob

Rob is correct in his description of the requirements of a good brace.
To work, the part must fit EXACTLY !
However, I will say that any modestly skilled fabricator
with a lot of patience to measure and fit the thing correctly
could construct a perfectly functional piece.

Remember that any of these "hoop braces"
that were sold and bought on the market back in the day
WERE INTENDED TO BE FITTED BY THE INSTALLER !

My last relevant experience was with a client's BMW that handled poorly at speeds above 60 mph.
Immediately I saw the "hoop braces" and found that when I removed the front spindle,
the forks alignment jumped to @ 7-8 mm out of alignment (center-to-center of the spindle holes).
The "hoops" came off, and the spindle then slid into place without effort.
The "hoops" had been simply bolted / forced into place without any concern to fitting them !
Can you say: " improper assembly induced STICTION " ?
Quality time spent with the "hoops", a pipe for leverage, and a bench vice
resulted in "hoops" that fit exactly, without binding –
and the high-speed handling problem was GONE.

[Frog]

Unless you're a precision engineer, don't even think of it. A fork brace must be right to a pretty close tolerance 'else you'll pull the forks out of alignment and create far more problems than you solve.

Rob

I think that this is a good tip for many. Vanzen on the other hand seems to have a good understanding of the important subtleties involved.

[vanzen]

I think that this is a good tip for many. Vanzen on the other hand seems to have a good understanding of the important subtleties involved.

A good tip, indeed, and do heed Rob's advice –
If the idea of fabricating such a part is intimidating.

An understanding and practical application of the principles
that will allow a brace to improve handling rather than hinder it
is certainly a prerequisite to fabrication !

Given the above, and modest fabrication skills, however,
the project is certainly within the realm of "garage shop" possibility.
It's a fork brace, and not thermonuclear dynamics, after all ...

[ME 109]

I imagine an expensive billet type brace may need to be shimmed for fit?
A home made fork brace can be tweaked to fit. As long as it was close to begin with.
The standard fork brace on my RS is a pressed piece of pie plate.....there is no way they could have been made to perfection from a pressing process. I wonder if they were tweaked by hand to fit a jig at the factory before they were fitted to the bikes?

It's not difficult to make a fork brace like the one pictured. It may be difficult to make it
to precise dimensions, but it can always be tweaked.

The structural shape of a fork brace is 'pushing it' to begin with.

All imo

[Duane Ausherman]

I must parrot what others have said. It is not easy to make any fork brace fit properly. Even the stock one can easily bind up the forks. The stiffer and better the brace, the more important it is to fix exactly.

When I was in the biz, San Jose BMW was selling these braces. They weren't even close to fitting and couldn't be made to fit. They ruined handling. It was quite hard to fix a bike that came in for wobbles when the owner was so proud of the money he spent on items that ruined the bike.

I have no idea what they sell today, it may be great, but ..........................

If your goal is to experiment, then forge ahead. If your goal is to improve the bike, learn a lot first and then proceed carefully. You must have it down to the last thousandth of an inch, or bye bye fork compliance.

[KenHawk]

Well....

Having ridden down "Fork Brace Road" a few times, I'd tend to agree with Vanzen, that it's entirely possible for you to to successfully fabricate a usable tube fork brace, I can't imagine why you'd actually want to do it. Yes, they look kool but they're an absolute bitch to set up correctly and then, once you have everything shimmed just right, it isn't that hard to tweek it out of adjustment again.

I know that you haven't asked for my advice but I think you'd be way better off if you scoured Ebay and IBMR for a Telefix fork brace or the BMW version of the same item. The Telefix is simple, strong and very easy to install. To use it, all you have to do is get your forks dead nuts straight, slide the fork brace in place, fasten the bolts and go for a ride. It's that easy and thats why I put em on all of my bikes.

[sterob]

Thanks for the thoughts.
I am aware of how poor the San Jose graces are/were, that is one of the reasons I wanted to make my own.
My thoughts were to fabricate and assemble the brace on the bike I was going to use it on, making sure the forks were in alignment before I started.
Have good fabricating skills and it doesn't seem to be a too difficult project. I can cut and weld plate,drill holes and bend tube and I have a mill and lathe.
At it has been said...It's not rocket science. "Alignment is the king...."
The Telefix braces are very rare round these parts...I'd have to bid in US Ebay to get one, if the seller was willing to post to Oz.

Sterob

[Ken in Oklahoma]

I am aware of how poor the San Jose graces are/were, that is one of the reasons I wanted to make my own.
My thoughts were to fabricate and assemble the brace on the bike I was going to use it on, making sure the forks were in alignment before I started.
Have good fabricating skills and it doesn't seem to be a too difficult project. I can cut and weld plate,drill holes and bend tube and I have a mill and lathe.
At it has been said...It's not rocket science. "Alignment is the king...."

You understand the problems and you have the fabrication skills. I'm looking forward to seeing how the project comes out.

Ken