Thanks Max! This showed me where the service manual was wrong that I followed when I changed my tire. I'll go out tomorrow and do your method on lining up the forks the correct way.
Professional etiquette.. Not mentioning the brand name of the poorer performing fork brace. Good tip on adjusting the axle for least amount of stiction..
I have a 2014 Goldwing Valkyrie, and while the setup looks incredibly similar, and like the normal Goldwing axle would fit, the stock Valkyrie axel is shorter and is non adjustable as the right side is not free floating. Factory service manual says you just slap it in, snug the right side to 40ft/lbs, then tighten all the pinch bolts, no adjustment needed or possible. The right side of the axel ends maybe 3/8"-1/2" before the seating surface of the bolt head and it just yanks the axle and left fork leg over. Do you think it is worth buying a normal Goldwing Axle for the Valkyrie to regain that floating left side adjustability?
Unfortunately, I can't say for sure, and it's pretty rare when we see a Valkyrie in here for me to test your idea out. It's cheap enough for you to buy one and try it and see how it works!
If you put fork springs on the bike with a heavier gauge spring or a longer spring do you have to reduce the amount of oil in the fork because of the bigger displacement caused by the spring ?
That's a very sharp observation, and the answer is yes. But if you are dealing with a company like Traxxion, we will tell you the correct level to set the oil to before putting our spring kit into your forks.
Does the Traxxion fork brace work on the airbag models? Another viewer asked the question below but if there ever was an answer from Max and Traxxion it is now deleted? THANK YOU in advance for clearing the air about this question.
It does work, but there is a small modification you have to make to the two fork legs. There is a little aluminum block half the size of a sugar cube, you have to cut off, and then file and sand the surface perfectly smooth so it's like a normal leg. That little block has a clip on a wire that goes to it, and we just zip tie the wire to the brake line afterwards.
No, not possible to move those parts. But you can buy Traxxion Dynamics AK-20 Axxion Cartridge System for your forks and no more brake dive. wwww.traxxion.com
With your spring and cartridge kit with the adjustable caps set at 1 1/2 turns out when you push on the bike with the brakes on the forks should go down fairly easy and rebound to their loaded height and stay there.Is that correct. And also if you screw the adjusters out to much you lose your dampening control and your tire will bounce like it did with the stock cartridge. How do you tell if you are to far out? I have your stuff front and back.
Those are both accurate statements. Our 1 1/2 turn baseline should be pretty good. By the time you have 20,000 miles though, fork fluid degenerates some, and you will notice a small decrease in damping. You can just adjust 1/4 tighter. Also if you ride in high heat summer time conditions, increasing damping will compensate for the heat thinning the oil, and conversely, in cold temperatures below 40F, you might want to open the adjuster some.
10mm Allen key for spacing. Clever trick. Just because ... That's a digital, not Vernier caliper :) I've also been told that you shouldn't set the height of both tubes by measuring the distance from the top of the triple to the top of the fork. You set what you think your ride height is on one (it doesn't really matter which). After ride height is set on one, install the other fork tube loosely, then install the axle. Set the height of the 2nd tube based on where the axle is turning "most freely". Thoughts?
Not sure where my reply went, or why I even saw this today... but that whole thing about spinning the axle is a complete bunch of bunk that was begun by road racers, taught by GMD Computrak around the US. You should NEVER set your forks at two different heights. This is an idiot's way of thinking you are somehow reducing "Stiction" in the fork system... and at the same time, most race bikes have DIFFERENT spring rates in each of the forks which is a 100X factor in how the fork might actually stick. There is much more to the explanation, but just remember. NEVER set them at different heights.
I am just wondering if you have to put in the axle to align the forks before you tighten both of the upper pinch bolts? How do you align them straight before tightening everything up?
Hi Max, Will your fork brace fit a 2014 air-bag model, I would like to fit one to my bike but on inspection it doesn’t seem to be a lot of clearance round the back of the forks due to a lot of hoses & cables, wonder if this is all to do with the air-bag, thanks Mark
Yes, but there is a little cube of metal that a wire bolts to, that you need to cut off and sand perfectly smooth. You don't need the wire bolted to the bike. We have done tons of these with no problems.
Hi Max, howdy…really appreciate with your expertise…I ride 2012 Goldwing…with weight 250-280 lbs. With that, the bike has low ground clearance. Front spring is standard. The question is: 1. If I change with traxxion spring, what spring load i have to choose ? Standard or heavy? 2. Will it increase the front ground clearance? Please advise 🙏🏼
Yes, it will help with ground clearance for sure. Which springs will be determined if you ride solo or 2 up, and whether you want a firmer or softer ride quality. You can contact dan@traxxion.com for sales help.
max so it is okay to have some space between the axle spacer and the fork tube ? i thought that there had to be no play between the spacers and the fork tube. my bike pulls to the right even when i am in the far part of the left lane not as bad as when i am in the far right of the right lane. i know about road crown so i take that into account. maybe doing it you way will true up the forks and the bike might track straight when going down the road. even with new tires it pulls to the right.
wonder wat max thinks, in his professional and honest opinion, of progressive front forks 450$ for the GWs, i hear so much about them. thanks! great vid
Good question! The Progressive Monotubes are cheap Chinese junk. They fail regularly, and can't be trusted. They can't be rebuilt, and you have to have them replaced. They are a complete waste of money.
@@Traxxion wow! big statement coming from you. the GW forums are all in a buzz over these, is it b/c they just haven' t had them long enough, you make it sound like they start failing rite away, a particular mileage? I believe, they have a limited warranty so u return it and pay labor. So again, IUHO, wat is an alternative to beefing up forks 13-16s' f6bs primarily? THANK YOU!
@@mml1224 They fail at random mileages. We take them out here and throw them away regularly. People don't want to waste their money a second time paying to have them installed and replaced under warranty. If you can't afford our cartridges, then the best thing to do is to buy our springs, rebuild the forks with new seals and bushings, put a little thicker oil in the right fork and disable the antidive.
@@Traxxion I'd luv2 put ur traxxion system ($1k) on my f6b but its way outta of my pay scale. do you have a link to your rebuild package (springs,seals etc.) not sure y u said thicker oil in the 'right fork' and stock oil in the left fork, and disabling the antidive if you can elloborate further, much appreciated Max!
@@mml1224 contact my Sales Manager, Dan Anderson dan@traxxion.com and he will get you set up. You can put any oil you want in the left leg, it's just there for the antidive, which you will want to disable. There's like 10 ways to do that.
This alignment procedure has to done with the wheel off the ground. Most guys will tighten the axle nut, then tighten the 4 pinch bolts and walk away. After you ride away the binding tension causes high rolling resistance, tire wear, higher fuel consumption, and poor steering. It's amazing how much faster the bike is. Excellent tip for the Goldwing.
This can be done with the wheel on the ground no problem. Having the fork misaligned on the axle in no way causes any rolling resistance. That can only be caused by the tire, it's air pressure, or wheel bearings. It cannot affect fuel consumption. It is a stretch to say it will cause tire wear, but on a technical level, since the fork isn't able to move as freely vertically as it should, it can cause tire wear. Same with steering. The primary loss is that the suspension will function poorly and reduce the comfort level for the rider.
There are two specs in the Honda Manual, one for a complete rebuild and one for an oil change. I don't recommend using either. Oil should be set by level, not by volume. You need an oil level gauge... we sell one at www.traxxion.com for cheap. We actually have a complete kit of all the tools you need to service your forks as well.
Fine for a Goldwing but my bike has spacers on either side and no lateral slop to be able to slide back and forth. It also doesn't have a scribe mark on the axle as a reference point. Furthermore, the service manual actually says to use the bounce method to set the axle. Maybe that's not just a "mechanics trick" if the manufacturer is specifically calling for it as their preferred procedure?
Bouncing trick is just not reliable. It also makes it clear if your manual suggests it, that there is a lateral play somewhere in your axle and spacer system. Look again, you'll find it.
We need another distributor for your product in Canada , love your products but Accelerated Technologies is only 2 hours from my home they do not return emails and when you call they make promises and do not deliver.
I appreciated your pro tips in this video. Very well done video. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
awesome tips! thank you
Also your videos are very informative
Glad you like them! Don't forget to share with your Wing friends!
Thanks Max! This showed me where the service manual was wrong that I followed when I changed my tire. I'll go out tomorrow and do your method on lining up the forks the correct way.
Cool, good luck!
thanks for the tip on the axle
Ray Kirchdorfer
Professional etiquette.. Not mentioning the brand name of the poorer performing fork brace. Good tip on adjusting the axle for least amount of stiction..
Pro tip 1, very handy..
Thank you for your time in showing how the installation and removal works.
You are welcome!
So you tighten the left leg pinch bolts (once it's centered), then tighten the fork brace last?
Yes, fork brace is always last.
Great series, one question. Does your fork brace work on the airbag model?
Thanks.
Did Max ever respond to this?
I have a 2014 Goldwing Valkyrie, and while the setup looks incredibly similar, and like the normal Goldwing axle would fit, the stock Valkyrie axel is shorter and is non adjustable as the right side is not free floating. Factory service manual says you just slap it in, snug the right side to 40ft/lbs, then tighten all the pinch bolts, no adjustment needed or possible. The right side of the axel ends maybe 3/8"-1/2" before the seating surface of the bolt head and it just yanks the axle and left fork leg over. Do you think it is worth buying a normal Goldwing Axle for the Valkyrie to regain that floating left side adjustability?
Unfortunately, I can't say for sure, and it's pretty rare when we see a Valkyrie in here for me to test your idea out. It's cheap enough for you to buy one and try it and see how it works!
If you put fork springs on the bike with a heavier gauge spring or a longer spring do you have to reduce the amount of oil in the fork because of the bigger displacement caused by the spring ?
That's a very sharp observation, and the answer is yes. But if you are dealing with a company like Traxxion, we will tell you the correct level to set the oil to before putting our spring kit into your forks.
Does the Traxxion fork brace work on the airbag models? Another viewer asked the question below but if there ever was an answer from Max and Traxxion it is now deleted? THANK YOU in advance for clearing the air about this question.
It does work, but there is a small modification you have to make to the two fork legs. There is a little aluminum block half the size of a sugar cube, you have to cut off, and then file and sand the surface perfectly smooth so it's like a normal leg. That little block has a clip on a wire that goes to it, and we just zip tie the wire to the brake line afterwards.
Which side of right fork do throttle cables need to be on. Outside or down and under? Seem to bind either way.
I'd have to look, but I've never moved them... and we've done at least a 1000 Wings... but almost certain they go to the inside.
Is it possible to install 2018+ front suspension to the Gold Wing2017,for preventing diving effect when break down?
No, not possible to move those parts. But you can buy Traxxion Dynamics AK-20 Axxion Cartridge System for your forks and no more brake dive. wwww.traxxion.com
With your spring and cartridge kit with the adjustable caps set at 1 1/2 turns out when you push on the bike with the brakes on the forks should go down fairly easy and rebound to their loaded height and stay there.Is that correct. And also if you screw the adjusters out to much you lose your dampening control and your tire will bounce like it did with the stock cartridge. How do you tell if you are to far out? I have your stuff front and back.
Those are both accurate statements. Our 1 1/2 turn baseline should be pretty good. By the time you have 20,000 miles though, fork fluid degenerates some, and you will notice a small decrease in damping. You can just adjust 1/4 tighter. Also if you ride in high heat summer time conditions, increasing damping will compensate for the heat thinning the oil, and conversely, in cold temperatures below 40F, you might want to open the adjuster some.
@@Traxxion Thanks. I have about 5k on your cartridges, springs, triple clamp, and rear shock and spring. Still loving the way it all works together.
@@tjrosario9439 Great!
10mm Allen key for spacing. Clever trick. Just because ... That's a digital, not Vernier caliper :) I've also been told that you shouldn't set the height of both tubes by measuring the distance from the top of the triple to the top of the fork. You set what you think your ride height is on one (it doesn't really matter which). After ride height is set on one, install the other fork tube loosely, then install the axle. Set the height of the 2nd tube based on where the axle is turning "most freely". Thoughts?
Cool. Thanks!
It's still called a Vernier caliper...
I don't see the answer given to your excellent question. Was it provide and then later retracted? What was it? TIA!
Not sure where my reply went, or why I even saw this today... but that whole thing about spinning the axle is a complete bunch of bunk that was begun by road racers, taught by GMD Computrak around the US. You should NEVER set your forks at two different heights. This is an idiot's way of thinking you are somehow reducing "Stiction" in the fork system... and at the same time, most race bikes have DIFFERENT spring rates in each of the forks which is a 100X factor in how the fork might actually stick. There is much more to the explanation, but just remember. NEVER set them at different heights.
Hey max. Whats the 2023 s. Like. Are they better
I am just wondering if you have to put in the axle to align the forks before you tighten both of the upper pinch bolts? How do you align them straight before tightening everything up?
Never mind. LOL I just realised that the bottom of the forks will still move independent of the top. Overthinking it.......
You figured it out. You do NOT align the axle bores... they will almost certainly be different. You align the tops of the forks.
Hi Max, Will your fork brace fit a 2014 air-bag model, I would like to fit one to my bike but on inspection it doesn’t seem to be a lot of clearance round the back of the forks due to a lot of hoses & cables, wonder if this is all to do with the air-bag, thanks Mark
Yes, but there is a little cube of metal that a wire bolts to, that you need to cut off and sand perfectly smooth. You don't need the wire bolted to the bike.
We have done tons of these with no problems.
@@Traxxion Hey Max thanks for your prompt reply 😊👍,
Do you ship to the UK ?
Hi Max, howdy…really appreciate with your expertise…I ride 2012 Goldwing…with weight 250-280 lbs.
With that, the bike has low ground clearance. Front spring is standard. The question is:
1. If I change with traxxion spring, what spring load i have to choose ? Standard or heavy?
2. Will it increase the front ground clearance?
Please advise 🙏🏼
Anyone can help me? 🙏🏼
Yes, it will help with ground clearance for sure. Which springs will be determined if you ride solo or 2 up, and whether you want a firmer or softer ride quality. You can contact dan@traxxion.com for sales help.
Thx Max…will contact Dan 🤗
max so it is okay to have some space between the axle spacer and the fork tube ? i thought that there had to be no play between the spacers and the fork tube. my bike pulls to the right even when i am in the far part of the left lane not as bad as when i am in the far right of the right lane. i know about road crown so i take that into account. maybe doing it you way will true up the forks and the bike might track straight when going down the road. even with new tires it pulls to the right.
wonder wat max thinks, in his professional and honest opinion, of progressive front forks 450$ for the GWs, i hear so much about them. thanks! great vid
Good question! The Progressive Monotubes are cheap Chinese junk. They fail regularly, and can't be trusted. They can't be rebuilt, and you have to have them replaced. They are a complete waste of money.
@@Traxxion wow! big statement coming from you. the GW forums are all in a buzz over these, is it b/c they just haven' t had them long enough, you make it sound like they start failing rite away, a particular mileage? I believe, they have a limited warranty so u return it and pay labor. So again, IUHO, wat is an alternative to beefing up forks 13-16s' f6bs primarily? THANK YOU!
@@mml1224 They fail at random mileages. We take them out here and throw them away regularly. People don't want to waste their money a second time paying to have them installed and replaced under warranty.
If you can't afford our cartridges, then the best thing to do is to buy our springs, rebuild the forks with new seals and bushings, put a little thicker oil in the right fork and disable the antidive.
@@Traxxion I'd luv2 put ur traxxion system ($1k) on my f6b but its way outta of my pay scale. do you have a link to your rebuild package (springs,seals etc.) not sure y u said thicker oil in the 'right fork' and stock oil in the left fork, and disabling the antidive if you can elloborate further, much appreciated Max!
@@mml1224 contact my Sales Manager, Dan Anderson dan@traxxion.com and he will get you set up. You can put any oil you want in the left leg, it's just there for the antidive, which you will want to disable. There's like 10 ways to do that.
This alignment procedure has to done with the wheel off the ground. Most guys will tighten the axle nut, then tighten the 4 pinch bolts and walk away. After you ride away the binding tension causes high rolling resistance, tire wear, higher fuel consumption, and poor steering. It's amazing how much faster the bike is. Excellent tip for the Goldwing.
This can be done with the wheel on the ground no problem. Having the fork misaligned on the axle in no way causes any rolling resistance. That can only be caused by the tire, it's air pressure, or wheel bearings. It cannot affect fuel consumption. It is a stretch to say it will cause tire wear, but on a technical level, since the fork isn't able to move as freely vertically as it should, it can cause tire wear. Same with steering. The primary loss is that the suspension will function poorly and reduce the comfort level for the rider.
How many quarts how many quarts of oil go into the forks
There are two specs in the Honda Manual, one for a complete rebuild and one for an oil change. I don't recommend using either. Oil should be set by level, not by volume. You need an oil level gauge... we sell one at www.traxxion.com for cheap. We actually have a complete kit of all the tools you need to service your forks as well.
Fine for a Goldwing but my bike has spacers on either side and no lateral slop to be able to slide back and forth. It also doesn't have a scribe mark on the axle as a reference point. Furthermore, the service manual actually says to use the bounce method to set the axle. Maybe that's not just a "mechanics trick" if the manufacturer is specifically calling for it as their preferred procedure?
Bouncing trick is just not reliable. It also makes it clear if your manual suggests it, that there is a lateral play somewhere in your axle and spacer system. Look again, you'll find it.
Max, is super brace a good fork brace?
No, they cause the forks to bind and damage seals.
@@Traxxion Max, where do I get another brace.
@@thermalchasermil445 www.traxxion.com we make a great brace with no problems. If you want chrome, Kuryakyn has one that works good too.
Why not just scribe a mark on the tube 10 mm from the top of the tube, then set to that?
Breaking the surface of the chrome would leave a place for rust to start. If you wanted to do it with a mark, you could use a fine pointed Sharpie.
@@Traxxion Sounds good, thanks Max.
We need another distributor for your product in Canada , love your products but Accelerated Technologies is only 2 hours from my home they do not return emails and when you call they make promises and do not deliver.
Thanks for that feedback.
Great video
Thanks!
Web site need fork brace
It is on our website:
traxxion.com/product/traxxion-dynamics-fork-brace-for-honda-gl1800-gold-wing/
audio tip.. use a lavaliere mic..
I have one now, and have been using it for several months. Works a lot better.
Ok am i jacked up or what....seems that wheel is backwards....
That's the tread pattern of that tire.