Looking For new Triple Tree

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Apr 10, 2007 | 07:49 PM

joeg2246

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Joined: Apr 2007

Posts: 84

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From: Cocoa, Florida

Looking For new Triple Tree

I have an 89 FXSTC that has a AWS triple tree that will not accept handlebar dampners. I am trying to get some ideas on a new set of triple trees and would like to get some more opinions about which ones to chose. Mine have a slight rake on them now. I am attaching a couple pictures of the bike so you can see what I am working with.

[IMG]local://upfiles/29245/9760DEC0209446AEAAC672F1E8395D98.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/29245/EA62FC00B68F4C0197FEC8F2F07390AA.jpg[/IMG]

Apr 11, 2007 | 12:03 AM

JBaker421

Big Kahuna HDF Member

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 29,598

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From: Oregon

RE: Looking For new Triple Tree

Quote:

ORIGINAL: joeg2246

I have an 89 FXSTC that has a AWS triple tree that will not accept handlebar dampners. I am trying to get some ideas on a new set of triple trees and would like to get some more opinions about which ones to chose. Mine have a slight rake on them now. I am attaching a couple pictures of the bike so you can see what I am working with.

Joeg2246,

How much rake in those trees?

Are you looking for dampners because the sucker is squirrelly? You're not fixin' to get yourself killed by not having enough trail are you?

My advice is to put the stock trees back on and if you want more rake from stock you can put in "rake cups" that I see around for about $150. You get another 3 degrees of rake (quite a bit) but you get more trail which stabilizes the bike.

Now if you wanted, you could put on 3 degree raked cups and only then 3 degree trees which would bring the trail back close to stock and you'd be OK. You'd obviously gain 6 degrees of rake which is a ton.

Raking the trees only is dangerous. It makes that front wheel wobble and some folks have died that way. Having that front wheel go nuts at 70 mph is no time to find out...

I know of a guy whose front end got so violent that he bent his handlebars keeping it upright. He got it stopped OK, but he got religion about trail geometry really fast, too.

The only appropriate place for raked trees is on a custom chopper where they raked the frame neck way out and got so much trail that the bike wouldn't turn and maneuver well enough. Then they add some tree raking to get a bike that handles OK. By that, to the extreme, if you rake the frame neck enough and then lengthen the forks enough, you can picture a front end that when you turn the handlebars, the wheel just flops side to side. It's almost sitting on the back of the wheel. Now, that's rake!

Just be careful, OK, and good luck?

JB