Fork Brace: worth it?

[artstubfors]

If you look at the fork lowers you'll see bosses on them where the fender plate bolts up to each one providing a bridge/brace for the forks.

IIRC either my V65S and/or my VF1000 had a similar plate that went across the top of the fender.

My Wing buddy put a SuperBrace on his 2005 1800 and immediately noticed an improvement. I'm glad to see SB making another run and would like to give one a try.

I'd say Honda didn't put one on the 1300 because they believe it didn't need it. And whadda ya know it saved them money in parts and assembly time. There's a prevailing mindset that if Honda didn't provide it you don't need it. And mortal man cannot improve upon what the Honda Gods wrought.

Did Honda do anything to beef up the 1300's fork tubes or put a little more space between the triple T's? Or did they just drop the idea of putting in a fender brace.

A poorly made third party brace could certainly be a cure worse than the disease scenario. Having a brace similar to the 1100's fender plate would eliminate most naysaying especially if it came from The Big H. Since we don't have that I'm thinking of trying the SuperBrace.

You may be spot on with the Honda Gods, but that's the Japanese. Some of the most wonderful bikes to ride but so weak on getting the suspension right. What I found on the ST1300 that I picked up used (31K on it) the front was sagging enough that the dampening was already engaged as soon as I sat on it. Minor bumps or tar strips transmitted right to the handle bars. About 1/2 hour and my hand were asleep. Race Tech described Honda as over dampened and under sprung. Put the springs in that they recomended, I can ride for hours now. The fork brace seemed to clear up the little head shake on deceleration. Awsome bike though, too fast for an old man.

 

[ST Gui]

so weak on getting the suspension right.

You're preaching to the choir. I've never had a Honda that had the uppy-downy of the suspension correct or at least for me.

 

[Whooshka]

You may be spot on with the Honda Gods, but that's the Japanese. Some of the most wonderful bikes to ride but so weak on getting the suspension right. What I found on the ST1300 that I picked up used (31K on it) the front was sagging enough that the dampening was already engaged as soon as I sat on it. Minor bumps or tar strips transmitted right to the handle bars. About 1/2 hour and my hand were asleep. Race Tech described Honda as over dampened and under sprung. Put the springs in that they recomended, I can ride for hours now. The fork brace seemed to clear up the little head shake on deceleration. Awsome bike though, too fast for an old man.

Most of the problem with stock Japanese suspension is it's usually designed for a 160 pound rider. I'd bet the majority here don't fit that demographic.

And when you bought your bike with 31K on it who knows when the last, if any, fork service was done. Maybe that's a reason for your major improvement too. A lot of guys don't realize the importance of fresh and proper fluid in the forks.

 

[Jjonahjamison]

A lot of guys don't realize the importance of fresh and proper fluid in the forks.

When I changed my fork seals this summer I was amazed at how thin and downright-watery the old fork oil was, like dirty water. This compared to new fork oil which is thick & viscous. No surprise that the front suspension rides much more confidently with new fork oil. What is the consensus for fork oil change interval? I can’t see any way of changing it that doesn’t follow the whole seal replacement process, so its a significant chore.

 

[Whooshka]

You don't have to change seals to change the fork oil. Do a search, plenty including myself have done a fluid change easily.

 

[Catmandu2]

Came across this Superbrace illustration,,, cheers,, CAt'

 

[Bmacleod]

Some say they make a difference, some say they don't. Some people are capable of pushing a bike to the point of benefiting from one and some arent, or choose not to. Some can tell a difference and some cant. Some dont install them correctly. Fork braces are like oil and Moly threads. You have to take in all of the opinions and form your own based on what makes sense. To me, the theory of stiffening and choreographing the movement of the forks makes alot of sense and for that reason, i will order one when SuperBrace makes a run in the new year. One must also keep in mind that following the theory of how it works, proper installation is critical, meaning that rather than just bolting it on, one should loosen the axle pinch bolts, install the brace and cycle the forks up and down, then retorque the axle pinchbolts. I think that failure to do this could cause binding/stiction in the forks, leading to a negative review of the value.
I THINK they are a good idea but have no evidence to argue one way or another. I will let you know in the spring

 

[ST Gui]

As to the validity of application (which will vary by bike and other variables) there was a YT video made by a Brit showing the flexing of the fork tubes while in motion. He used a high speed video camera and it bordered on shocking. I think it was posted here and if I can find it I'll repost.

This is SuperBrace's demo. Jaded/cynical/skeptical riders can easily dismiss it but that Brit's video was pretty definitive.

 

[ATA]

I installed a Super Brace fork brace about a year ago ('07 ST13). To me, it makes a difference in the tracking and handling in general. I'm not a high speed cruiser (although I have been know to screw on the power a time or two!), so the pan-weave is not really an issue for me. I do recommend them and think it's well worth the money for the added handling/safety aspect. (question...how hard is it to change the fork oil?)

 

[ATA]

i find hard to understand how loosen the axle pinch bolts and cycle the forks relates to outer forks. Pinch bolts just holding the axle from moving and the axle is tighten by a nut. Cycling the inner forks won't make any difference on outer forks.
I suspect that this is just another scam

Alignment is critical when installing a fork brace or anything that includes loosening the pinch bolts.

 

[TourNut]

(question...how hard is it to change the fork oil?)

pull the forks down / out of the loosened steering head clamps , ( after you loosen the caps ) & pour out of the tops . To really get it all clean , take out the bottom bolts & slide out internals & clean , pour back in the correct amounts of new fluids / oils . ( I replaced the seals too because they were not that expensive - pull them out , put new back in tapping evenly with plastic plumbing piece. )

I got OEM seals from Partzilla , one set is the actually the seal & crud scraper part above they count as a seal - so get 2 sets .

Determine if you need the internal slide / wear bushings or not , I didn't at ~20 K miles

 

[Larry Fine]

i find hard to understand how loosen the axle pinch bolts and cycle the forks relates to outer forks. Pinch bolts just holding the axle from moving and the axle is tighten by a nut. Cycling the inner forks won't make any difference on outer forks.
I suspect that this is just another scam

Forks are normally held in space by the upper and lower triple clamps, and the lower ends are held a specific distance apart. When you solidly clamp the center a set distance apart, the distance between the lower ends may need to be adjusted slightly for minimal friction of suspension movement.

There are those who suggest that adding such a brace might add to suspension friction that cannot be adjusted away, because you now have a pair of tubes that may or may not be perfectly parallel, yet depend on being parallel for the best freedom from friction as the suspension moves up and down.

 

[ST Gui]

There's always concern that the SuperBrace type brace might be out of spec in some dimension. It might be too long or too short which would change the distance of the forks tubes and possibly impair functionality.

There have also been concerns that clamping the brace around the leg increases stiction. Some clamping force is necessary for the brace to be effective. With the inner dimension under spec the force could be too tight with a detrimental increase in stiction. Over spec it might not remain in place which would be annoying.

How much of this has come to pass I have no idea. In theory if the dimensions were absolutely perfect there should be no affect on the tubes other than prohibiting unwanted flexing ie no change in alignment. But we check alignment anyway because life isn't perfect.

Both my '84 VF1000 and '85 VF1100S had a front fork stabilizer as OEM kit. My 2010 ST does not. (I don't count the front fender.) I'd like to give the brace a try.

 

[TourNut]

I used my fork brace to mount the lower end of my slide tube protectors ...

 

[Whooshka]

I used my fork brace to mount the lower end of my slide tube protectors ...

While those rubber booties will protect the fork tubes from nicks they contribute greatly to heat build up of the tube, seals and fluid. Service those forks often.

BTW, if you'd like to know how low the forks compress, strap a ziptie around the inner fork all the way down near the dust cover. Go for a ride. Check where the ziptie is on your return.

Good tip. Been doing it for years to help measure sag and susp. travel

 

[paulcb]

BTW, if you'd like to know how low the forks compress, strap a ziptie around the inner fork all the way down near the dust cover. Go for a ride. Check where the ziptie is on your return.

You can also just look at the shiny area where the dust seal rubs.

 

[larryg]

BTW, if you'd like to know how low the forks compress, strap a ziptie around the inner fork all the way down near the dust cover. Go for a ride. Check where the ziptie is on your return.

Or just look at where it gets wiped clean, by the fork action.....

 

[paulcb]

I clean them shiny

Ah, good point!

 

[lomita]

Superbrace now taking orders....

P/N: 2263 Honda ST 1300/1300ABS

SuperBrace Fork Stabilizer for Honda ST 1300/1300ABS Fits Years: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012

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[lomita]

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