| Author | Message | ||
     1hatchet |
Need some advice on further lowering of my front forks for drag racing. Presently have the rear strut and the front forks are slide down in triple trees with the forks also strapped down (NHRA legal). Have an extra pair of fork springs is cutting these a viable idea if so how much to cut off. Give me the good the bad and the ugly.   | ||
| Fast1075 |
I don't know what the internals of S3 forks look like, so no real advice beyond...yes you can shorten the springs...but you need to slug the sliders an equal amount or you get horrible droop. 2" of fork travel is good for a race only bike...properly set up....with the wheelie bars on the ground, the front tire should only be 1" to 1.5" off the ground with you on the bike... The pics show that you have the bars set up properly for the current combination..and they have proper geometry..good setup... | ||
| Fast1075 |
Steve, he is looking to effectively shorten the forks...which will bring the steering head closer to the ground in a manner of speaking...which is good mojo on the strip unless you lower it so much the rake and trail is compromised... I know strapping is legal in most cases, but that pretty much gives you a rigid front end....what he wants to do would be very easy on a lot of bikes...involving some pieces of 1/2" EMT conduit, a side arm grinder and a couple of hours of work...I just have never seen the inside of those forks... | ||
| Slaughter |
(sorry I deleted my post because I kinda/sorta understood what he was looking to do) Wonder if machining fork tubes would be allowed to further lower the front beyond simple strapping. I ought to go look at my S3 manual to see what'd be possible. -Steve | ||
| Hurricaneleah |
Randy, I switched to 54mm i.d. clip ons above the triple and lowered the forks with full suspension travel on our X1. I haven't ever bottomed on the occasional wheellie gone wrong, but i suppose its possible... Doi ng roughly the same thing on the 2nd bike we are now building, but using a slightly modified XB firebolt top triple/bars. | ||
| Slaughter |
I need to make SURE you guys above are talking about LOWERING THE FRONT OF THE BIKE - and NOT "Lowering the forks" (which RAISES the front) Right? Lowering the FRONT END makes sense in drag racing, Lowering the forks does not. SHORTENING the forks does make sense. I always hear people talking about lowering/raising the FORKS - when that's not exactly what they meant. Meanwhile I'll still look at my book when I get home (if it's find-able, we're moving this weekend and most of my stuff is in boxes) | ||
| Fast1075 |
Yeah, it's about lowering the front end...see previous post about suspension setup. Shorten or shorter springs...and slug the tubes to eliminate excess extension...basically the tubes are farther up in the sliders... Once done be sure the lower tubing on the wheelie bar is as close to parallel with the track surface as possible...adjust while on a flat surface...front tire on a 2 x 4 laid flat....wheelie bar wheels on the ground....if it spins bring the bar adjustment one full turn on the heims...repeat, test...if it hops at launch...lower bars till it hooks... If it bogs....add nitrous  (Message edited by fast1075 on March 26, 2009) | ||
| 1hatchet |
Changing the rake is a option how be it difficult. The bike is drag use only and could be converted back to a street ride-able machine. With certainty the tall windscreen is going back to OEM. No need to slug the slides with the tubes strapped down. The wheelie bars are setup using the 2x4 procedure. | ||
| Hurricaneleah |
slaughter, yes, i meant raise the forks in the triples to lower the ride height of the bike. easy to do on the showa X1/S3 forks as they are more or less the same O.D. all the way to the fork seal. You coming to homecoming this year? Wanted to try and catch up with ya'last year but missed you. My wife is good friends with Mario. i think we have him talked into coming out for road america.... Randy, what does your bike 60ft/ 1/4 mile? cool ride.... | ||
| Bads1 |
Wes, Check your voice mail ???? | ||
| Slaughter |
Wes, I had originally planned on coming out for Homecoming but now Mom is getting knee replacement surgery and instead, we'll be out in May to help her for the first week or so that she's home (Slinger) I was kinda surprised that nobody from Glendale made it out to Homecoming last year!!! You SHOULD push Mario to make it out there. Road America is a great venue! |
