Manufacturer of Custom Triple Trees for any brand motorcycle! Domestic or imported!!
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technical information

What Works On Your Bike?
Below are some things to consider when deciding on what setup will work best for your motorcycle.

Appearance
Wider front ends are popular amongst many motorcycle enthusiasts. One of the benefits of running a wider front end is wheel choice. A narrow front end locks you into using the wheel designed for those forks only. Wider forks allow you to run one of many custom wheels available in the marketplace today. Because the wheel pivots from the center of the forks, changing the width of the front end will not effect handling. The physical weight of a wider front end and larger tire will appear different however, tracking and cornering will remain the same. Many choppers use "raked" front ends which employ radically modified steering angles and lengthened forks for a stretched-out appearance

Handling
Any modification that changes the rake angle also impacts trail and if not done correctly, will have a negative impact on handling. Changes that effect handling include; chassis modifications, lengthening the rear swing arm, changing the tire profile (sidewall height), lengthened forks or changes to the height of the rear end and 3 wheel conversions to name a few.

Lengthened Forks
Lengthened forks are used in raked out front ends and require Custom Triple Trees. We manufacture trees in 5 rake angles. Choosing which rake angle will work right with your bike is crucial. The more neck angle in your frame the more rake in the trees can be used. Most stock motorcycle frames have a neck angle between 27 to 34 degrees. The angle difference between 27 and 34 degrees may not seem to be much but it changes the way the bike steers and corners considerably! A 27 degree neck angle will respond quickly in turns and cornering and is very desirable for off road use and road racing with sharp cornering requiring quick handle bar response. A 34 degree neck angle will present the opposite. The handle bar response is much slower and the turning radius becomes much greater. This type of handling is more desirable for highway cruising and long sweeping turns. With the higher neck angle the wheel base becomes greater making for an overall longer motorcycle. This stretched-out style of chassis is very desirable in the custom bike market. Not all bikes come with this style of wheel base. That is where a raked triple tree comes in to play.

Rake and Trail
To choose the correct design for your motorcycle, an industry standard measurement called rake and trail is used. A common misconception is that rake angle is equal to fork angle. Rake angle is the angle in degrees, that the steering head of the frame is tilted back from vertical. Trail is the distance between the points where the perpendicular centerline of the front axle and the angled centerline of the steering head meet the ground. (see diagram) The measurement of trail applies to all motorcycles big and small. The longer the trail the slower the steering response and an increased self centering tendency of the front wheel. A shorter trail will quicken the steering response however instability can result if the trail is too short. Stock motorcycles have a trail measurement between 3 and 6 inches depending on the style and model. A highway cruiser has 5 to 6 inches of trail where a scrambler or off road bike will have 3 to 4 inches of trail. To determine what will work on your bike you will first have to determine your trail measurement.

Special considerations for three wheel applications
A growing number of motorcycles are being converted into three wheelers either by changing the chassis or with the addition of a side car to the existing frame. These motorcycles are similar in style and looks, but create a whole new challenge in steering. Adding the third wheel changes the standard trail measurements. Trail reduction is needed to offset handling irregularities created by using a third wheel. A growing number of trike and side car riders are calling on us to solve their handling problems. In most stock frame applications, a 4 to 7 degree raked tree set solves the majority of handling complaints, including steering wobble and slow speed wheel flop. With the wide variety of rake angles offered in our triple trees, a set can be built to solve any of your steering problems.

The diagram below gives a basic understanding of steering trail and how it's measured. To ensure that your chassis is set up for the best handling ,the trail measurement for two wheel applications should be between 3 and 6 inches.

Below are some examples of neck angle and rake angle combinations that have proven to work well.

Neck Angle/ Rake Angle
27 to 29 degree frames/ No rake to 2-1/2 degree trees
28 to 31 degree frames/ No rake to 3-3/4 degree trees
31 to 33 degree frames/ 2-1/2 to 5degree trees
34 to 36 degree frames/ 3-3/4 to 7-1/2 degree trees
37 Degree and up frames/ 7-1/2 degree trees


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