Took the B out after the kury brace and the frt end does seem more smooth and tighter in the turns...Definitely a good purchase IMHO...We'll see later how she responds in the fast twisties...
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Took the B out after the kury brace and the frt end does seem more smooth and tighter in the turns...Definitely a good purchase IMHO...We'll see later how she responds in the fast twisties...
You guys sold me on the fork brace.
I put on the Traxxion multi-piece (not the 2 piece) brace and did the width adjustments with the brace.
I liked the improvement, so shortly after, I had the Traxxion Mega Monty (minus top triple tree clamp) install done, so the forks were removed and completely redone.
I noticed the difference before I got in 3rd gear on straight road. Best way I know to explain it is that it tightened up the feel of the bike. I never noticed any lag in the steering---not saying there is any---but when I put the brace on the steering became more responsive. It is not something you need---but it did make a difference to me.
OTOH---Helibars advertise their bar across the center will do the same thing. I did not tell any difference when I installed them, but to be truthful, I already had the Superbrace in place when I put on the bars. Maybe that is a true statement without the brace.
Summary: It does make a difference for the better.
Question: Does a rider really need it? No
I don't know if this has been brought up before, but will a fork brace help with tar snakes? I don't know if it is the weight of the bike, the tires, or lack of a fork brace, but my F6B feels especially squirrely when I hit the tar snakes in a curve. The F6B is about 200 pounds heavier than the next heaviest bike I ever owned, so maybe it is just the nature of the beast.
+1 on the tar snake issue..The tires on the F6B have a big groove down the center tread which makes tar-snakes an "enemy"....Just be aware and slow down if it becomes nasty....Ride safe
Had my Honda mechanic install my Kuryaken Black Forkbrace p/n KUR-7349 from Cycleplicity today. Extremely happy with my purchase. $149 delivered the next day & $50 to have them professionally installed and documented with my bike. I could not be happier with a $200 purchase. As stated by many of the members above = I noticed a distinct difference in handling as soon as I left the dealership. Bike feels extremely solid up front now. I tested them out on grated bridges and on chewed up roads that are about to be resurfaced. I would recommend this modification to anyone who rides. Sincerely glad that I read this thread. Thanks! Quite an improvement for such a small investment. Forkbraces should come standard on all bikes.
Ive just fitted a Superbrace on my 15, but havent taken her out yet as Im still waiting for my new speakers to arrive, so dash is out.
I'll report my view of the brace in a few days.
Best wishes all.
Ken
I have read a lot on the fork brace before I bought mine and ALSO AFTER. I have read a few negative things, but my question is this-----
Who has purchased one and wish they had not done it and are very unhappy with their purchase! And then, WHY are you unhappy.
I still maintain that if Honda engineers felt this bike "really needed" a fork brace, they would have added something along the way...This bike has been built with this suspension, basically, since 2001....JMHO....Not to say that some of the more aggressive riders and those that load it down might feel a little improvement under certain conditions....Ride safe
Almost anything can be improved on. Why just settle for "satisfactory" opas ride?
Do you think the stock OEM seat is well engineered too; for a long ride on it? Many do not... and there is HUGE felt improvement with aftermarket and/or modified seats
Fork stabilizers improve handling and work well on many other bikes. No reason why they could not on a F6B. I shall have me one soon myself. :yes:
These are the same designers/engineers that make us switch out the seats, add risers and highway bars, etc....---how many riders are using the same stock windshield? Is it not true that it was put there and deemed adequate by the same engineers and designers? It should be sufficient and OK for everybody, too????? Right???
Not trying to offend anybody, but it reminds me of my 5 year old grandson who refuses to eat cherry pie, strawberries or watermelon because it is red. Everybody tells him it tastes great and he would love it if he would only try it, but no--can't force it down his throat! Therefore he misses out on something good because he won't try it even though the consensus from everybody THAT HE TRUSTS is that it is great!
BTW---I am still waiting to hear from somebody who has one installed and are not happy with it. I agree that some items are a waste of money and do not perform up to their price point, but I don't recall the brace being in that group. Again, just my humble opinion--your milage may vary. :stirthepot:
Ordered from WingStuff.com.
:yes:
You know we now get it you don't need a fork brace.But just because the great Honda engineers did not put one on the bike does not get away from the FACT that most here who have installed one have experienced improved handling on there rides.Remember these are the great engineers who also put a inferior ball bearing setup up front which after market has improved upon greatly.Also the later Goldwing triple trees were improved upon by Honda engineers because companys like Traxion showed there componants worked mucho better.Just think you give these engineers a little more credit then they sometimes deserve.
Most things are built to a price point. Go above that price point and you price yourself out of the market, so they deliver what is "good-enough" for most.
Companies sometimes have to get enough feedback from its customer base (or the courts) before they make any changes. A few years ago, HD upgraded its suspension to include what an aftermarket company was doing to address HD's design. HD never once admitted it "fixed" an issue with the suspension, yet they are producing and selling the mod ever since.
Someone posted a while back that Honda has applied for a new fork patent, so who knows, they may have heard the fork brace crowd (or discovered how many fork braces were being $old by multiple vendor$).
It is true that we all can ride without a fork brace and the bike is not going to explode nor is our hair going to catch on fire. The bike is great as it came off the line. This is the ONLY bike in which I have not touched the exhaust or air filter and done something to the carbs or EFI----and that is going back to 1977. But I am not going to judge the man who does and then wants to shout it from the rooftop.
But the traditional motorcycle ride is constantly looking for ways to make it better. Torque Loopz, Cobra Exhaust, Mustang/Ultimate seats, Baggershield/Madstad/ Clearview, the list goes on and on. It is up to the individual and his wallet to determine what/how many changes he does to his ride. Almost all love the brace.
It's all good!
OK well said.I hope my comments above were not to hard on MR Opas and you said it better then I could as even the best bikes out there and IMHO the F6B for it's class is one of them they all have design points or functions that can be improved upon.He has asked about the fork braces many times-been answered almost always with a positive remark to how well they improve the front end feel of this bike and yet he always ends with a opinion that they are not really needed even though he has yet to try one.Yes he has the right to feel this way and I guess at the moment I was just not feeling it was adding to the question how does your fork brace work as he is commenting on something he has not tried on this bike.So if I was a little harsh with my comments above I'm sorrygrouphug Ride safe everyone-Fork brace or not:039:
I take no offense to comments posted on this board by anyone..We all have the right to voice our opinions and experiences..At the ripe old age of almost 76, my shoulders have gotten pretty big.....I just don't want to spend a couple hundred bucks for something that is of no real value to me..I realize many have fork braces and stick by them and it would be far from me to find fault with their choices....I just may buy one next year and see what happens....but for now I am good with the way the 6 rides and handles....Regards and ride safe...
The Kuryakyn fork brace and the anti-dive shim made a big difference for me in the smoothness of the front end
Anti Dive Shim???
Bugger! There's something else I want that I didn't know I needed!
Ken
First off let me say my riding style is so mellow I haven't felt the need to improve the bikes suspension and I don't plan to. I'll take the word of those that ride more aggressively and have installed the fork brace and have noted an improvement. My background is in engineering and I see the telescoping front suspension of a motorcycle as an over constrained system. In mathematics, 2 points define a line, 3 points define an arc. In the case of the front suspension 6 points are trying to make parallel lines, not gonna happen. Because there are machining tolerances of the upper triple tree clamp and the lower clamp and the axle involved, there is already fight in the system. Some will have a lot of fight, some not so much, kinda the luck of the draw on how closely the 3/6 points line up. One of the factors for seal and bushing wear in the forks is how good or bad these 3/6 points of constraint do in establishing parallel lines. I believe adding a 4th/8th level of constraint may accelerate the bushing and seal wear, or it may not, depending on how close those 8 points are to creating 2 parallel lines. So in my case I'm not taking the chance since I don't need to.
I completely do not follow you at all; with what you described.
Adding that additional constraint (fork brace) is going to help reduce any inherent ability of the front forks trying to arc (flex) from the intended line of travel within them. The top of each fork tube body is now supporting the other laterally; not just at the axle pinch bolts and the triple tree clamps. Overall; the ability of these two fork systems to flex as an arc is now lessened. And that results in decreased bushing and seal wear.
I installed a Superbrace yesterday, but I haven't had time to test it out, maybe take a spin after the Bears game.
I think I will officially "bow out" of this fork brace discussion as it has become worse than the many oil threads....I am also not convinced that these things are necessary, or that they really work in the long run....So I intend to leave well enough alone and enjoy my F6B as it works fine for me....Those that swear by them and have positive results, more power to you and I appreciate your opinions and experience with a fork brace.....Ride safe and regards....
Performance has always come at a price.
On one hand a Honda Civic will run trouble free for thousands and thousands of miles on gas and regular oil and tire changes.
On the other hand a Fuel Dragster will need a complete engine rebuild in less than 1/4 miles and less than 4 seconds. Everything else in in between.
I like the sound of my OEM quiet exhaust, but there are a lot of guys here with aftermarket pipes. I personally do not see the need to go on those threads and declare the possible evils of such a change. Now--If I did install a Crobra system and did not like the drone that I read so much about, then I would voice that opinion on every thread possible. But never ridden a F6B with that change, why would I go and speak against something that I have never experienced---especially if they happened to be a forum sponsor who helps pay the bills around here. If I had a reason to discredit a sponsor for poor performance, then I would :shrug: But think how laughable that would be if I followed ever "drone" or Cobra thread with words of how I don't need or want that stuff on my bike and how superior my bike is because I don't have it and never tried it.
Just sayin........
Well lookie here now....guess what just arrived? :smokin:
http://i58.tinypic.com/29zvkpg.jpg