It may not look it, but lots to report here. Rear shock mounts are all fabricated and in place……all good right? No……I’ve been depending on the advice of arguably the most experienced tracker builder there is, Richard Pollock……..sending the odd photo to get feedback from a pro. The “stance” of a bike is a huge thing in Richards opinion and once I had finished the rear suspension and installed the gixxer forks the bike was sitting under it’s own weight with a decidedly forward pitch. So, Richards advice was to get about another inch into fork length to correct the stance. I’m screwed right? Find longer forks? no, too much trouble and will involve reconfiguring the front wheel, brake, and steering tube. Have longer for legs made? No……..at least not in my world……time, expense, who can do it?
Here’s the solution. A gull winged, or drop triple……whatever your preferred term, that allows me to drop the forks by 3/4 inch……..made once again by the guys at Tri-Angle Metal Fab. One of the owners came to the shop, took some measurements, we talked about profiles, material, thicknesses, etc, and presto…….new triple that solves my problem!
The above photo is the original triple in the foreground, the new drop triple, and then the block of aluminum that it was made from. The process used to cut the shape of the triple clamp from the solid block is called EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining)…….a thin wire with an electrical charge run through it cuts the alloy block as the block itself is guided around the wire, along with a constant flow of de-ionized water to keep the cut clean. Pretty amazing process to watch. I could stand around Tri-Angle all day watching different stuff being made by seemingly every hi-tech process there is.
Top view of original and drop triple.
And lots of drawings made by Tri-Angle to make sure the end product was perfect as usual!!
The suspension is finished, the last big project is fabricating an exhaust, as you can see from my started rear header pipe, then it’s plumb, wire, and paint. Still some work there but I feel like the big stuff is behind me……..and I really want to ride the damned thing!
Are you concerned that the chain will hit (slap) swing arm at pivot point? looks like you may have to add a delron pad ( i put it on the chain guard tab) or a bigger chain ring.
Ace
Should have plenty of clearance.