Rake / Chopper idea! diagram
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Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Greenup, Kentucky
Rake / Chopper idea! diagram
Well this is what I came up with real fast on PAINT! lol
I think this is what I want to do to my bike this winter. what do you guys thinK? do they make any kits similar or has anyone on here done this?
reason is I want the chopper/raked/extended look and don't want to spend a bunch of money. I know how to weld aleady and I am about to start welding school for pipe fitters union so I think I could handle it.
this will raise the tank and give a more open engine area, rake the front end and give me an excuse to paint or powder the whole frame. maybe just paint the front black over the welds after I clean them up depending on the condition of the frame.
just please let me know what you think. looking at maybe 7 degree rake and longer tubes?
I think this is what I want to do to my bike this winter. what do you guys thinK? do they make any kits similar or has anyone on here done this?
reason is I want the chopper/raked/extended look and don't want to spend a bunch of money. I know how to weld aleady and I am about to start welding school for pipe fitters union so I think I could handle it.
this will raise the tank and give a more open engine area, rake the front end and give me an excuse to paint or powder the whole frame. maybe just paint the front black over the welds after I clean them up depending on the condition of the frame.
just please let me know what you think. looking at maybe 7 degree rake and longer tubes?
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 1
From: dual citizen nomad
go to the buell forum theres a shiitload of fellow welders over there man that chop sportster n buell. you'll get tonnes of advice from welders experienced at you job man. theres a few buell sites an they're all good for a welding kinda guy.
this is a good HD shoot the shiit site with regular riders and since most of em cannot weld or fabricate, they seem to believe noone else can either and attack any welders advice or try to get into a pissin contest with em so they usually leave or give no advice man.
the welders and mechanics on the buell sites are doing some pretty far out shiit that the rest of the HD lines copy years later.
good luck your idea because your a welder too, will be alot easier than you think man, you can do things with your hands most men cant!
this is a good HD shoot the shiit site with regular riders and since most of em cannot weld or fabricate, they seem to believe noone else can either and attack any welders advice or try to get into a pissin contest with em so they usually leave or give no advice man.
the welders and mechanics on the buell sites are doing some pretty far out shiit that the rest of the HD lines copy years later.
good luck your idea because your a welder too, will be alot easier than you think man, you can do things with your hands most men cant!
Last edited by ernofsteel007; Aug 5, 2009 at 02:45 AM.
All I can recommend is that you make sure to do your rake / trail calculations to keep the bike safe and prevent building a tank slapper. Here's a link to a rake / trail calculator...
http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/rakeandtrail.html
http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/rakeandtrail.html
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 2,230
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From: Mount Holly, NC
trail is defined as the distance behind the steering-angle where the wheel contacts earth.
if you don't undstand these concepts, take the bike to a pro and have it done right. if you get the trail wrong the bike will be impossible to ride.
if you don't undstand these concepts, take the bike to a pro and have it done right. if you get the trail wrong the bike will be impossible to ride.
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,755
Likes: 1
From: dual citizen nomad
as a welder this'll be as easy as pie, your gonna need a HD frame jig to get the exact degree angle in for some solid tacks to hold for the TIG beads you'll be laying down. the best place i know to get the prints for a HD frame jig is a store on ebay : POSSUMS MOTORCYCLE BIKER ITEMS , they sell complete chopper blueprints that includes a HD frame jig blueprint for about $40 bucks. the frame design he sells i don't like but its worth it just for the springer forks and frame jig blueprints. and go to a buell forum to get alot of brains to pick info from, good luck.
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Rake & Trail Explained
Rake A motorcycle rake (frame neck angle) is the fork angle measured from an imaginary 90 degree line.
The rake of a bike has a direct influence on the trail.
Raked Trees
I get lots of requests to put rake in the trees. Some people want to use them to extend their stock bikes.
The simple answer is if you want that extended look . . . consider, instead, raking your chassis by cutting your neck and positioning it for longer tubes, chopper style.
Offset
Both fork and, in the case of a springer front end, rocker offset also have a direct influence on the trail.
Trail
Trail is the distance between where the projected steering axis hits the ground and where a vertical line down from the center of the front axle hits the ground.
Rake
Rake has a big influence on how the bike handles at different speeds and under different riding conditions.
Increasing rake will improve stability when riding in a straight line but an excessive rake can make bad handling in turns especially at low speed. TrailToo little or too much trail create handling problems. This diagram shows how both the fork offset and the rocker offset on my springer push the wheel forward thereby reducing the trail.
Too litte trail:
With negative or too little trail the bike will handle well at low speeds but will easily develop a dangerous wobble at high speed.
Normal Trail:
The trail should be between 4 and 6.5 inches so that the bike handles easily at both high and low speeds.
Too much Trail:
You will have trouble balancing the bike at low speeds and it will handle sluggishly at high speeds. Raked TreesUsing "raked" trees will increase the angle of the forks by 3 (or whatever) degrees.
This is NOT the same as adding rake because the steering axis doesn't change. The result is that trail is DECREASED as the contact patch of the tire moves closer to the steering axis. This is OK if you have too much trail and want to decrease it. BUT raked trees can result in negative trail.
Raked triple trees are really for use where the bike has a regular glide font end and a neck rake angle of 40 degrees or more. In these cases raked trees can reduce the trail to a shorter, more manageable, distance. However too much rake in the trees will result in too little trail.
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