Fork Brace worth the bucks???

[XL1275]

Interesting thread. I may have to try this. I've always thought narrow HD FEs were a little twitchy.

[Bikeaholic]

I noticed a difference when placing the fork brace on my bike. I felt it was worth doing in my case.

[wedge]

Originally Posted by Tomcatt

I do tend to let off when the wheel locks...

That's something I would urge everyone to work on.

Back in 1969 I was stationed in Okinawa with the Air Force. To get a motorcycle license you had to pass the test that was given to all military personnel. It was done at Kadena Air Base and was overseen by a real hard ass.

One of the requirements was that you had to ride straight at the instructor doing 50 KMPH (roughly 31 MPH). He held a clip board in front of him with both hands downward, and when you reached a designated spot in the parking lot (a lot with pot holes, cracks, and debris on it), he would quickly raise the clip board in front of his chest and you had to lock both brakes and bring the bike to a full stop without falling over, without ever letting up on the locked brakes, and without hitting him.

I saw people crash, I saw people who had to practice for days, I saw people that stopped with the front tire between his legs, and I saw one guy hit him hard. Regardless of the outcome he never moved a muscle. You could run him down and he would be laying there with tracks on the back of his clip board. If you weren't going fast enough, or if you let up on the brakes, he just sent you back around. A crash meant you had to come back another day.

That is only one of the seemingly hairball things you had to do, but over all these years, I have to thank him for it. The day is always coming where you will need to lock it up, and you need to have the skills to manhandle that bike to a stop. Crashing is a big part of riding, so everyone needs to know how to evade and survive. It's too late to learn when shit hits the fan.

[exexpat93]

Extreme stress testing. Makes for better riders/drivers.