Hawk Fork Brace Mod
 

Here are the mod pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/PamSn

I ordered this harley brace and drilled holes in it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252955960539

All in all I'm happy with the front suspension being a bit stiffer! I only have an hour of riding on it thus far so I'll get back to you all once I've field tested it a bit more!

Thats a poor design.

https://www.google.com/search?client...0XAZEQvwUIXigA

Both designs are used to brace front forks, scroll down on your search...

The reason the aluminum clamp is more difficult here is because the tire/wheel would interfere with a straight across clamp so you'd have to machine a much larger block of aluminum.

You would put it up higher on the forks.

I've had three similar to yours on my old, stripped Yamaha Enduro's I used to race (way back when) and there was a serious difference in front end rigidity.
I think yours looks cool and it appears to fit very well.

That would interfere with suspension travel, and not brace the parts I want braced.

The reason I want the lower part of the fork assembly braced is because these were rotating ever so slightly, allowing the wheel to turn about +/- 2 degrees from the handlebars. At higher speeds on uneven ground this manifested as a slight "speed wobble". The brace I used prevents lower fork twisting which helps to minimize wheel flop.

Nice job. :tup: Looks like the only option you have. The other style wouldn't work because the 21" wheels is higher than the lower fork housing. No way to mount it.

On thin forks and light bike, anything to stiffen the front end is helpful.

I am still on a quest for a clamp style that may work, There are a couple of possibilities, but if they don't pan out then I am going this route. Many older hondas used a similar idea to integrate a fork brace with the front fender, and trust me it makes a difference! For 20 bucks and some time drilling a couple of holes, can you really complain?

This is, by far, the biggest benefit to USD forks. With the fat tubes being in the clamps and very long, it is far more rigid than a standard fork.

Good idea! The TW200 uses a similar brace as a fender mount, to contend with skinny forks and a 4.00-18 front tire.

I like this idea and really appreciate the poster.
Immediately I went over and ordered one for my Hawk 250.
Whereas it might not be the best it is certainly something and
very affordable.
:thanks:

I wonder if they produce them in-house? I just asked if I could get one without the mounting holes, preferably without the ears too. If they get enough requests, maybe they'll say yes if they initially say no.

awesome write up, thank you. Does it completely clear the knobbies, or is there some rub?

It clears with plenty of room around the tire. Take a look at his pictures and if you go to the 5th one down you see a straight on shot showing plenty of air gap around the tire.

Totally clears! If rub happens, I've got other problems ;)

http://i.imgur.com/EMhQC5Z.jpg

Is that a soft terrain off road tire?

It's the tire the hawk came with. I'm planning on switching over to kenda's after these wear out.

My Hawk front tire looked like that.

So I just got my new hawk and the fork is horrible? I can move the front wheel back in forth in the forks and it makes me feel like I'm riding with two flat tires.

Thanks Wamey! Great post with pictures! I bought the same brace, but I haven’t mounted it yet.

Enjoy the Ride!

Your stem nuts are probably loose. The front tire needs to be set properly and the axle nut torqued. The triple clamp bolts need to be torqued properly as well. None of these should need thread locker as long as they are torqued properly. If you're not very familiar with motorcycles and their mechanical workings, you shouldn't have bought into the China bikes.

If the wheel is sliding back and forth between the forks I would start by making sure you didn't forget the left side axle spacer that sits between the wheel and left fork.

Anyone have any other links where to buy that fork brace? Seems the eBay seller doesn't have them for purchase anymore.

This is their actual website listing. They are out of stock here as well, but you could contact them and see if they have any on order. https://www.demonscycle.com/chrome-s...ide-front-ends

Otherwise, there are other fork braces made for the same bike that would also work.

Here is an example for about the same price, just unpainted/plated. http://www.wpsracing.com/ulfobrrawkok.html

I bought one right after reading the original post and just have not drilled holes in it and installed. Maybe this weekend.

I know this is an old thread, but i'd like to add something. First, thanks so much for the great idea including part details. Made it very easy.

I painted mine black to make it blend in with the tire more.

Also, if you raise the front wheel and loosen the axle nut, you can get the brace in and use slightly longer bolts to coax the brace in place enough to then sneak in the original bolts at the other bolt hole. No need for ratchet straps or removing the front fender. Looks great and bike feels more stable. Thanks for the idea!

oops, i guess pic didn't attach first time. Sorry

I didn't have to even use longer bolts to get mine into place. I think my only complaint is that the brace puts outward pressure on the forks. I used my vice to try and tweak the ends together a little bit to reduce that. Another option would be to drill your new holes a bit higher up than the original holes and have less air gap over the tires. This would reduce the interference with the widest part of the fork and make it a bit easier to install. Then you could trim off the bottom to reduce the size and weight.

with your vice were you able to squeeze the round part at the top? That's the widest part on mine putting outward pressure on the forks. The ends are actually easy enough to bend with my hands, but that didn't help the top round part. Thanks.

Yep, that is exactly what I did. I didn't go too crazy with it, just a small squeeze. Mine still puts a bit of pressure on the forks, but it is a lot less than it was before. I think the consistency in manufacturing is off enough that everybody will have different experiences. I would still like to find a different style of brace eventually, but this works rather well and for $20-25 the cost to improvement ratio is really high.

Did mine today. I put it on, after having one for a yard. I drilled it out and squished the brace by sitting on it. Bent it just a hair and it fit great. I found my breather hose thingy was all cracked and rotted out so I threw on a pod filter and ordered a little breather to put on the crankcase.

I have mismatched bolts on it now. I will pull it apart next weekend and get new bolts and paint it black. I may use my sawzall to chop off the corners and use a bench grinder to round it off. I think it would look better.

Just have to wait until I get the breather and I will ride it and see how awesome it is with the brace.

I installed my fork brace last night. Too dark to take pictures and then the rain came so didn't get to ride to try it out. :cry: I'll do all that tomorrow and report back. Whoohoo! nice long weekend and lots of ride time. :yay:

Hot as it was over the long 4th of July weekend I did get some ride time in. This is what I found. Front brakes just felt better as in braking felt more controlled. Bike felt more stable at higher speeds especially on rough sections of road. The front didn't feel like it wanted to wonder around. When going over bridges with grating the grating didn't pull side to side like it used to. Then again this could just all be in my head. lol :crazy: Mod well worth it IMO.

Not in your head at all. These long thin forks have a lot of flex in them, so the difference in feel when they are braced together is immense. Ride it for a while and take it off for no reason in particular to really notice the difference.

Only time it's coming off is when I replace the fork seals and oil. ;)

Where did you find yours?

I bought it on Amazon but out of stock now because I bought the last one. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They all come from the same place, Demons Cycles. You just have to keep checking until they have them in stock again. That's what I did and jumped on it when it was available. There are other styles available but triple the price.

If you have access to a steel plate roller you could fab one up. I was going to make one from 3/16" x 3" aluminum flat bar because I was tired of waiting on them to come back in stock. A friend of mine has a fab shop and I was going to use his roller to form it. Was going to drill a few holes and polish it up to make it look nice.

I shan't be outdone! :hehe:

I just ordered the one from the other link Dan posted, $24.95 + $12 shipping.