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Custom Triple Tree Only Way Out?

  • Thread starter Thread starter drhermanstein
  • Start date Start date
D

drhermanstein

Guest
I've fitted the Tracy body on my 1100E and am starting to fit the inverted GSXR front end. The top of the fork tubes will interfere big time with the fuel tank area of the body.

I'm thinking of making my own triple top clamp and bottom clamp to move the forks further forward away from the center bearing stay and the same distance apart.

Can anyone forsee handling issues or am I worrying for nothing.

Herman
 
Moving the forks forward increases offset, and hence trail. It will increase stability, but also steering effort.

Dink
 
Is it a lock to lock interference? If so, how about longer steering stops.I drilled and tapped my lower tree on both sides and added allen head bolts as stops. By threading in and out the lock to lock can be adjusted
 
madjack57754 said:
Is it a lock to lock interference? If so, how about longer steering stops.I drilled and tapped my lower tree on both sides and added allen head bolts as stops. By threading in and out the lock to lock can be adjusted
Click to expand...
It interferes so severely with the tank that I'll have trouble turning slow in a parking lot.
 
Dink said:
Moving the forks forward increases offset, and hence trail. It will increase stability, but also steering effort.

Dink
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I beieve I'll live with the effort. I like the increase in stability part very much as I may ride "briskly" now and then.
 
You could always increase the lower clamp offset as little as possible, and match to stock by increasing the upper by more.

Dink
 
Dink said:
You could always increase the lower clamp offset as little as possible, and match to stock by increasing the upper by more.

Dink
Click to expand...
If I'm visualizing that as I think it was meant, wouldn't that decrease the rake and stand the forks up?
 
Upon bolting up the '93 Katana front end on my '83750, one of the first things apparent was the reduced lock to lock steering travel.

I modified the fork stops as described above, and just planned to deal with the reduced clearance. It only affects very slow speeds and parking lot movements anyway. I would rather accept this than start experimenting with rake/trail changes.

BTW, this is pretty common on older Ducati SS bikes. The frame is very wide at the steering head and greatly reduces steering limit.
newengine2004.jpg


With that frame design, low speed steering can get interesting, but it is perfectly streetworthy. You just go real slow in parking lots.

Good Luck, Ed.

2005 GSF1200SZ
1983 GS750ED
1992 Duc 900SS
 
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Just thinking about your problem, I don't know if he still makes them, but Sandy Kosman used to make trees with an offset eccentric so the rake could be changed. It would tip the stem by changing just one and would stretch or shrink the wheel base by changing both the top and bottom eccentric. maybe something like this would work. OR what about cutting the neck from the backbone and adding material to move the head out?
 
madjack57754 said:
Just thinking about your problem, I don't know if he still makes them, but Sandy Kosman used to make trees with an offset eccentric so the rake could be changed. It would tip the stem by changing just one and would stretch or shrink the wheel base by changing both the top and bottom eccentric. maybe something like this would work. OR what about cutting the neck from the backbone and adding material to move the head out?
Click to expand...
I've been going back and forth with bothoptions. The neck backbone thing is almost taking over in my mind as the solution.
 
I would be very hesitant to cut the frame at the steering head. Why put a fatigue line around it?

Considering all the loads imposed by the front wheel are concentrated at that point, it seems a lot of bracing and extra rienforcement would be required if you were to cut it.
 
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oldschoolGS said:
I would be very hesitant to cut the frame at the steering head. Why put a fatigue line around it?

Considering all the loads imposed by the front wheel are concentrated at that point, it seems a lot of bracing and extra reinforcement would be required if you were to cut it.
Click to expand...
Very much in the forefront of my consideration. Thanks for the warning. I've probably welded 300 lbs of mig wire in the last few years and designed load bearing and highly stressed devices and objects.

Herman
 
well I think its a done deal. I'm moving the neck out a little and changing the rake to get ride hight back and clearance. Anyone know what the angle of a GSXRs forks are to the ground?

Herman
 
madjack57754 said:
Just thinking about your problem, I don't know if he still makes them, but Sandy Kosman used to make trees with an offset eccentric so the rake could be changed. It would tip the stem by changing just one and would stretch or shrink the wheel base by changing both the top and bottom eccentric. maybe something like this would work. OR what about cutting the neck from the backbone and adding material to move the head out?
Click to expand...
Operation started. First brace in place. Next piece will be a "T" to the neck for core strength then the outside will be re-built to imitate the original apearance.
100_1249.jpg
 
NoBars said:
moving forks forward decreases trail and therefore stability
Click to expand...
I'm moving the top forward 3/4 of an inch and less at the bottom to keep the wheelbase dimension the same. That gives a little less rake, and the clearance necessary while retaining stability.
 
drhermanstein said:
I'm moving the top forward 3/4 of an inch and less at the bottom to keep the wheelbase dimension the same. That gives a little less rake, and the clearance necessary while retaining stability.
Click to expand...
3/4" might be a little extreme depending on how far out you bring the bottom. You should just take things back together then assemble and see what you end up with. That big of a change may end up more radical than you're looking for.
 
I've only moved the rake the other way cutting so the front end ended up with 38 degrees of rake. Very stable in a straight line.Harder to turn into corners. The front wheel wanted to "flop" over some what. It's even worse on the funnybike with over 40 degrees in the neck. It has to be taken around a corner by riding it like a snowmobile, Shifting weight by hanging off side to side. Some of that is attributable to the 12.5" wide rear car tire
 
Billy Ricks said:
3/4" might be a little extreme depending on how far out you bring the bottom. You should just take things back together then assemble and see what you end up with. That big of a change may end up more radical than you're looking for.
Click to expand...
from the test fitting and measurements it looks like the bottom of the neck will move out only 7/16ths. I really had interference probs with the tracy body and my GSXR fork tubes.
 
Any Idea what kind of trail/rake measurements your going to end up with? By standing the forks up (bringing them closer to perpendicular with the ground) your going to make the bike more "twitchy," i.e. it will have reduced straight line stability, but should lean over into corners with more authority. Thats fine if you want that, but just wanted you to be aware. She's going to ride a lot more like a really heavy crotch rocket now. Depending on how much the 3/4" is going to affect your geometry, you may want to think about a steering damper, and plan your neck changes to incorperate one.
 
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