No front fender - do I need a brace?
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 96
From: fort walton beach
You don't need a brace, your fender is not there for added support, only to block crap from going everywhere. I would check your front wheel bearings cause if they are too bad they can cause front end wobble.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,566
Likes: 2
From: Detroit
The forks are tied together at the tree and then the lowers at the wheel with the through axle, bearings and spacers. Its a nice tight box. That being said I do like the RSD brace but they dont look right with every bike.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,781
Likes: 50
From: Louisville, KY
At a mere 9K miles my original front wheel bearings had got that bad that I could feel the rumble at parking lot speeds and they allowed some wheel wobble.
The OE bearings are cheapest crap available.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,395
Likes: 153
From: Utah
IMHO it depends upon how stiff your tubes are, their length, and the rake angle of your bike. When I extended a front end and ran with no fender, I added a brace. When you rake a front end, the brace makes a shorter span 'beam' that the wheel rides on. You also have to consider fatigue over time and the shorter the span, the less the fatigue. I'm pretty sure that my front fender is stout enough that it acts to cause the bottom legs to work together to some degree... and thus tie the tubes together however slightly. Extended tubes should have a brace that bolts to them not to the bottom legs. I agree that the fender doesn't have much of an effect, if any, on the fork tubes but I don't agree that there is no difference with or without the bottom legs tied together where the action of the suspension is concerned... but without a sideward thrust, there probably is very little difference. (For example, you don't see dirt bikes without braces... I don't think.)
That's my fitty cents.
C#
That's my fitty cents.
C#
Last edited by cwsharp; Jan 12, 2014 at 08:26 AM.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 159
Likes: 0
From: CNY
I just tie an old bandana to each side of the forks stops the water from spraying into your face !
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1st Gear
Joined: Nov 2020
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: here
That should not happen. The fender is not structurally a part of the forks or the wheel . It is just a bolt on device to deflect water. I would check your tire balance and your alignment on the rear tire. If you tightened your chain or belt and on one side is off it could translate into a wobble. Or a worn bearing will do this also. But not riding without a front fender. Dont ride it until you figured it out. You dont want to get the death wobble.