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#1
09-09-2009, 02:19 PM
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| Raked bearing cups
Since I added 6" over fork legs to my XL and lowered the back end, I have been trying to think of ways to level it back up again. I know about having the frame cut and modified yokes, but I saw another option today.  Fork cup set, 3 degree rake which may, if I understand the advert correctly, give me three degrees extra rake - pushing the front out slightly - and levelling the bike up a bit. Has anyone got any experience of this type of modification? Is it likely to do what I hope, or am I completely misunderstanding it? Also, if it is what I need, can the kit be obtained through a UK source? Thanks.
__________________  Something wicked this way comes....Oh to ride the wind, To tread the air above the din Oh to laugh aloud, Dancing as we fought the crowd  |
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#2
09-09-2009, 04:13 PM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups
Bilbo Purely out of curiosity, I wondered what effect an additional 3 degrees of rake would make. Long time since I used my schoolboy trig, but a rough calculation for my Heritage suggests that this would drop my bike at the steering head by about 1.1 inches. How much are you looking for? Neil Last edited by Compo48; 09-09-2009 at 04:30 PM. |
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#3
09-09-2009, 04:38 PM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups Quote:
Brigg.... was reading your post about kicking out your Sporty front end. Thought I would add a couple of pence worth...... Beware that raked triple trees actually decrease your trail and can badly affect handling. Generally, people advise against it. You see 5deg and 7deg trees all over eBay, but they are best avoided for that reason. 3deg? It is a gamble....the MoCo actually fitted 3deg raked trees to the 1980-84 Wide Glide, so you might get away with it. But a Sporty is a lighter and nimble bike......hmmmmmmm......... HERE is the solution....a cheaper and safer method to kick out the front end, as the trail is actually increased with these..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-Deg...d=p3911.c0.m14 Just bought a pair myself to fit my 1980 FXWG. It has a non-standard front end and old FLH trees, and looked all wrong. I am repairing that with these cups....took a lot of advice and research before buying them...will be fitting them this week and riding with them in a couple of weeks when my paint job is done. As I say, a far easier, cheaper and safer method of kicking out your front end. They are in the CCI catalogue, but manufacturers Vulcan ship direct. And go to them direct to get an even better price than their eBay listings.... http://vulcanworks.net/Fork-Cups--Ra...-p-1-c-28.html I ordered straight off the website with no phone call, and got UPS tracking emails within a day and the cups within a week to me here in Aussie. You can make the fork cup/bearing installer yourself, or prob get the tool off Andy the tool man. Just a heads-up.... Dave David Swift Member No:004089
__________________ Brigg If it ain't broke, fix it till it is. |
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#4
10-09-2009, 08:32 AM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups
Brigg, I think we are thinking along the same lines, although, as Neil calculated, 0.9" is not a great deal. Even with the slight lowering effect of the longer bearing cups it is still not a lot. I can see the front wheel being pushed forward about 2" max and the frame lowered at the front by about an inch or so. It seems to be quite a safe option although chopping bits out of the top tube till the lower tube is level would seem to be the way. I'm just not sure I want to go down that route. I'm not unhappy with it as it is now but, as usual, I'm always looking for the next part of it to tinker with.
__________________ Something wicked this way comes....Oh to ride the wind, To tread the air above the din Oh to laugh aloud, Dancing as we fought the crowd |
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#5
10-09-2009, 09:54 AM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups Quote:
AME Chopper Kit, chopper kits, 9 deg., 14 deg., and 18 deg. rake, bolt on chopper kits.
__________________ Brigg If it ain't broke, fix it till it is. |
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#6
10-09-2009, 09:22 PM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups Quote:
looks 100% better than stock easy to install however one big question is do they actually make these for sportsters???? most I have seen advertised fit shovel and softail frames - check before you buy, because they may not fit a sportster frame |
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#7
10-09-2009, 10:38 PM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups
Two things here, Raked yokes should only be used to correct the geometry after raking a frame so you get the standard amount of trail. fitting raked yokes to a standard frame will reduce trail making the bike less stable and in the extreme giving negative trail (very dodgy) whereas fitting raked bearing cups has the same effect as raking the frame so it will kick the forks out and increase trail making the steering heavier, ideally you would want to correct the extra trail from the raked bearing cups by fitting raked yokes to regain the proper geometry. Also by adding six inches to the forks and dropping the rear you have effectively raked the forks out (increasing trail) already upsetting the steering geometry. so without cutting the frame you could fit the raked cups and a set of raked yokes (made to suit your requirements) and this would help restore your handling and lower the front end down at the same time (though not enough to make it level). The chopper kits get round it by using spherical bearings instead of the normal headstock bearings and the bottom one is mounted forward to gie the effect of a raked headstock, Good luck. |
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#8
11-09-2009, 05:50 AM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups Reassuring to read my theories/research confirmed. Vulcan DO sell them for Sportys, Graeme. Yeah, I am looking for the same result you got, but have also found some OEM NOS FXWG trees off eBay USA for dirt cheap. When they arrive I will see how it all fits and looks and works..... |
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#9
11-09-2009, 06:44 AM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups
my bike has 4" over tubes (they were meant to be 2" but they ended up 4 2??) and the trees have about a 3 degree rake built into them - this quickened up the steering considerably over the 2" front end I had installed previously, I am hoping that the 3 degree cups will reverse this however yet to try this out as the bloody starter motor won't spin the bloody motor over - see previous threads - and too busy sorting the panhead out end result looks great though |
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#10
11-09-2009, 06:55 AM
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| Re: Raked bearing cups
according to all the info I have from folks who have put those cups on Shovels and Evos, the cups *WILL* correct the trees' input. Yeah, looks good. I will post a similar photo soon as these FXWG trees arrive. Will install the cups this weekend. Did you find it easier to put the bearing races in the cups before installing cups? Is that the way to do it? |
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