forking! question

[Guest]

ok. i have a question:

how will shorter forks affect my motorcycle?

when i purchased this 82 GS1100G it had been dropped, and it appears that the PO replaced the forks.. with shorter honda forks. i don't know how much shorter, i didn't take a measurement and i'm an hour+ away now the bike looks and feels fine when stopping, and the anti dive still seems to work fine, i'd like to leave these forks on there, if for no other reason than i'm poor, and i can't afford new forks.

[skreemer]

it'll affect the steering angle and make the bike turn in faster. Other than that it'll affect you being able to buy replacement parts unless you know the model of front forks you have.

[seuadr]

it'll affect the steering angle and make the bike turn in faster. Other than that it'll affect you being able to buy replacement parts unless you know the model of front forks you have.

ah. ya, had not thought of the parts issue. i know an official hondamaniac though so i think he can identify them

i'm a complete noob waiting to take my MSF course.. when you say turn in faster, you mean the actual bars, or when leaning? or both?

[skreemer]

well the the combo or rake and trail help keep the bike upright and stable(along with tire width). If you change that (lowering the bike on the forks or adding shorter forks) it will make the bike want to tip a bit easier when cornering.

[seuadr]

ah, ok. so it's somewhat of a safety issue? i'll have to get out and measure them and see how much shorter they are, then, and if it's pretty significant, i guess i'll have to look into getting a different set. thanks.

[skreemer]

I wouldn't say it's a safety issue once you get used to it. On the '80 GS550 I've ridden we pushed the triples as far down on the forks as we could quicken up the turn in. It helped a bit with direction changes (s-curve, chicanes). With that big hoop up front and the relatively wide tire we didn't notice ay lack of stability up to 115mph (then the wind blast made it difficult to hang on)

edit to add: we pushed the triple about 3/4 of an inch down on the fork tubes.