• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Thoughts on making a hoop fork brace

  • Thread starter Thread starter SVSooke
  • Start date Start date
S

SVSooke

Guest
I have a friend at work who can weld it up but I have some design questions.Like what type of steel?Rods or tubing for the hoops?Really should have looked closer at the few I've seen:oThis would be for my 78 1000.
 
Are you talking about this kinda design?
TubularBrace.jpg


These looks mo betta to me
KoolKatBraces.jpg
 
Those "mo betta" ones look like the standard brace that sits under the factory 1100 plastic fender to me....

I like the hoop ones for proper old school. I doubt they do all that much though to be honest. It will be tube not rod. That much rod would weigh a ton!

With tube you get a lot more strength by adding diameter as opposed to adding wall thickness. That looks like 1/2" possibly 5/8" to me..
 
Go measure up Rob's

I sold him one a few years back
 
Buffalo Bill said:
Are you talking about this kinda design?
TubularBrace.jpg


These looks mo betta to me
KoolKatBraces.jpg
Click to expand...
Yes that's what I'm thinking about in the first pic.What you think looks better looks like the inner brace on my 85 750EF

salty_monk said:
Those "mo betta" ones look like the standard brace that sits under the factory 1100 plastic fender to me....

I like the hoop ones for proper old school. I doubt they do all that much though to be honest. It will be tube not rod. That much rod would weigh a ton!

With tube you get a lot more strength by adding diameter as opposed to adding wall thickness. That looks like 1/2" possibly 5/8" to me..
Click to expand...
This post got me thinking about why to do it.I think they add some rigidity to the forks.The question is with as slow as I tend to ride why do it.I also wonder how I'd get tubes to bend like that without crimping them.Hardly seem worth the effort for a look:apathy:
 
Sooke, the tube ones are near impossible to flex by hand compared to the stock-ish plate style. Can't speak for how they differ mounted to forks though. And the friend doing the welding? Ask him about how to bend tubing. It's really not that bad if you follow the proper procedures.
 
I needed to bend some 1/2" square steel tube for a swingarm brace.
I looked on youtube and found plenty of DIYrs showing how they do it.
I made a bender the right size for my project and now the deed is done.
 
Remember that you're trying to build a brace. That is, a device that maintains the proper relationship between the left and right fork sliders. You must take caution when bending tubes to be used as a fork brace that you don't put unwanted influence on the fork's position. Don't let form influence function. Just because it looks cool don't mean it works.
 
rudeman said:
Remember that you're trying to build a brace. That is, a device that maintains the proper relationship between the left and right fork sliders. You must take caution when bending tubes to be used as a fork brace that you don't put unwanted influence on the fork's position. Don't let form influence function. Just because it looks cool don't mean it works.
Click to expand...
I do know the purpose of a brace,it would be made to do it's intended job.Will investigate tube bending further and would most likely make a jig to hold it while it's being welded.Yeah I've been thinking about it but I'm still not sure it's worth the effort.
So I'd like some input on what kind of steel to use.With all due respect this is NOT a place to use Stainless and I do love my SS:DThe plan is to PC it with my PC kit if I do it at all.
 
In looking around it seems like getting 1/2' steel tube won't be easy to get.I could but it'd be a long trip:(What about doing it in aluminum,provided my welder buddy can do it of course.Bending aluminum rod would be easier to,maybe?
 
Last edited:
Aluminium would fatigue and crack at the welds probably in that instance. My best guess anyway....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top