![]() ![]() This neatly sidesteps the issues of stem and steering stops as a one-off set of yokes will have to have them made anyway!Ĭustom yokes can give added bling – big, fat billet yokes with multiple pinch bolts are very striking – or help with handling, either by having added or reduced rake built into the yokes, or having an adjustable offset, so that you can tweak the trail and thus handling characteristics. Of course, if you have the budget, a front end swap can be made easier, and fancier, by using a set of custom yokes. HOW DOES A GIRDER FRONT END WORK HOW TOIt’s possible to create adjustable lock stops, which could prove useful, although if the fuel tank, bars and forks are going to stay the same in the future, perhaps a little unnecessary.Ī neat way of having ‘invisible’ lock stops is to incorporate them actually inside the steering head, a style often used on professional custom builds, although it does take some very clever three-dimensional thinking to be able to work out how to make and fit them. Regarding lock stops, even if a set of yokes happens to bolt straight into a different frame, the chances that the lock stops will also match is minimal.ĭepending on the type of lock stop, there are various ways around the issue, either by adding new lugs onto the frame, or by fitting bolts into the bottom yoke. If you’re lucky, then you might even be able to simply bolt the front end straight in – this is the case with just about every oil-cooled Suzuki GSX-R, for example, but it can also be cross-brand applicable, as some later model Suzuki sportsbike front ends fit straight into some Kawasaki air-cooled four frames (but don’t take our word for it!). Okay, if it’s too long it can be cut down and re-threaded, but the usual answer is to have a stem made to suit the headstock and standard bearing, thus meaning if the bearings ever need changing in the future, they’re easy to source. While differences in steering stem girth can be catered for by sourcing alternative bearings, or using ‘top hat’ style spacers, these won’t be of any help if the stem is too long or too short. Girder forks are perhaps the oldest style of fork, although they have been used in a modern race application, notably on the incredibly successful, mould-breaking Britten race bike, as well as a handful of limited number production bikes.įitment of any kind of non-standard fork – whether they be telescopics, girders or springers – boils down to just a couple of issues. However, with modern components and quality control, they can be significantly better than the equivalents built seventy or eighty years ago. In the current climate, with retro style being as popular as ultra-high tech, many bikes are being built with what are sometimes considered as being old technology. Much like the case with wheels, it’s easy to assume that a front end swap (comprising forks, yokes, wheel and brakes) will be done simply for performance reasons, but in the big, wide world of customising this is not the only reason, by far. Last time we discussed the merits of changing your wheels, and if you’re considering such a move, then you may well be considering a complete front end swap, which will not only gain you your new front wheel, but can also make it far easier to attain, as well as giving you bonuses in suspension and brake upgrades at the same time. Motorcycle Modifications: Front End Swaps
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