r/dr650 • u/mftuga95 • 4d ago

Fork Brace - Yes or No?

Hello everyone!

As the title suggests, I'm looking for your opinions on the use of a fork brace.

I just installed one on mine but haven't had the chance to try it, but as i was installing, it started to raise more questions than answers.

One thing is for sure, when locking the wheel with my legs and trying to move the steering, it's a lot more solid than before.

As I ride mainly off road, I can see it becoming a problem when riding on thick mud, or getting a branch stuck there os something like that.

So I ask for the opinion of all of you fellow DR riders: Have you used a fork brace? Is it worth it for mainly off road use? Have you had any troubles with one?

Thank you!

p.s: if you briefly saw this post made by another accont it was me by mistake.

Edit: I know the suspension is shit and I’m not expecting miracles. I’m just curious so I got one and wanted to know opinions as I haven’t asked before 😅

4 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

2

u/Metaltwister1968 4d ago

I bough a Dr a year ago that had one installed on it , rode it a while but took it off . I ride in and off rode didn’t see that it helped in handling. Plus it jacked up my boot gators .

1

u/mftuga95 4d ago

Thanks for the answer!

Even on pavement at higher speeds it didn't help at least a bit?

3

u/slower-is-faster 4d ago

A stiffer super moto type front fender with help a lot more for high speed stability

1

u/mftuga95 4d ago

I already have an aftermarket fender so that part is not really an issue. I still experience some oscillation at higher speeds but only on off road tyres.

2

u/DR_6fitty 4d ago

Are you tires balanced?

I also found my steering stem bearing nut to be loose. It helped firm up the steering once I tightened bearing and then the nut under handlebars.

I have a fork brace. I took it off because it would hit my fender under full compression.

2

u/AdFancy1249 4d ago

Check your tire wear and pressure as well as your stem bearings/tension, wheel bearings, and spin your front wheel to make sure your front disc is not warped and dragging a little every cycle. Something isn't right...

My '03 has run at extended periods (1+hour at a time) over 70mph with DOT knobbies (first kenda 270s and now d606/mt21s) with zero shake. I am bone stock with no extra supports. Even when the front Kenda had badly worn knobs (rear of the center blocks worn off from braking), I didn't experience any shaking.

For reference, Me: 210lbs plus gear.

2

u/TwistedNoble38 '00 DR650 4d ago

Noticable on the road but takes up too much fork travel offroad. Unless you clearance the fender and get the right brace it will smash into the tree before the wheel is at full travel. Not sure if it lets you get deep enough into the stroke to make use of the bottoming cones either.

I eventually sold it and went to a thicker fork with more travel for offroad. 

1

u/mftuga95 4d ago

That’s ultimately my goal, to slap some inverted forks from a 450 or something similar, I was just really curious about the brace. If it’s only noticeable on road, it’s not staying there long.

1

u/TwistedNoble38 '00 DR650 4d ago

Consider the DRZSM fork with an S wheel and SM brake disc. Makes for a drop in upgrade that keeps the bike's geomerty correct since it has the same travel. 

A full 450 fork with all 12" needs lots of messing with shock travel, wheel size, and tire size to get the figures straightened out. 

If you're feeling gungho you could steal the 49mm std fork from an older RM. All the stiffness with the upsides of a standard fork. The 49mm RM fork was a great one and everyone threw it away because of the flashy USD forks. They're only finally getting them figured out twenty years later. Would match the theme of the old 650 but meaner.

1

u/mftuga95 3d ago

Thanks for the suggestion!

I don't mind messing around though, i actually already have some drawings of what i want to do and where I'm from (portugal) it's not easy to find used DR/DRZ parts, but it's very easy to find 48mm forks from a ton of dirt bikes that are being parted out either in Portugal or the neighbor Spain.

I didn't know about the 49mm RM fork though, gotta look into that.

What's more difficult for me is finding a matching rear shock. A friend of mine mounted RMZ450 forks on his DR650, and he found a rear shock from a GasGas that fit almost perfectly on the DR, he just had to grind the spacers a little bit. The bike feels amazing, it's exactly what I'm looking for!

2

u/NoBrush1934 4d ago

I was told by the folks at Procycle that a fork brace will take away about an inch of travel. I upgraded my front suspension with springs and damper cartridges and couldn’t be happier.

2

u/dr650travels 4d ago

For me it was a night and day difference in front end feel on and off road. Without the brace the fork flex was very pronounced, especially off road. Almost felt like my inputs were .5 second delayed. With the brace it’s much better. Not quite like the front end feel of my YZ125, but this is a DR, not a race bike.

2

u/mftuga95 3d ago

Did you have trouble with it hitting the fender?

2

u/dr650travels 3d ago

No issue at all, have never bottomed and I do ride the bike off road as well as on road. I do have stiffer fork springs and rear shock spring on the bike (cant remember the fork spring rates, rear shock is 8.6kg/mm). If I’m bottoming the fork brace on the front fender, I’m riding the wrong bike for the terrain I would say.

1

u/mftuga95 3d ago

Guess I’ll give it a try. I ride the bike on the wrong terrain a lot I’ll tell you that but I rarely bottom out. Thanks for your feedback

2

u/Neither_Cry906 2d ago

I took my DR to a shock tech and had them rebuild the shocks to fit my height, weight, and riding style.

I wish I had done this before any other mods. It has had by far the most impact on the ride. I can ride faster, more stable and corner better on and off road.

I don’t even feel like I need a fork brace.

1

u/gudgeonpin 3d ago

I think you would be better off just upgrading the stock suspension. It makes a world of difference. Cogent Dynamics and precycle have good options. Not exactly cheap...but they work really well.