Fork Braces

[YoshiHNS]

after beck's post about the fork brace for the 4th gen's making a big difference, I started doing the math on how much it would cost to machine one myself. For one, probably about the same as the one he posted. But a production run, I'm pretty sure I could get it a chunk under $100 complete. I have access to 4th, 5th, and 6th gen bikes, so I can test fitment without a problem. Just wanted to see if there was any interest in any of these for me to even see what it would cost to do a run and how complete the product should be.

[Guest]

Meh! I don't think it's the brace thats needed so much as replacing the crappy front end that Honda equips the viffer with. I had the entire front end rebuilt by Race Tech on a 6th gen, and it's like it's glued to the road without a fork brace. What a difference, I think and therefore it does without shudder. Of course, this is a much pricier option, but ddddamn!... what a difference!

[VFR Capt.Bob]

I've already done the complete Race Tech rebuild on my 98. That said, if this was a reasonable priced add on that would enhance the racetech improvement then I'd probably be interested in it. I like powder coat black or bare aluminum. Anything that make the suspension function better helps tires wear evenly is worth the money in my book. Smooth is fast.

[SEBSPEED]

I've got a worked front end on my 6th gen, and it flexes in the tight stuff.

[Rice]

I would be interested.

This being a tough economy, I'd recommend to keep price as low as possible.

However, some simple pocketing (if in fact it is simple) will go a long way, b/c a slab of aluminum would just look wrong there IMHO. However, if it comes to making a choice bet. paying <100 for no pockets vs. close to 200 with, I'd choose the former.

As far as color, I would advise to offer it as an option. Maybe the pocketing too, come to think of it.

[YoshiHNS]

Alright, there's enough interest, and I'm on my way to learn a new cad system so I can make the tool paths.

Just before anyone asks the stupid but important question, yes the section that clamps to the forks will be polished.

For the second poll question, that can be done on a per-order basis.

Just need to start gathering dimensions now. Going to put them up on my first post so they're easier to find. Oh, and anyone have a clue how many microns the finish on the fork clamps have to be?

[SEBSPEED]

Alright, there's enough interest, and I'm on my way to learn a new cad system so I can make the tool paths.

Just before anyone asks the stupid but important question, yes the section that clamps to the forks will be polished.

For the second poll question, that can be done on a per-order basis.

Just need to start gathering dimensions now. Going to put them up on my first post so they're easier to find. Oh, and anyone have a clue how many microns the finish on the fork clamps have to be?

Where on the forks are you planning to attach the brace?

[YoshiHNS]

Pretty much in the same place. Right above the fender on that flat spot. Looks like the 5th and 6th gen both have that black protective piece over the flat spot, and I think I would rather remove those and have the brace right on the forks than on that black piece. So that's going to be a fun job.

[robwalmsley]

sounds like a great project can i have one sent to me in the uk please. :excl:

[SEBSPEED]

I prefer three piece designs, like this rough 2min model here:

[JZH]

Hate to put the horse before the cart here, but has anyone ever bothered to, uh, prove that fork braces have a beneficial effect on street-ridden motorcycles? A real test, not simply anecdotal evidence...

Ciao,

[YoshiHNS]

Evidence like THIS

Can't give ya a nice cad drawing yet. Forgot all my cad programs are in rochester, and i'm in cleveland until I get two cars and a CNC working.

First trying to figure out how I can make it without those vertical bolts and/or how to make it with as little machining as possible.

Of course, the biggest problem is that my dad moved out the nice, small, CNC mill I was going to do all the work on. We have another one, but I don't exactly need the 8ft of travel this thing has.

OOh, just got a breakthrough. Gotta go see if it'll work.

[Guest]

what a great plan will keep my eye on this how do you feel about shiping worlwide??

[YoshiHNS]

I'd ship overseas. There are those international priority boxes that make things fairly simple. Bit on the pricey side. But that's for when I actually have a product that works and I am satisfied with.

[The Phantom]

I'll see what interest there is on the OzVFR site. I have an R1 front end for my bike but I might be interested in one for my wife's 4th Gen.

[YoshiHNS]

I put other up there for those who did a fork swap (RC51, R1). I just figured that there were plenty of options for those as well. Fork braces aren't that complicated geometry wise, so if my design goal is met, it shouldn't be a problem making the changes for different fork spacing/sizes. Or at least that's what I'm hoping.

[SEBSPEED]

I think the guys that have swapped to USD forks like the RC51 parts will likely need a frame brace before they ever need a fork brace.

[Beck]

Hate to put the horse before the cart here, but has anyone ever bothered to, uh, prove that fork braces have a beneficial effect on street-ridden motorcycles? A real test, not simply anecdotal evidence...

Ciao,

Why don't you just give it a try yourself JHZ.

That's all it will take to change your mind about fork braces which IIRC, you noted that you think are just uneeded unsprung weight on the front end (Frankly, I think the weight is negligible).

I was also skeptical it will have an effect on my VFR as much as it did on my much smaller, lighter Hawk GT, but it definitely did make a difference.

As I noted, the fork brace does not provide the mega "boost" in performance to what you might get with an RC51, 945RR or R1 front end usd transplant (no a fork brace will not make your bike track ready. That will involve at least an upgrade of internals because the VFR has a softly sprung and damped front end out of the factory.), but it definitely does enhance the OEM fork's function/compliance by eliminating most of the flex induced stiction on the front suspension.

I think it's a good plug and play, easy mod for us that do not have the budget to do full front end transplants and can further be enhanced, for sure with a front end internal overhaul if you have mega miles on your bike.

Beck

95 VFR

[AvalonRacing]

but it definitely does enhance the OEM fork's function/compliance by eliminating most of the flex induced stiction on the front suspension.

I think it's a good plug and play, easy mod for us that do not have the budget to do full front end transplants

It sounds very interesting and might be worth a shot. It makes you wonder why Honda doesn't include them in the stock design. It would have cost Honda two bucks to include one in the first place.

[magicman]

but it definitely does enhance the OEM fork's function/compliance by eliminating most of the flex induced stiction on the front suspension.

I think it's a good plug and play, easy mod for us that do not have the budget to do full front end transplants

It sounds very interesting and might be worth a shot. It makes you wonder why Honda doesn't include them in the stock design. It would have cost Honda two bucks to include one in the first place.

Might be one of those "fear-factor" situations. People might wonder why it "Needs" a brace, and be afraid of it...

I would be interested in one. Preferably not solid, but I don't really care if it's shiny or whatever. In order to move them, I'd suggest being as close to the $100 mark as possible, if not in the $80-$90 range. Probably sell like hot cakes in there.

Having the centers cut out a bit would also help with shipping costs. :ph34r:

[SEBSPEED]

FWIW, this one that JamieD made for my VF750F is custom, and it cost about $125. The finish is not great though, not as nice as I would have liked anyway, it's rough. I don't really want the polished look on it, but I will end up polishing it before the bike is done because it won't look very good as-is when the bike is complete.

[JZH]

Evidence like THIS

No, that's anecdotal. I mean a test under at least semi-controlled conditions, undertaken by people who regularly test such things (and hopefully understand suspension). Like you would expect for any other performance-related mod... :ph34r:

Fork braces used to be de rigueur back when they were putting 1,000cc engines in bikes with steel frames and 35mm forks, but as OEM suspension began to catch up with engine technology this was a mod that was dropped from most parts of the market. You can still get the original Telefix fork braces, but in recent years other companies have brought back the fork brace--even as OEM forks have grown comparatively massive.

I've seen a lot of interesting claims about fork braces, but nothing that I would consider convincing. (It probably doesn't help their case that racing seems to be trying to achieve optimum fork flex, rather than total fork rigidity.) But few VFRs ever see race tracks, so racing performance really isn't the appropriate test of fork braces. What puzzles me most is that the anecdotes of praise seem to emphasise the perceived low-speed benefits of fork braces. I would think that a fork brace would have the least likely effect at low speed, given that the fork unit as a whole is less likely to suffer from any sort of distortion at low speed than at high speed, and this effect would be less pronounced on modern bikes with modern, beefy suspension units.

I've got nothing against bling for bling's sake...but if someone makes a performance claim for something, I'm inclined to ask them to back it up.

Ciao,

[YoshiHNS]

FWIW, this one that JamieD made for my VF750F is custom, and it cost about $125. The finish is not great though, not as nice as I would have liked anyway, it's rough. I don't really want the polished look on it, but I will end up polishing it before the bike is done because it won't look very good as-is when the bike is complete.

Yeah, that's about what I came up with for making only one on our mill. A production run will really drop the price. Just really wish I had the small CNC mill back. Perfect size for this job, and I could write the program on the fly.

[SEBSPEED]

To me, that design is not ideal, meaning the combination of 5 parts to make the clamp. In my opinion(untested), the best setup would utilize no more than 3 parts to make a solid bridge.

Also, to make things a bit more complicated, I think a really nice brace would implement a raised rib inside the fork clamp area, which could positively lock into the groove that some of the VFR forks have at the tops of the sliders.

[YoshiHNS]

To me, that design is not ideal, meaning the combination of 5 parts to make the clamp. In my opinion(untested), the best setup would utilize no more than 3 parts to make a solid bridge.

Also, to make things a bit more complicated, I think a really nice brace would implement a raised rib inside the fork clamp area, which could positively lock into the groove that some of the VFR forks have at the tops of the sliders.

Pretty much what I was thinking. Hopefully with the 5th and 6th gen fork shields right where I want the braces, I can go off of those grooves.

[SEBSPEED]

Here's another successful run of the waterjet program I made for a VTR, which will also fit the 4th gen: