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Fork brace questions

3K views 23 replies 18 participants last post by  Squish 
#1 ·
I have read many posts herein concerning fork braces. I think it is a worthwhile farkle. Superbrace through Blair looks like a fine choice. I do have a question. I watched an installation video. They loosened some kind of axle pitich bolt down on the end of one fork tube. They did not say why. So, I'm asking why. And is that both sides? What does that do? My other question is that Superbrace has a inner lip that slides in place in the little gap between the casting and a seal. No harm to the seal over time?
Thanks in advance.
 
#3 ·
I loosen the pinch bolts, maybe on both sides (? can't remember). The idea here is that when you put the brace on, it's much easier if the axle is not battened down - took me all of 10 minutes to do the whole job! It also helps align everything up.
 
#4 ·
They are assuming that the forks are not as well aligned as they will be after you properly fit the brace.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Right. Loosening the pinch bolt(s) allows the fork legs to find the parallel position. If they were pinched or splayed, fitting the brace would be difficult. Only one side gets pinched. The axle screws into the other side. DL650s have one pinch bolt and DL1000s have two.
 
#6 ·
Allows the fork legs to move around a bit. I would have never guessed. Re-tighten the pinch bolts to about 14 ft-lbs? Slightly more force than say a big spark plug in a car engine? I don't have a torque wrench, so I use comparisons. Sounds good to me, and I guess the lip on the Superbrace won't pose a problem with the seal above it. I'll contact Blair soon. Thanks for the replies.
 
#7 ·
Does it mention to re-tighten the pinch bolts after installation?
 
#9 ·
The spec on the pinch bolt(s) is 16.5lb-ft.
 
#10 ·
It might also be necessary to loosen the bolts in the lower triple tree and give the fork legs a good shake to get everything aligned. Just speaking for myself, I'd retighten everything to spec....

The Superbrace looks great but doesn't work any better than the lower cost braces from murphskits.com or adventuretech.com. The Superbrace with it's arch is a problem on ABS Wees due to limited clearance to a brake distribution block.
 
#11 ·
Loosen pinch bolts

Kick fork leg as its been a bad boy get it to move

Clamp the shit out of the front brakes and hold

Tighten pinch bolts

My Murph KIt brace has a center connector so when tightened it with the
actual fork tube spacing

I also have the $30 Motion Pro fork tube alignment thingy and all the bikes needed it... tuned
 
#19 ·
so in the above description, there is no mention of actually installing the brace.

can someone slowly go thru each step.

:confused:

now be gentle fellas, this is my first time!

be well.

rob
 
#13 ·
good post

I need to re-do my brace - its not really tight as it should be
 
#14 ·
I need to re-do my brace - its not really tight as it should be
Huh? If it fits, you ride. Don't over-tighten the bolts in the aluminum. The lower fork legs are cast aluminum not machined to a precise dimension. The Richland Rick fork brace is machined to a precise dimension. If it fits, you ride.
 
#15 ·
+1 on the RR brace. I however stupidly, drove the bike a few blocks after installing the brace. I forgot to tighten the pinch bolt. Dawned on me when I was three blocks down the road. Limped home worried. After inspection, everything seemed ok so I re-tightened the pinch bolt. So far so good. Finely getting warm enough, or ice free enough to start riding. Plan to put some mileage on this weekend.
 
#22 ·
nope,
the fork brace is not installed solely for alignment purposes
it is installed to minimize/eliminate the possibility for flexing/twisting of the forks which can result in unstable handling in strong cross winds and bad roads.
the alignment procedure is to insure the fork brace fits correctly and that the forks are parallel for the install.
The installation of a fork brace is primarily based on rider preference, it has nothing to do with a particular bike or mileage.
Many do not see a difference after the installation, many do.
 
#17 ·
Our stroms are a budget bike with budget forks. We all wish Suzuki spent a few more ¥en on the forks, but.... They flex and they twist. The fork brace is a big help. It isn't about miles. It's about moderately adequate parts being made to work better.

The new 1000 finally comes with excellent forks. The difference is immediately noticeable.
 
#20 ·
#21 ·
Surprised nobody mentioned the "bounce" method, that I and many have been using for decades anytime any front end work is done.
Bouncing the front end with the front brakes on between each tightening step aligns the whole system.
When installing the fork brace, loosen pinch bolts, axle, install fork brace loose--bounce--tighten fork brace--bounce--tighten axle--bounce--tighten pinch bolts.
Always has worked great for me.
:thumbup:
 
#23 ·
Keep in mind that the brace is made to a higher degree of precision than the fork tubes. If the brace doesn't fit, don't hammer it. Contact Rick, and he'll tell you how to make the brace fit your forks. (A previous owner did hammer the fork brace on the forks of my '07. The result was a forced mis-alignment and prematurely worn fork bushings. Rick's way of fitting the brace worked very well after I replaced the bushings.)
 
#24 ·
One issue that many fork braces that bolt or clamp around the fork tube have is that they induce, or increase stiction, either from deforming the seal area of the fork, by misalignment or non parallel surfaces machined into the clamping areas.

Having seen a number of braces made for a number of different bikes that were poorly designed from the get go I have chosen to not get a brace.

But I have also felt that there is nothing unstable with regards to the stock handling of a well maintained DL650, having around 40,000 miles of experience on them across a wide range of riding conditions.

My suggestion to anyone adding a fork brace is to pay very close attention to the mounting of the brace if the clamp around the fork seal area and make sure the left to right spacing is accurate.
 
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