OldFenderGuy.
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From: Rowlett, Texas
OldFenderGuy.
I was told there are mods that need to be done to add a longer front fork. I told them they are wrong. Just a matter of putting a new one on. What do you think?
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From: Ozark Country
RE: OldFenderGuy.
When extending the front end the main thing to consider (besides the actual parts needed) is keeping the correct trail geometry/dimension.
Sure, you could just throw on some extended forks, but unless you add additional rake to the bike the longer forks will raise the height of the front of the bike, and you won't have a 'level ride' any longer. This will put additional stress on your rear suspension, and the ride won't be that stable. You would also need to put on a longer "kick stand" as you will have a higher frame to ground distance in the front part of the bike.
The amount of rake you add to the bike will determine the additional length that must be added to the tubes. I am running an additional 14 degrees, with 8" over tubes. You could also get away with running 6" over tubes on the Sportsters if you are running a total of 42 to 44 degrees of total rake (stock rake is 30 degrees, and an addition 14 degrees adds up to the total rake of 44 degrees).
Some people just install some additional front end rake with aftermarket trees, and you should be okay if you are only adding a couple of degrees.
The problem is that to retain the stock trail dimension you must add rake to both the neck and also to the tree. Can't do one without the other.
When you add rake to the neck angle it increases the trail dimension, and when you add rake to the tree it decreases the trail dimension. Adding one without the other will make your bike unstable, and it could cause a dangerous condition. If you add rake to both the tree angle and to the neck angle you will end up with a cancelling effect on the trail dimension, which is what you want.
Sure, you could just throw on some extended forks, but unless you add additional rake to the bike the longer forks will raise the height of the front of the bike, and you won't have a 'level ride' any longer. This will put additional stress on your rear suspension, and the ride won't be that stable. You would also need to put on a longer "kick stand" as you will have a higher frame to ground distance in the front part of the bike.
The amount of rake you add to the bike will determine the additional length that must be added to the tubes. I am running an additional 14 degrees, with 8" over tubes. You could also get away with running 6" over tubes on the Sportsters if you are running a total of 42 to 44 degrees of total rake (stock rake is 30 degrees, and an addition 14 degrees adds up to the total rake of 44 degrees).
Some people just install some additional front end rake with aftermarket trees, and you should be okay if you are only adding a couple of degrees.
The problem is that to retain the stock trail dimension you must add rake to both the neck and also to the tree. Can't do one without the other.
When you add rake to the neck angle it increases the trail dimension, and when you add rake to the tree it decreases the trail dimension. Adding one without the other will make your bike unstable, and it could cause a dangerous condition. If you add rake to both the tree angle and to the neck angle you will end up with a cancelling effect on the trail dimension, which is what you want.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
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RE: OldFenderGuy.
Wow ofg I had no idea extended forks were complicated I did see on ebay a kit that keeps the stock level of the bike some time ago.It was about $1000.By the way thanks for serving our country.That in itselfpreserved the right to do things like ride.
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Ozark Country
RE: OldFenderGuy.
ORIGINAL: diablo666
By the way thanks for serving our country.That in itselfpreserved the right to do things like ride.
By the way thanks for serving our country.That in itselfpreserved the right to do things like ride.
Some of the 'chopper kits' like AME and Seeger are engineered to provide the correct trail geometry, so you don't have to worry about cutting and extending the neck rake, etc..
They do this by adding rake to both the neck and the tree, so it is a true "bolt on" installation that takes care of all the worries.
These kits are both DOT and TUV certified, and they will provide the correct trail dimension once installed. The European TUV certificate is difficult to obtain, so you know the kits are rock solid and tested to the extreme.
I am running the AME kit on my Sportster. Main reason I went with it over the Seeger is that I wanted steel tubes instead of aluminum, and I also wanted to go with the heavier 41mm tubes, chromed lower, and 4-piston front caliper.
I'm running an additional 14 degrees of rake (44 degrees total) and 8" over 41mm tubes.
The ride is much better than that of the old choppers we use to build, where we had to cut and weld the frame to add rake, etc.
These kits are somewhat expensive, but so is getting your bike set up correct the "old way", cutting the frame, adding rake to it, adding trees to get the correct trail dimension, buying extented tubes, etc., etc.... You can also pull the front end and go back to the 'stock frontend' if you want in the future, as no modifications are made to the actual frame. Installation time is about 6 hours, so it's a snap...
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2005
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From: Leesburg, Florida
RE: OldFenderGuy.
ORIGINAL: OldFenderGuy
<snip>... You would also need to put on a longer "kick stand" as you will have a higher frame to ground distance in the front part of the bike.... <snip>
<snip>... You would also need to put on a longer "kick stand" as you will have a higher frame to ground distance in the front part of the bike.... <snip>
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