Fork Brace?

[edgeman55]

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

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.

[ths61]

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

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 $old by multiple vendor$).

[BIGLRY]

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 $old by multiple vendor$).

+1

[Old Ryder]

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!

[edgeman55]

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 sorry Ride safe everyone-Fork brace or not

[opas ride]

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 sorry Ride safe everyone-Fork brace or not

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...

[hgslayr]

The Kuryakyn fork brace and the anti-dive shim made a big difference for me in the smoothness of the front end

[Baytown]

Anti Dive Shim???
Bugger! There's something else I want that I didn't know I needed!

Ken

[khahn]

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.

[six2go]

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.

My thoughts exactly.