Front fork brace - is it needed?

[mszilves]

Hey guys, looking to mount an 00-01 R1 front fender to the stock FZR forks. It will work much better if the fork brace is removed. Does anyone know if the brace is "required"? Will there be any negative effects if it is removed (excessive fork flex etc.)?

[shredex]

im afraid to remove mine to find out, which is why im going to get an R1 fender and make a fiberglass mould with it and just add it to the current stock fzr fender.
I just need an R1 front fender...

[M in KC]

I don't think I would run with out a front fork brace. Even the flattened aluminum beer can that Yamaha put on thee bikes as a fork brace adds some latteral stability between the forks.

[yamaha_george]

Hey guys, looking to mount an 00-01 R1 front fender to the stock FZR forks. It will work much better if the fork brace is removed. Does anyone know if the brace is "required"? Will there be any negative effects if it is removed (excessive fork flex etc.)?

Hi,
somewhere on this site I actually rubbished the use of fork braces as being the non-answer to the wrong question.

The original forks are a bit thin by modern standards and they do flex.
HOWEVER they flex because the front axle is way too thin also, the forces exerted by the road allow each fork leg to respond slightly differently which is why the ride seems "wobbly".
Some "genius" said the wobbling could be eliminated by a plate half way up the fork leg (where it is already at its thickest ) which might sound good but in fact does very little to dampen the individual fork leg movement.

The cure is to up the diameter of the front axle see:-
http://www.saltmine.org.uk/kgb/greenbean.html for example

After fitting cartridge emulators , fresh springs & oil the ride from the front of my FZR is very good and at least for the time being I have shelved the mod time to do a new front axle in a bigger diameter

[megaloxana]

Well people usuall upgrade to a LARGER fork brace...whats that tell you about removing it?

[yamaha_george]

Well people usuall upgrade to a LARGER fork brace...whats that tell you about removing it?

M,
ahh an even bigger piece of metal not fixing the cause of the problem NICE LoL
just means more people follow the masses and do not actually work out what was wrong in the first place and fix that instead..
Nothing so odd as the human being

[manveru]

Well people usuall upgrade to a LARGER fork brace...whats that tell you about removing it?

M,
ahh an even bigger piece of metal not fixing the cause of the problem NICE LoL
just means more people follow the masses and do not actually work out what was wrong in the first place and fix that instead..
Nothing so odd as the human being

maybe but it certainly doesn't hurt anything to have it.

[PIMPMYFZR]

yea but this post is about ,., how will the bike ride without it ,, because i too looked into this and other then removing the brace to mod a newer/differnt bike model front fender im thinkin the brace has togo and also wonder what ill effects it will have on the bike .. i heard that if you tighten the screws too tight it can change the way the ride is .. but i wouldnt know from experience ....

[shredex]

yea but this post is about ,., how will the bike ride without it ,, because i too looked into this and other then removing the brace to mod a newer/differnt bike model front fender im thinkin the brace has togo and also wonder what ill effects it will have on the bike .. i heard that if you tighten the screws too tight it can change the way the ride is .. but i wouldnt know from experience ....

tighten the screws on the brace??
I only have the two front screws in my brace...
they all vibrated out when I put my fender on and luckly two didnt fully vibrate out so I didnt lose my fender or brace...
Im going to keep my brace though...
I would like to do a swap to new front forks...

[reelrazor]

While I think George is right as far as the brace being a band-aid fix, some of us haven't the resources to upgrade the fork tube diameter.

A well-designed fork brace will make a noticeable difference if it is needed.

As far as running without the tin can material stock one? I don't think it is doing a lot when it is on the bike, so I doubt if it matters a hell of a lot when it is missing.

Lots of motorcycles out there with much spindly-er forks and NO brace at all.

[shredex]

Iv got the stock brace on my bike...I think...im pretty sure...
and its 1/8 inch steel...its strong as hell

[manveru]

I could be 100% wrong as i just thought of this while reading the new posts, but looking at the forces exerted on a bike while cornering hard(full lean) there is little up and down movement of the forks, it is mainly twist in the frame, suspension, etc if i'm right. Those are what cushion bumps and aid in traction at that point. If you look at the fork brace, granted its thin, but its job is not to make the forks go up and down exactly the same(axles job), its job is to keep the forks centered or side by side(and hold the fender ) to avoid twisting and making the suspension feel even spungier, which is why its what like 2 inches wide?(bike put away for winter). Motorcycles without fork braces are most likely running bigger inverted forks, or aren't made for aggresive cornering. Just my thoughts on the subject, which are probably wrong. So imho removing it will make the suspension more prone to twisting and being spongier.

[shredex]

[yamaha_george]

Sorry Shred,
but 1/8 steel at 2-3 wide will twist VERY easily thus negating its use there in the first place. As for hard cornering forces you still the forks working together to be efficient.

The question originally was do you keep the brace and mod a fender or use a braceless fender.
My point is that since the brace is as RR put it a " band aid" (nice phrase that in the circumstances) you can leave it off.

How ever if your forks are in need of a freshen up ( fresh oil maybe seals and non sacked out springs) then the ride will be naff anyway. Which is why I did mine and now it rides far better even with no brace / fender.


IF you are paranoid about the ride quality AND you want new fender fit it with I believe TK's 1/2" thick alloy fork brace at least you can be sure that will be STIFFER

[shredex]

wants I can get the money, im going to swap out my forks for r1 or r6 forks