i love the corners but they havent been as stable since i swapped to the wide glide trees and lost the fender

ive been running fenderless for a while now, im just wondering if a fork brace will give me much more noticeable difference than if i just cut the fender off about 3 inches wide?

and on top of that, how much will i notice with the steering damper.

had a shitty tire up front, so i just ordered some 880 metzlers and im thinking with that tire combo and a steering damper/ forkbrace(cut fender) i will stick to the road better

is any or all this necessary to achieve what i want?

 

Some people think a fork brace on such a short/thick front end is a waste of money. Personally, do you really think a tube that is 2" in diameter is going to flex much? Remember fork braces were designed back when HD's had 39mm and 41mm front ends. Much thinner and well....theoretically would allow more flex.

Some people claim an "OMG, what a difference" after installing a fork brace. Others claim no benefit at all except a nice chunk of metal up front.

So, the concept of a fork brace on a 49mm front end is subjective.

 

If you're noticing a difference without a fender, you'll probably notice a difference with a fork brace...as far as tires, my wife can tell the difference tires make on her bike (went from stockers to Metzlers)

 

IMO the fender wont do anything to help your cause. My fork brace didnt make much of a difference either. The True Track did!

 

I'm with Vic. I have little faith in fork braces from a performance standpoint. On the contrary, I think they look kinda cool without a fender.

 

Agreed! I don't have a WG, but a True-Track kit transformed my Dyna (and my Glide).

 

I have a 99 FXDX that I just put new Metzlers on the front and rear. It did make a noticible difference in the curves but I also feel that I don't have as much stability as I would prefer. My brother in law has a 2004 Road King Classic and in comparison it hugs the curves much better than my Super Glide. I wondered about the fork stabilizers as well. I just ordered a Fatboy handle bar to replace the buckhorns that are on it to see if a wider bar will take care of the stability feel. Any thoughts you guys have is appreciated.

 

If the brace isn't EXACTLY the same center to center of your forks, it can cause stiction and binding of the fork which will degrade your performance. The brace can improve handling under front braking IF you have a massive brake on one side of a single brake setup or if you have a wimpy front axle. These new forks have massive axles and large diameter stiff tubes. If the axle clamps the two sliders and the front wheel tightly together, no need for a brace unless you have a powerful single disc. VERY powerful single disc. And VERY sticky front tire.

 

It is just possible wider bars will make things worst. When riding at speed it is tempting to grip the bars tight which can partly cause the feeling of instability. As we have already stated, get yourself a True-Track stabilizer kit and be amazed how much better it makes your bike. Then you can fit what bars you like!

 

i run progressive front springs, 15w fork oil, stearing damper, my front fender the support has welded in supports, but i really need a fork brace (i notice a huge diff in older bikes that i cafe out and run a brace on, so it could only help) and a 120 metzler up front and a 170 in back... i can turn my harley like no other... it handles like it is on rails in the turns, i run a motion pro stearing damper... but like chad said true track is a must if you want to rip turns, my next purchase is a track and brace... from there new shocks in back... air ride