Girder forks for a stock XS frame?

hardline42 · Posted: May 8, 2006, 10:31 am Post subject: Girder forks for a stock XS frame?

I really like the look of girder forks on a bobber similar to Tim Price's 650:
www.650motorcycles.com...rice2.html
Does anyone make them for a stock XS frame? It seems like modding the XS frame to fit a Harley front end is a little more difficult than what I can handle right now (at least I haven't ever had it explained to me). Also, google turned up a hit for "Tallon Kustoms" for Yamaha girder front ends but no website exists. Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

mo650chopper

Most custom type front ends have a threaded in replaceable neck. If so you can screw a neck into the lower section of the front end to match an XS. This is the route I plan to take with my Girder.

Phred

Here's the deal. The Yamaha and the Harley necks are different (duh!) The Yama neck is longer than the Harley, but the bearings go in the Yama neck and the Harley uses bearing cups that get pressed or driven into the neck. The Yama also has a larger neck diameter than the Harley so the cups won't just press in. Sometimes the design of the forks allow you to switch bearings and/or fork stem, but often the distance between top and lower trees must be kept the same. To make a Harley springer work in my Yamaha, I plan to get a set of bearing cups, determine how much I need to trim off the neck, and bush the neck inside diameter down to fit. None of this is terribly complicated, but someone may have an easier fix.

locoleon

Phred wrote:

Here's the deal. The Yamaha and the Harley necks are different (duh!) The Yama neck is longer than the Harley, but the bearings go in the Yama neck and the Harley uses bearing cups that get pressed or driven into the neck. The Yama also has a larger neck diameter than the Harley so the cups won't just press in. Sometimes the design of the forks allow you to switch bearings and/or fork stem, but often the distance between top and lower trees must be kept the same. To make a Harley springer work in my Yamaha, I plan to get a set of bearing cups, determine how much I need to trim off the neck, and bush the neck inside diameter down to fit. None of this is terribly complicated, but someone may have an easier fix.

Does anyone have another way to install a girder front end into an xs650?
The problem that Im having is finding a steering bearing that will fit inside the head/neck of the xs (48mm outer diameter) and still work with the stem thats in the Girder now (25mm)
All I can find is trailer axle bearing that are 25mm inner x 50mm outer, basically 2 mm to big to fit inside the neck...

What Happened to 650rider.com?

Yamaha xs650