Its a high carbon hardened steel with a slight springiness that allows it to flex a little. Custom chopper rigid and softail frame plans blueprints frame building welding jigs, engine stands, bike lifts, springer and girder fork prints for the first time or professional custom bike builder. A single sided girder fork was use on the german imme r100 motorcycle between 1949 and 1951, and the vespa scooter has a singlesided trailinglink fork. Buy girder forks and get the best deals at the lowest prices on ebay. More recently, between 1998 and 2003, the italjet dragster scooter also used a singlesided swingarm suspension, though unlike the gts there was no upper control arm. However as the telescopic fork became cheaper and easier to manufacture it fell by the wayside. Vintage motorcycles and lightweights as well realclassic. Most forks incorporate the front suspension and front brake, and allow the front wheel to rotate about the steering. These early prewar bikes had rigid frames and girder front forks.
Jul 28, 2014 this pin was discovered by mike hansuld. Shop girder forks available for purchase here online. Fashion is indeed a fickle thing, and no more so than in the custom bike game. The design reached its peak in the girdraulics used on the vincent motorcycle. Diy girder fork construction and design custom bicycle. A motorcycle fork connects a motorcycles front wheel and axle to its frame, typically via a yoke.
Get the best deals on motorcycle parts for 1947 bsa c11 when you shop the largest online selection at. A motorcycle fork connects a motorcycle s front wheel and axle to its frame, typically via a yoke, also known as a triple clamp, which consists of an upper yoke joined to a lower yoke via a steering stem, a shaft that runs through the steering head, creating the steering axis. Girder mountain bike fork uc drc home university of cincinnati. Girder forks and jake robbins vintage engineering greg. Girder fork springer shock absorber for indian chief scout models ecs see more like this. Girder fork vs springer fork the two descriptions do not do enough of a job, for me anyway, of distinguishing these two types. Jan 06, 2006 to look at mountain bike girder forks doesnt really make much sense because motorcycles have been using girders for decades before mountain bikes, and none of the mountain bike designs were all that successful in the long run much like their motorcycle counterparts. To refit the fork to the machine, first smear stiff grease into the bearing cups in the frame and stick the balls 19. A look at girder forks, their history, and what makes them a unique addition to your custom bike, chopper, or vintage motorcycle look. If you have your owners manual, it will specify an interval for at least. The chief returned to the lineup for 1950, with telescopic forks replacing the girder forks and with the engine stroked to 80 cu in 1,300 cc. Just like doing any suspension, make sure all your geometry is correct and with no binding.
Why are no springs used in the front suspension of a normal motorcycle. One of the earliest types of motorcycle front suspension, the girder fork consists of a pair of uprights attached to the triple clamp by linkages with a spring usually between the top and bottom triple clamps. The american motorcycle, author allen girdler suggests the model s isnt a success story. The types of girder forks found on motorcycles fall broadly into two main categories. See more ideas about motorcycle, custom motorcycles, cool bikes. The only things missing were pipes and lady riders, otherwise it could have been 1937 all over again as girder fork machines outnumbered those with newfangled telescopic appurtenances.
It is, however, not possible to take out one spindle separately, and two should always be removed together as follows the procedure is the same for top or bottom spindles except that to remove the bottom ones it will also be necessary to take out the bolt securing the. Girder forks and jake robbins vintage engineering greg williams. Vintage motorcycle girder fork mudguard bracket for norton. Browse our big selection of girder forks, or try doing a search for a more specific body with the site search. I dont know the difference between a motorcycle girder front suspension and a springer. We present a sizable assortment of girder forks, encompassing products such as frame, transmission, drivetrain, antique, plus many extra. Get the best deals on norton classic, vintage motorcycle parts. Are you looking for girder forks or comparable products. The girder front end is one of the earliest types of both bicycle and motorcycle front suspension. Girder forks were once the primary fork used in the motorcycle industry. Coronavirus vienna with 36 pictures you never saw before.
Accommodations for an internal fork stop have been provided. Get the best deals on motorcycle parts for 1947 bsa c11 when you. Are unfashionable girder forks actually a better way of providing. In 1909 the second part of the system was patented as shown below. Honda electric motorcycle patent leaks entry level.
Jul 08, 2018 when one thinks of girder frontends the mind immediately wanders to the hundreds of janky chopper forks that litter our nations motorcycle swap meets. Velocette 1948 girder forks diagram british motorcycles of the 1940s sheldons emu. Moreover, the bike was rather successful in terms of overall sales, its 10,000 units sold in 1948 accounting for about onethird of all harleys sold that year. Regardless of make or model from basic to exotic original examples of vintage motorcycle girder forks in any type of condition are today quite a rare find. Fg racing performance girder frontend vtwin visionary. The girder truss by itself however was only part of the solution for both early bicycle and motorcycle makers who initially used the design but only on a rigid set of forks. As for the tube fork its self, just make sure you use a heavy enough wall, dont over think it and go almost solid bar as its unnecessary weight. Motorcycle classics is americas premier magazine for collectors and enthusiasts, dreamers and restorers, newcomers and life long motorheads who love the sound and the beauty of classic bikes. Im not sure of his current situation regarding workcovid etc. Most of those chromeclad forks are exercises in how a parallelogram should not be suspending a motorcycle and that theme continues on to many of the girder forks made today.
Push the steering column up from below and whilst supporting it firmly in place put on the cone at the top and tap it down into position. Some were lower leadinglink meaning that the front axle is forward of the line of the front forks, much like a swinging arm reversed, while some had a parallelogram type system. Shocks are by hagon with spring and damping rates to suit the application. Norton classic, vintage motorcycle parts for sale shop. One of the earliest types of motorcycle front suspension, the girder fork consists of a pair of uprights attached to. Reproduction girder forks you can trust motorcycle bike.
Jake robbins girder fork repair and restoration specialist. Lets start with what i think was the smallest capacity machine on show, a 1949 james with its 98cc villiers twostroke engine perhaps looking a little. As a result there are no high performance girder motorcycle forks except for a few custom made examples. Jakes eldest son, william, has been working alongside him from the age of 16 and together have built girder forks and complete bikes for some of the worlds leading museums, restorers, collectors and general motorcycle fanatics. Antique indian chief motorcycle girder fork steering damper oem rare. Free delivery and returns on ebay plus items for plus members. A brief history of girder forks classic motorcycle repair. Vincent black shadow book 19451980 prince lightning cornet meteor 60 articles. I t seems that the seventies long fork revival has run its course, people are realising, that what didnt handle in 1974 still doesnt go round corners 40 years later. A brief history of girder forks classic motorcycle.
Produced initially with rigid frame and girder front fork, the m33 switched to bsas new telescopic fork in june 1948, while the plungersuspended frame, optional from 1951, became standard on the m33 for 1956. The simple girder front fork uses large rubber bands to dampen movement. A motorcycle fork is the portion of a motorcycle to which the front wheel and the handlebars are connected, usually incorporates the front suspension and front brake, and allows one to steer. Forksfork parts british only austria fahrzeughandel gmbh. Get the best deals on vincent motorcycle parts when you shop the largest online selection at. These high quality forks give superb road holding characteristics and are equaly suitable for classic, custom motorcycles and trikes. There are so many innovations on this stunning front end. Harley davidson ironhead sportster hardtail 6482 mk 52. He has been doing this work for many years and has a range of parts relevant to girder forks. Big thank you to all our subscribers and patreons, if you wish to support the doghouse channel in any way please follow the links below. Produced initially with rigid frame and girder front fork, the m33 switched to bsas new telescopic fork in june 1948, while the plungersuspended frame, optional from 1951, became standard on. This type of steel is important, because brittle steel would simply snap under heavy use. In writing this blog about royal enfield motorcycles ive tossed in the word girder when i meant any kind of motorcycle front suspension more vintage in appearance than the telescopic fork legs on my 1999 bullet. Probably the earliest example of the parallelogram type is the druid, patented posthumously in 1917 by the estate of one arthur drew.
My favorite ride of choice was a clapped out softail springer with classic black. Keeping an eye on the blogs and forums shows a definite swing towards girders of manageable length. The leafsprung trailinglink fork used before the war was replaced by girder forks similar to those used by the military 841 and the sport scout. Oem aftermarket brake calipers, attachment of various brake calipers is possible. Motorcycle girder fork projects in progress product. A girder could feature plenty of length, without suffering much of the flexing in extended telescopic fork tubes. Bsa singles restoration book manual gold star b m c bantam bacon restore how to fits. Girder fork and rc component wheel install time lapse youtube. The girder fork dominated the industry until 1949 when telescopic forks took over. Jun 03, 2012 it has all the positives of a ridged fork while still retaining suspension. And about the same time was the internal combustion engine. The designs varied considerably from company to company. Indian made girder forks are they any good youtube.
Some were lower leadinglink meaning that the front axle is forward of the line of the front forks, much like a swinging. Suzuki grand vitara replacement parts harley davidson visa log in suzuki t500 restoration kawasaki z800 20 1904 indian head penny harley panhead motorcycle harley davidson motorcycle cover. Shop our vast selection of girder forks, or try a search for a particular girder forks using the site search. Hendee manufacturing company initially produced the motorcycles, but the name was changed to the indian motocycle manufacturing company in 1923.
Indian motorcycle is an american brand of motorcycles originally produced from 1901 to 1953 in springfield, massachusetts, united states. Our web site displays a big variety of girder forks, among other items such as caliper, handlebars, sidecar, seat, and lots extra. Motorcycle parts find parts for fixing your motorcycle. Dec 10, 2014 a girder could feature plenty of length, without suffering much of the flexing in extended telescopic fork tubes. Girders, however, were not without issues and inventors in the 20s and 30s continued to tinker with other. The design reached a peak in the girdraulics used on the vincent motorcycle. Should it be required to attend to the spindles or links of the fork only, there is of course no need to remove the fork. Relic girder motorcycle front end voodoo vintage fabrication. Fork lengths made to suit and fork tube diameters are determined for strength necessary and aesthetics.
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