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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> fork brace /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1343867451 Message started by braveteacher on 08/01/12 at 17:30:51 |
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Title: fork brace Post by braveteacher on 08/01/12 at 17:30:51 Does anyone know of a fork brace that you can purchase off ebay that will fit the S40? I dont want to spend $160 for a Superbrace...I want to go on ebay and get something for under $50 bucks...any suggestions? |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by verslagen1 on 08/01/12 at 18:04:46 For $50 it will be a kit 2 lengths of steel tube and 2 steel plates you weld. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by srinath on 08/01/12 at 18:51:30 283B2C2D323F393B306F5E0 wrote:
From where to where would you be welding. My suggestion - its spoked wheels and long spindly legs pretty much negate any need for a fork brace. it flexes, fact of life. Cool. Srinath. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by teabowl13 on 08/02/12 at 07:28:23 I'm not sure what they are charging these days, but this is the only other fork brace I have found for the S40: http://www.tkat.com/forkbrace.html Their website is SUPER simple; not much info, so you'll need to email them, but lots of folks here use them, and seem to like them just as much as the Superbrace. I bought my Superbrace before I discovered the Tkat, otherwise that's what I would have done. You could also do a search for "vintage fork brace" on Ebay. This is one of the first ones that popped up for me this morning. I've always loved the look of these on the old Guzzi's, and I bet you could either find one to adapt, or really with the skills and tools you have at hand, you could make your own pretty easy. Cut two small pieces of plate; drill 4 holes. Bend two sections of bar stock, then weld and paint. No brainer, Right? |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by SimonTuffGuy on 08/02/12 at 15:18:28 I got the tkat and love it. I can't remember what I paid for it anymore though. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by scubachef on 08/02/12 at 15:58:00 Tkat is $90.00 including shipping I believe. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by John in Kalifornia on 08/02/12 at 17:50:59 How about making your own. Get some half inch aluminum sheet, drill and cut to fit. Only tools needed are: digital calipers, hole saws, regular drill bits, saw to cut the metal, tap, countersink bit, and drill press. Since it is aluminum you probably could use inexpensive bimetal hole saw bits on slow speed with lots of cutting oil. McMaster Carr has sizes every 1/16th inch up to 1 7/8th. After you try it on and like it then you can go back and trim it to a more pleasing shape. If you don't like it you haven't spent much time or effort or money. I am sure all you real machinists would think it too crude but not all of us have CNC machines to use. The hard part for me would be keeping the pieces vertical when drilling the through holes on the drill press. John in Kalifornia http://p1.bikepics.com/2012%5C08%5C02%5Cbikepics-2437097-800.jpg |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by Cavi Mike on 08/02/12 at 18:28:00 The problem I see with that is the hole-saw. It isn't going to make a clean enough or straight enough hole and it's almost guaranteed to be the wrong size. If it doesn't fit perfect, and I mean PERFECT, the brace isn't going to perform its function. The brace isn't to keep the forks from spreading apart, it's to keep them from getting out of sync(one fork higher than the other). This is dependent on the holes fitting the forks with the precision that only a machine can do. Your stock steel fender will do a better job than a poorly made brace. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by verslagen1 on 08/02/12 at 19:34:15 In general, the fork brace is too skinny to keep one side the same height as the other. The axle will do a much better job of that. Now that being said... keeping the two sliders in sync side to side and fore and aft are the real benefit to the fork brace. It literally doubles the strength of each slider. When you brake, one slider is twisted, the fork brake prevents the wheel from turning to the left by keeping the sliders aligned. On groovy roads, when the wheel takes off from side to side, the sliders act together rather than twisting like a pretzel. The brace can be made this way... but will take a few tries and may take many. It will be difficult to drill all the way thru the edge for the clamping bolts w/o drifting to 1 side or the other. And getting the fork nests the exact distance apart won't be easy, don't kid yourself on this 1, it has to be dead nuts. Cut a pilot hole for both sides and make a sanding drum a little smaller than the fork. Fit 1 side then the other, this will give you the opportunity to match the spread. Or design a little adjustability into it. http://www.savageriders.com/verslagen/images/Fork-brace.jpg You don't need a whole lot of adjustment, so oversized thru holes for the bolts could work. Just require a bit of attention during the final fitting to get the ends matched up. And I would plug the open end of the threaded holes, keeps sh!t out and looks better. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by John in Kalifornia on 08/02/12 at 23:35:46 I knew you would have a better idea, Versy. I'm a mechanical engineer too, only I'm on the thermodynamics combustion side, not the machine design area. I'm not at all familiar with proper machine shop practices. Think of my design as a "High Concept” like a story pitch to a movie studio executive. The details are obviously beyond my limited understanding. The threaded holes don't have to go all the way through, maybe just half way from the center split line. I think the concept of adjustability makes a lot of sense. If the brace can be set up with the bike at rest so that it is not exerting any forces on the fork legs then tightened down wouldn't that be the ideal situation? You are right; the fork brace keeps the fork legs from twisting due to side forces. I'm reading Kevin Cameron's book "Top Dead Center Two”; he is describing the evolution of motorcycle suspension. Very highly recommended book. How did he get so smart? John in Kalifornia. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by Cavi Mike on 08/03/12 at 01:26:06 The best way to "get so smart" is to try to figure out how things work by yourself and only ask questions when you get stumped. If you only ever ask questions, you will only learn 1/3 right, 1/3 wrong and 1/3 useless. Remember: The course came before the college. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by cafecarl on 08/03/12 at 08:38:18 0D2F38270327252B4E0 wrote:
+1 The stock fender is fairly beefy too. I have a brace on another bike that has a flimsy plastic fender, or if I was going to go fenderless I would buy one. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by tizzyfit on 08/06/12 at 01:03:19 3A2A392E3D2C3D393B303D2A580 wrote:
Good luck! I suppose you could buy 1/2 of TKAT's brace now and put the other 1/2 on lay-a-way. If your willing to spend $50 to correct a problem, real or perceived and $50 won't get the intended results, the solution is to live with the problem or buy an excellent product at a very competitive price. I purchased a TKAT brace for my S40 and am very pleased with the product and results. Your mileage may vary. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by J C Stokes on 08/06/12 at 02:08:18 Do these braces actually help the handling much? |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by LANCER on 08/06/12 at 11:34:38 The brace the Tkat makes is a freaking deal at just $99, including shipping in the US. Otherwise, pay the extra and get a Superbrace for about $160 + shp. Either way, you will be installing it within a week and saving yourself thousands of $$$ worth of frustration. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/06/12 at 13:23:08 Thers no way I would try building a brace when a proven one is available for so little $$$. The materials & time involved & the odds of makeshift equipment producing a good brace aree low. Id buy one, & Im a cheap sucker. I do everything I can do to save $$$. I build things, repair things & Ive learned thru the years there are things that just arent worth doing. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by braveteacher on 08/06/12 at 16:44:58 Just put the check in the mail for the TKAT...thanks everyone... |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/06/12 at 22:01:34 Good, I think you made a wise call,. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by tizzyfit on 08/07/12 at 12:10:08 725F45445F5E594455300 wrote:
Based on my limited riding experience, I personally feel the front of the bike feels more stable/solid than it did prior to the installation of the TKAT fork brace. I suppose you could question whether this "improvement" is, in part, mental, due to the fact the fork brace is now on the bike. Based on riding the same stretch of crappy back road, I'm convinced the fork brace makes my S40 more stable. Your mileage may very. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by John in Kalifornia on 08/07/12 at 12:36:58 I agree that it would be best to buy the TKat brace. This is a precision part and needs fo fit correctly. Let us know how it works out. John in Kalifornia |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by Savage_Rob on 08/07/12 at 14:08:30 18352F2E3534332E3F5A0 wrote:
Yes. They really make a noticeable difference. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by J C Stokes on 08/10/12 at 04:07:07 Can someone post a photo of TKAT installed on a Savage/S40? |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by braveteacher on 08/10/12 at 05:02:41 It has not come in yet...but I will post install and everything when it does next week or so...TKat likes snale mail so I might take a couple of weeks. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/10/12 at 06:45:08 Yea? He E mailed me mine, I had it in a jiffy.. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by Arizuno on 08/10/12 at 10:43:47 4469737269686F7263060 wrote:
If you search TKat here you can find photos. It's a great brace, and I much like its precision-machined look. And, as others have noted, it works. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by CalisOsin on 08/10/12 at 11:29:37 594640475A5D6C5C6C54464A01330 wrote:
Sweet! how long did it take you to print it? ;) |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by spacepirates on 08/10/12 at 21:10:41 4F6D60657F437F65620C0 wrote:
Sweet! how long did it take you to print it? ;)[/quote] Don't jest so easily; commercial 3D printers are becoming more commonplace and are surprisingly affordable to contract out now. They can even print a variety of metals. And the good news is complexity of the part doesn't even matter, as it is printed dot by dot. http://www.shapeways.com/materials crazy stuff when you think about it. |
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Title: Re: fork brace Post by verslagen1 on 08/10/12 at 21:20:59 6449535249484F5243260 wrote:
it's in the tech section... http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1294811496 |
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