Superbrace

[the_undecider_imp]

The stock fender does very little to stiffen the front forks because of the location of the mounting tabs being a couple inches below the cross-section of the fender. If you removed the front fender, you could bend those tabs in pretty easily. I recall seeing some bikes with factory fork braces integrated into the fender.

The brace adds rigidity to reduce both lateral and torsional flex. It keeps the fork tubes more perpendicular to the axle. The reduction in twisting reduces steering deflection. The straighter the fork tubes stay, the suspension works with less stiction with those torsional and lateral loads at work. Reduced torsion also improves steering precision.

To what degree these improve such measures is impossible for the casual user to quantify. I felt a difference when I installed a brace on my CB and it was well worth the money to me. The front suspension isn't defective without it, so I can't fault Honda for not including a brace. The front end's capability far exceeds its intended use and equipping the bike with additional equipment would only add cost. A fork brace isn't needed, but you can buy any number of available products to suit your budget and style preferences.

Wow, that went long!

[Hedge_imp]

I suggest that Honda did not produce a CB1100 that has a defect requiring bracing but instead there is an alignment issue on a certain percentage of bikes that need correction at the Dealer rather than something added to mask the problem. So, if you have a feathering issue take it to the dealer first and see what the issue really is. - Art

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.
There is no inherent factory defects on the CB1100 front end. There is no factory defective or inherent alignment issue either on these bikes. They have not "shorted" us from the factory. There are no issues to correct. As other stated this is an add-on that strengthens the front end beyond factory specs. If you look at all race bikes you will see them on as well as steering dampeners. Do you think that is because of a factory defect?

The stock fender does very little to stiffen the front forks because of the location of the mounting tabs being a couple inches below the cross-section of the fender. If you removed the front fender, you could bend those tabs in pretty easily. I recall seeing some bikes with factory fork braces integrated into the fender.

The brace adds rigidity to reduce both lateral and torsional flex. It keeps the fork tubes more perpendicular to the axle. The reduction in twisting reduces steering deflection. The straighter the fork tubes stay, the suspension works with less stiction with those torsional and lateral loads at work. Reduced torsion also improves steering precision.

To what degree these improve such measures is impossible for the casual user to quantify. I felt a difference when I installed a brace on my CB and it was well worth the money to me. The front suspension isn't defective without it, so I can't fault Honda for not including a brace. The front end's capability far exceeds its intended use and equipping the bike with additional equipment would only add cost. A fork brace isn't needed, but you can buy any number of available products to suit your budget and style preferences.

Wow, that went long!

Well written - you are spot on my man!

[NightRider_imp]

I suggest that Honda did not produce a CB1100 that has a defect requiring bracing but instead there is an alignment issue on a certain percentage of bikes that need correction at the Dealer rather than something added to mask the problem. So, if you have a feathering issue take it to the dealer first and see what the issue really is. - Art

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.
There is no inherent factory defects on the CB1100 front end. There is no factory defective or inherent alignment issue either on these bikes. They have not "shorted" us from the factory. There are no issues to correct. As other stated this is an add-on that strengthens the front end beyond factory specs. If you look at all race bikes you will see them on as well as steering dampeners. Do you think that is because of a factory defect?

The stock fender does very little to stiffen the front forks because of the location of the mounting tabs being a couple inches below the cross-section of the fender. If you removed the front fender, you could bend those tabs in pretty easily. I recall seeing some bikes with factory fork braces integrated into the fender.

The brace adds rigidity to reduce both lateral and torsional flex. It keeps the fork tubes more perpendicular to the axle. The reduction in twisting reduces steering deflection. The straighter the fork tubes stay, the suspension works with less stiction with those torsional and lateral loads at work. Reduced torsion also improves steering precision.

To what degree these improve such measures is impossible for the casual user to quantify. I felt a difference when I installed a brace on my CB and it was well worth the money to me. The front suspension isn't defective without it, so I can't fault Honda for not including a brace. The front end's capability far exceeds its intended use and equipping the bike with additional equipment would only add cost. A fork brace isn't needed, but you can buy any number of available products to suit your budget and style preferences.

Wow, that went long!

Well written - you are spot on my man!

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.
There is no inherent factory defects on the CB1100 front end. There is no factory defective or inherent alignment issue either on these bikes. They have not "shorted" us from the factory. There are no issues to correct. As other stated this is an add-on that strengthens the front end beyond factory specs. If you look at all race bikes you will see them on as well as steering dampeners. Do you think that is because of a factory defect?

The stock fender does very little to stiffen the front forks because of the location of the mounting tabs being a couple inches below the cross-section of the fender. If you removed the front fender, you could bend those tabs in pretty easily. I recall seeing some bikes with factory fork braces integrated into the fender.

The brace adds rigidity to reduce both lateral and torsional flex. It keeps the fork tubes more perpendicular to the axle. The reduction in twisting reduces steering deflection. The straighter the fork tubes stay, the suspension works with less stiction with those torsional and lateral loads at work. Reduced torsion also improves steering precision.

To what degree these improve such measures is impossible for the casual user to quantify. I felt a difference when I installed a brace on my CB and it was well worth the money to me. The front suspension isn't defective without it, so I can't fault Honda for not including a brace. The front end's capability far exceeds its intended use and equipping the bike with additional equipment would only add cost. A fork brace isn't needed, but you can buy any number of available products to suit your budget and style preferences.

Wow, that went long!

Well written - you are spot on my man!
I fear I did a poor job of making a poor point. I feel there are generally no defects to correct on a CB1100 but every time I see the subject turn up of using some fork brace on a non-racing machine, especially a CB1100, the owner is trying to correct a perceived or real defect in their machine by an approach that does not include a visit to the dealer for a proper diagnosis.

If you read the few posts from actual users of the brace on this thread, there are actually only a few, you will find they are indeed trying to correct some perceived weakness or defect with snake oil since there is no real defect that the brace can correct on it's own, but If you look closer at the posts, the brace may give the perception of better handling maybe or actually causes the problem to get worse which is exactly what snake oil medicines did when purchased and applied.

Also, any reference to racing bike applications have no bearing on the CB1100 and so the reference provides nothing to support your response and point.

Sorry for any typos, I'm typing on a small tablet and afraid it is not the best method of forum reply, not that there is any defect in my fingers mind you. Perhaps a brace on my fingers might help?

[mjezek_imp]

Just as an FYI .... I have not seen a brace on a road race bike in last 10 years .... upper and lower tripple clamp are indeed a very good handling improvement but no braces .... sorry ....

[Hedge_imp]

I suggest that Honda did not produce a CB1100 that has a defect requiring bracing but instead there is an alignment issue on a certain percentage of bikes that need correction at the Dealer rather than something added to mask the problem. So, if you have a feathering issue take it to the dealer first and see what the issue really is. - Art

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.
There is no inherent factory defects on the CB1100 front end. There is no factory defective or inherent alignment issue either on these bikes. They have not "shorted" us from the factory. There are no issues to correct. As other stated this is an add-on that strengthens the front end beyond factory specs. If you look at all race bikes you will see them on as well as steering dampeners. Do you think that is because of a factory defect?

The stock fender does very little to stiffen the front forks because of the location of the mounting tabs being a couple inches below the cross-section of the fender. If you removed the front fender, you could bend those tabs in pretty easily. I recall seeing some bikes with factory fork braces integrated into the fender.

The brace adds rigidity to reduce both lateral and torsional flex. It keeps the fork tubes more perpendicular to the axle. The reduction in twisting reduces steering deflection. The straighter the fork tubes stay, the suspension works with less stiction with those torsional and lateral loads at work. Reduced torsion also improves steering precision.

To what degree these improve such measures is impossible for the casual user to quantify. I felt a difference when I installed a brace on my CB and it was well worth the money to me. The front suspension isn't defective without it, so I can't fault Honda for not including a brace. The front end's capability far exceeds its intended use and equipping the bike with additional equipment would only add cost. A fork brace isn't needed, but you can buy any number of available products to suit your budget and style preferences.

Wow, that went long!

Well written - you are spot on my man!

The Bracing isnt made for defects. It beefs up the front end. A Steering dampener wouldnt be bad either. It controls or in better words buffers wheel hop.
That is the theory, that being the CB1100 somehow is lacking here in design, somehow needs "beefing up" as if Honda shorted us or something (the idea!) and because of this it needs this brace or it suffers wheel hop or flexes too much to ride smoothly or is feathering the front tire or something else perhaps depending on the owner and also that a bike that is not a sport bike somehow needs more steering dampening over and above what this modern motorcycle already provides.

My statement stands on those points also. If you review the semi-positive posts about this modification, it seems there is a need to correct some issue, and that issue seems to vary depending on the purchaser, much like snake oil in days gone by.
There is no inherent factory defects on the CB1100 front end. There is no factory defective or inherent alignment issue either on these bikes. They have not "shorted" us from the factory. There are no issues to correct. As other stated this is an add-on that strengthens the front end beyond factory specs. If you look at all race bikes you will see them on as well as steering dampeners. Do you think that is because of a factory defect?

The stock fender does very little to stiffen the front forks because of the location of the mounting tabs being a couple inches below the cross-section of the fender. If you removed the front fender, you could bend those tabs in pretty easily. I recall seeing some bikes with factory fork braces integrated into the fender.

The brace adds rigidity to reduce both lateral and torsional flex. It keeps the fork tubes more perpendicular to the axle. The reduction in twisting reduces steering deflection. The straighter the fork tubes stay, the suspension works with less stiction with those torsional and lateral loads at work. Reduced torsion also improves steering precision.

To what degree these improve such measures is impossible for the casual user to quantify. I felt a difference when I installed a brace on my CB and it was well worth the money to me. The front suspension isn't defective without it, so I can't fault Honda for not including a brace. The front end's capability far exceeds its intended use and equipping the bike with additional equipment would only add cost. A fork brace isn't needed, but you can buy any number of available products to suit your budget and style preferences.

Wow, that went long!

Well written - you are spot on my man!
I fear I did a poor job of making a poor point. I feel there are generally no defects to correct on a CB1100 but every time I see the subject turn up of using some fork brace on a non-racing machine, especially a CB1100, the owner is trying to correct a perceived or real defect in their machine by an approach that does not include a visit to the dealer for a proper diagnosis.

If you read the few posts from actual users of the brace on this thread, there are actually only a few, you will find they are indeed trying to correct some perceived weakness or defect with snake oil since there is no real defect that the brace can correct on it's own, but If you look closer at the posts, the brace may give the perception of better handling maybe or actually causes the problem to get worse which is exactly what snake oil medicines did when purchased and applied.

Also, any reference to racing bike applications have no bearing on the CB1100 and so the reference provides nothing to support your response and point.

Sorry for any typos, I'm typing on a small tablet and afraid it is not the best method of forum reply, not that there is any defect in my fingers mind you. Perhaps a brace on my fingers might help?

No problem - they sell snake oil that corrects typos!

[Pauley]

Installed my new superbrace last week. Have riden about 150 miles since.

May be my imagination, but I think I notice a subtle but perceptable improvement in the feel of the front end - a little more solid, a little more responsive to countersteer. I don't ride close to the edge at all so I'll probably never know.

Main reason I installed the superbrace was to potenitally cure (or reduce) my mysterious front tread feathering problem. The OE Dunlop on the front has feathered pretty badly with only about 6k miles on it. I'm going to replace with a new front Bridgestone BT54 in a few weeks - hopefully the Bridgestone will fare better with the superbrace on there. We'll see. I'll report back when I have a couple of thousand miles on the new front tire...

I now have about 800 miles on my bike since installing the Superbrace. The "high edges" on the feathered tread have all just about leveled off so I think the Superbrace solved the issue by making the front end stiff enough to eliminate the issue! The Dunlop OE front tire is just about to the wear limits so I am going to put my new Bridgestone BT-54 on next weekend.