Fork brace

[DerekM]

Is the lower fork brace necessary on r65's? Besides the obvious advantage of mounting a fender and blocking dirt, is there actual handling issues without one? I subscribe to the less is more aesthetic, but will sacrifice looks for safety.  

[Tony Smith]

Depends entirely on how enthusiastic you are going to be when you ride your cycle.
 
My own opinion is that some sort of fork brace is required, but that is a personal opinion probably borne of my boy-racer days. I no longer test the limits on any motorcycle, but the "memory" of what a properly handling should feel like.

[montmil]

The fork brace is there as a performance enhancement for the front suspension. The R65's front axle attach design is, IMO, less than stout. The brace reduces the possibility of the fork legs twisting. Note: They won't twist while the bike sits in your garage...

As you notice more and more Airheads, check out the popularity of aftermarket fork braces on various Mks. Those produced by San Jose BMW and Toaster Tan are much sought after. I have one on my R100S.

"I subscribe to the less is more aesthetic."   In this case, more is more better.  [smiley=thumbup.gif]

[Luca]

And as far as aesthetics go, you won't see that fork brace unless you remove the fender altogether.

In that case, less fender=more dirt, tar, and other junk kicked up from the road onto the front cover, the gas tank, steering head, etc... and the water that gets slung everywhere never seems to clean that stuff up.

[montmil]

But the water splash will wreck havoc with the under-tank relays, wire terminals, coil, just about anything that should not spend time playing in the kiddie pool. The engine front cover also has openings on the bottom, so plan on future issues with the diode board, alternator and perhaps the ITU.

You really don't see to many uber custom cafe Airheads on the road. They are usually one of two things: 1) Trailer Queens, or 2) Not running. Quoting an Airlist friend, Just my opinion based on my limited experiences.

Your bike and your coin, so please do with it as you wish and not what others might tell you to do. Besides, Cali hasn't seen much rain in a few years and is already tinderbox dry. Water on the roads? Meh.

[iwSVPyFzWDH]

I added a fork brace to my 1979 R65. It produced a mild/moderate increase in the bike's ability to point into and track through corners. Overall I found it to be a worthwhile enhancement to safety/performance.