Insight needed! honda forks

[hossler]

I ran into a little problem on my project..To get the down low look i am after, i dropped the forks..they are 33mm forks like most other early 80's honda. My factory forks weren't in the best shape to begin with so, i opened up the fork and chopped 3" off the spring, it sure lowered the bike to a great stance as seen in the picture, but in the picture 2" of the fork is sticking above the tree's. Also there is no up suspension travel. (edit)I NEVER PLANNED ON USING THESE FORKS TUBES THEY WHERE FOR MOCK UP ONLY just trying to get the biking sitting properly for my liking

What is the shortest 33mm fork that will still work with my wheel n brake? to give me this lowered look without the forks sticking threw and no travel

the bike is a 82 honda cm450

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

You can't just chop off a chunk of fork spring to lower the front end. That is, unless you don't care that your bike wallows like a piece of shit and bottoms out when you hit a pebble.

Along with removing spring length from above the damper rod, you have to add more length of rebound spring on the underside of the damper rod. That way, your spring still has some preload and you have some semblance of suspension function remaining.

Frankly, it looks to me like you are building a death trap. Do you understand how you are affecting rake and trail with the stance changes you are making? Have you done any calculations with regard to your steering geometry? Dropping the front three inches is extreme, and IMO, very ill advised. Lowering 2" is pushing your luck.

If you want shorter forks, you can always get shorter fork tubes from Forking by Frank, but they will set you back about $300. You could also put your clip-ons above the top triple clamp instead of below it, and it will look a little less stupid.

 

[hossler]

the bike is still under mock up, these where mock up forks only, i never intended to use these forks.

so your telling me all 33mm honda forks tubes are the same length?

as far as building a death trap, i took the steering and rake geometery into consideration. I would never build something that would injure me or anyone else.

As far as looking stupid, tell that to the other billion bikes on pipeburn...

ill have to get into contact with "forking by frank"

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

so your telling me all 33mm honda forks tubes are the same length?

No, I didn't say that.
I just went around the shop and measured fork tubes. There are bikes here with 33mm fork tubes varying in length from 28 1/4" to 30". I have a couple CJ360T's here. They are 28 1/4" long. (from top to center of axle.) Custom tubes, like from Forking by Frank would be an easy way to get 2" under-length tubes, and might be your only alternative.

as far as building a death trap, i took the steering and rake geometery into consideration. I would never build something that would injure me or anyone else.

I'm happy to hear that. It DOES raise all kinds of red flags in my head when I see someone building something with such radically altered geometry from stock. These bikes have very little stabilizing trail to begin with. When you start dropping the nose, you get into tank-slapper territory.

As far as looking stupid, tell that to the other billion bikes on pipeburn...

Totally subjective, and I ain't gonna argue with you about your aesthetic decisions. A lot of guys try way too hard to make a bike be different, and the result is often fucked up monstrosities that are curious attention getters at bike night. I like to build bikes that are meant to be ridden further than the next bar.

I am not so young anymore, and I am not into riding bikes that require that I be a hard-ass to do it.

My "less stupid" suggestion was uncarefully chosen words while half asleep in the middle of the night. What I was getting at, is that you could save some change, and have a better handling and riding bike simply by making the spring changes correctly, not sliding the forks quite so high above the triple tree, and put your clip-ons on top of the triple tree. Mock it up like that, and it will look "less stupid," or if I was to choose words more carefully, it would be "more rideable."

After all, isn't the whole point to build a bike to ride? Build one that is pleasant to ride, not one that tests your ability to endure discomfort and poor handling & suspension.

While you are at it, put on some decent mufflers. It would be nice to still have your hearing when you are an old man like me. I am half deaf from all the abuse I dealt my ears with racing motorcycles, power tools, and rock music.

 

[hossler]

thanks for measuring, ill be on the look out for cj360t fork tubes then. Im not looking for a crazy ass drop maybe a fork swap is all i need

In that picture i will admit the front it dropped way farther then i like heres a picture of it out of the garage

This bike is a bar hopper town cruiser so the comfort factor isnt really applied.

but anyway thanks

 

[Ringo]

ADC isn't trying to bully you. He's trying to help. You did something very stupid, and I'm sure it wasn't "just for mock up". Drop the ego and do it right, or find a different hobby.

 

[hossler]

umm......... where do you come off staying i have a ego? i was grateful for the information he gave me, unlike you just left some random post with no useful knowledge.. these forks leak like a motherfucker why would i use them? cm450s also have a air asset front end that suck imo anyway, hence why im on the look out for new forks..

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

You really can't have a working suspension that short, or any kind of safe handling with a suspension that would bottom out easily. Since you stated you are only bar hopping, I assume you are also drinking and riding....

Since the top of the front wheel will hit the headlight, and the fork lowers would hit the triple clamp, you should really consider just filling the lowers with epoxy and doing away with the suspension entirely. Since you are running fairly large and wide tires on the front, you could run them a little low on pressure,, and they would provide enough bump absorption to get you from bar to bar.

You could probably replace the rear shock with struts and make it easy to set a fixed height. This way there would be no problem with the tire hitting the frame.

A hard tail with rigid front fork is not a comfortable ride, nor any safer then what you are proposing, but you would be one of very few people to ride with a lowered, hard tail and hard fork bike. The fat tires will give a little, and maybe a sprung seat would make it comfortable enough to make it to the next bar.

You shouldn't let AlphaDog sway your opinion. If you want to get a special look, why would you want to let handling, braking or safety get in the way? Build your vision, and make sure you post some properly lit pictures of it when your done.

 

[SONICJK]

Jesus,
chill out guys.
He said he isn't using the forks. Dont jump to the assumption that he's a shitty guy and rides drunk. WTF?

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

He said

This bike is a bar hopper town cruiser so the comfort factor isnt really applied.

I though he was bar hopping and was not worried about comfort. I guess I misunderstood.

ADC concern about rake and trail and handling were poo-poo'd

Sorry for my confusion....

However, I did say he shouldn't let ADC stop his vision...that has to count for something...

 

[crazypj]

Anyone who is building a 'bar hopper' shouldn't be riding. Put it on trailer and let designated driver ferry designated drunk around. (I think I should have 'T' shirts made with that? ;D )
Front tyre is way oversize for that rim, limited suspension will help things getting totally out of control.
Pipeburn, et.al. ask you to submit bike, they only take pictures and much of the stuff on there is unridable in the 'real world'
We all saw the Cafe Racer show where hipster jerk threw a 500 two-stroke motor in chassis to build something slower and more dangerous than any of the bikes he used parts from?
I guess it must be cool because it was on TV?
Personally I don't give a shit how it looks, if it doesn't function as a motorcycle it's a worthless piece of junk

 

[AlphaDogChoppers]

If you want to get a special look, why would you want to let handling, braking or safety get in the way?

I thought I was reading an article on The Onion there for a minute. ;D

 

[raf-1200]

Insight needed! honda forks

Lol.. Ahh so many pearls of wisdom. So I'm thinking about tyres made out of beanbags and a throttle cabled up the wrong way so when I'm 'bar hopping' I'll be too drunk to realize the more I squeeze it on, the slower I go!!

Seriously though, no one here is condoning drunk riding (surely) and I personally like pushing the envelope design wise... As long as we keep in mind that the buck stops with us. Never sell a dangerous bike.. Never let a mate ride it.. Possibly never ride the thing yourself..

 

[Scruffy]

THIS is a "barhopper. No front brake, rigid frame, drum rear brake, zig zag rear tire, no ground clearance... never finished it...

This is visually lower than stock courtesy of the way too big tires fitted to it, 4.00-19 and 4.50-18. It actually has Ceriani rear shocks and a 35mm Ceriani fork in bored out stock triple trees. 1963 Honda CL72 with CL77 rear wheel and unknown front wheel... and the handling is atrocious with the big tires...

The orange and teal bikes are at stock ride height. The orange one looks low due to the rear fender, seat, tank and fork gaiters. Scrambler is in there for shits and giggles...

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

With no suspension, you definitely HOP bar to bar...

 

[AbbyRider]

Barhopper? I thought that's what those CanAm Spyders were for.

 

[mydlyfkryzis]

Barhopper? I thought that's what those CanAm Spyders were for.

You don't have to remember to put the kick stand down when you get off them ... ;D

 

[minibike69]

thanks for measuring, ill be on the look out for cj360t fork tubes then. Im not looking for a crazy ass drop maybe a fork swap is all i need

In that picture i will admit the front it dropped way farther then i like heres a picture of it out of the garage

This bike is a bar hopper town cruiser so the comfort factor isnt really applied.

but anyway thanks

Badass

 

[1fasgsxr]

THIS is a "barhopper. No front brake, rigid frame, drum rear brake, zig zag rear tire, no ground clearance... never finished it...

This is visually lower than stock courtesy of the way too big tires fitted to it, 4.00-19 and 4.50-18. It actually has Ceriani rear shocks and a 35mm Ceriani fork in bored out stock triple trees. 1963 Honda CL72 with CL77 rear wheel and unknown front wheel... and the handling is atrocious with the big tires...

The orange and teal bikes are at stock ride height. The orange one looks low due to the rear fender, seat, tank and fork gaiters. Scrambler is in there for shits and giggles...

I am sure those ape hangers are great for countersteering...