Fork Braces??? Lets hear your Opinion!!!

[Austin city limits]

Ok... I am in full Court farkle mode and still time to order before my 20 day,,, 8,000 - 10,000 mile trip... :rolleyes:

Just was wanting everyone to post their opinions on "IF" a Fork Brace is worth it on a ST... I have seen post in the past say no... I have seen post in the past say yes... On the Connie,,, it was a must almost... The ST seems to be far from clear cut...

Lets see what everyone says/thinks...

[AZST1300A]

Like to hear the answers to this myself...

[Killtimer]

Had one on the '03.... took it off and never bothered putting it on the '05. It's for sale ;)

[AZST1300A]

Had one on the '03.... took it off and never bothered putting it on the '05. It's for sale ;)

Depending of the responses this thread, I might take you up on that. Not sure if I really need it since I don't really lean my bike deep very often, but if there is evedence that it reduces tire cupping/vibration...maybe.

:03biker:

[Killtimer]

I'll be honest. For my riding style, on the roads I ride most often, I didn't see a difference. Had no significant cupping before, during, or after use. Some minor front tire cupping on the ST is to be expected due to it's weight. Tire selection also plays a role.

I may get a little flack for this, :D but I think this may be one of those "placebo" farkles. If it works for you.....great.

[Austin city limits]

I had tire cupping before a Brace on the Connie...

I had tire cupping after the brace on the Connie...

Cupping ended the day I got my Steering head adjusted perfectly on the Connie...

The Brace made a large difference on the Connie ride though...

It made a big difference in the corners too...

The ST??? This,,, is why the Question was asked... ;)

[Killtimer]

The Connie, like the std. ST1100's has fairly small diameter (41 mm for the ST) front forks that will twist a bit under hard cornering. The late model ST1100 ABS had larger front forks (43 mm) that, along with an integral fork brace, all but eliminated this. The ST1300 uses 45mm diameter forks that are stronger yet. Remember, some fork flex is required for ride quality as well. A too rigid front end (subjectivity rears it's ugly head) can be less forgiving and is not necessary or wanted on a road bike.

It would be interesting to compare the 3 ST's side by side in a controlled study.

[John-DownUnder]

I agree with Killtimer (i.e. for my riding style, on the roads I ride most often, I didn't see a difference. Had no significant cupping before, during, or after use)

When I first fitted the SuperBrace to my '03, I noticed the slightest difference to tracking over a short bumpy section through a corner up the road from home that I travel over ever morning. This slight improvement to feel didn't necessarily mean the bike handled any better; in other words before the SuperBrace, the bike still tracked OK; its just that it felt steadier now.

At the cost I paid (US$115.95+20.00 shipping = AU$189.25) to have one here in Australia, I wouldn't recommend others here be bothered.
Just my opinion.

[dond]

Once upon a time:
I contacted SB and asked if they had or were planning a SB for the STX. They were going to build one but needed a GP rider (guinea pig) to help. I'm 80 miles away so hey, why not.
When the bugs were gone I went for a few week eval. I rode with the brace on familiar rodes and removed the brace and rode them again. Re-inSTalled and rode them again. During the eval I even inSTalled a new front tire. (same model)

The envelope please.

On seams, ridges and STepped pavement there's an improvement. My ST has good manners and the SB made her juST a bit better.
I really watched tire wear characteriSTics and there is a sight reduction in the famous left side wear but overall the tire wear is no less or different for the miles traveled. The brace has been on for about 25,000 miles and has been used with MEZ4 and Z6 tires.
About 2,000 miles after inSTalling the SB I changed the original fork oil..Now that really made a difference and improved the handling to a larger degree. I did not measure the factory goo but it seemd there was not very much oil in the forks.
I flushed and filled by volume with ATF and noticed and improved and more controlled ride immediately.

1-10 scale.
SB=4
Fork oil=6

Does it make a positive difference? Yes
Would I buy a SB?
For my current bike, no.
For another ride, possibly if it showed a real need.

Objective as I can be..After all I did get a SB at 'no' coST. ;-)
4 rt's to SB was 640 miles.

[sport_tourer]

Gentlemen..... I guess that's appropriate for most of you.....

Not sure if I have posted here before, but if not, be advised that I lurk on your boards every so often but I am quite active on the MSN boards. At any rate, "hello" to you all and let me give you my input on fork braces.

I will say a fork brace may or may not work for you as it depends on your riding style. If you do not supply quick agressive steering inputs while you are riding, you will probably never appreciate a fork brace. To those of you more touring oriented than sport oriented, I would say no brace is required. However, if you ride your ST as a sport bike, and only occassionaly hit the super slab to get somewhere, I think you will appreciate a fork brace. Without a doubt, IMO, they "tighten" up the front end of the bike which results in a "quicker" response when you provide agressive steering inputs.

How can it not? You effectively have an 18 inch gyroscope (which is larger in diameter, assuredly heavier due to size as well as rim weight as compared to sport bikes, not to mention the added air weight due to the higher air pressure of around 40 psi which most people run in their front tire) at one end (the axle) and the next "tie point" point is the lower triple clamp some 19 to 20 inches away. Oh sure, you got a plastic fender to help control the fork twist, but really? 20 inches in a long distance to allow forks to remain in alignment and not twist to some degree. A fork brace cuts that 19 to 20 inch gap down to 14 or so inches.

I will add that the difference a fork brace makes will be felt more if the suspension is setup properly. ST front ends are woefully undersprung (too soft) and as a result have way too much race sag in them. My 220 lbs gear up weight resulted in nearly 2 inches of race sag on the front end on a stock ST1300. Given that the bike only has about 4.3 inches of travel and you are consuming approximately 50% of that in sag (which is way too much), if you "fix" the front end to the proper sag height, you will effectly lengthen the distance between axle and lower triple clamp mounts, and as such, the benefits of a fork brace will be increased.

Let's examine the above paragraph a bit more. A stock ST front end sags about 2 inches with rider aboard. This would make a stock ST have about 18 inches between the axle and lower triple clamp with rider aboard. A properly suspended ST will only sag about 1 inch, resulting in 19 inches between axle and lower triple clamp. Furthermore, the stock ST will compress more under the same riding conditions as a properly suspended ST (because the properly suspended ST will have a stiffer spring). In all cases, the stock ST front end shows less distance betweent the axle and the lower triple clamp and thus is subject to less fork twisting....thats why I say the improvements of a fork brace will be felt more if your bike has a modified front suspension.

Would I buy another fork brace? ABSOLUTELY. If the bike I own has a fork brace option available for it, it gets the brace.

My ST currently has the brace made from Motorcycle Larry. Think it was $89.95, but I did NOT install the dust seals because in my opinion they look hideous. Yeah yeah yeah, dried bugs, damage to fork seals, I have heard the stories but have had no problems.

Not to highjack a thread, but those of you wishing to upgrade your front or rear suspensions on the ST, may find some of my posts on the MSN site in the REVIEWS section helpful. I have completed a Race Tech front end on the bike, as well as Penske shock. The overall transformation is incredible. $1000 or so worth of suspension work and the bike is what it should be!

Penske Shock Review (http://groups.msn.com/ST1300US/reviews.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=63638&LastModified=4675522783414322923)

Race Tech Revalve/Springing (http://groups.msn.com/ST1300US/reviews.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=46684&LastModified=4675509491331146439)

Chris