Topic: Tkat fork brace finally here for the CB750

[somesuch]

Well, after a long time twisting Tkats' arm he made some fork braces for the CB750. I know some here have been waiting for this for a while His brace clears the stock fender (on a pre 1976 short leg slider version) and accepts the stock gators or dust boots.

I believe he now also makes them for the CB400F, CB450 and others as well.

His contact info is on his web site tkat.com or you can call him at (408)980-8880

I'll try to post some pictures soon.

[somesuch]

here is another view. For some reason I can only attach one picture?

[Greggo]

Looks busy, but I still like it!  Have you noticed a difference on the street?

[somesuch]

I have not ridden my CB750 with Tkat fork brace yet, probably it will be at least three weeks before I do. I have noticed a very big improvement on my Yamaha XS1100. It was sort of a night and day type of thing. That was the reason I kept asking Tkat to make one for the Honda.
The reason for the "busy look" is that the fender on the short slider forks of the CB750 sits so high above the tops of the sliders, that the usual fork brace designs do not work. I like my bikes to look stock (most of the time) and I like having a front fender.....so there was a problem Tkat made the brace to (barely, there is very little room there) clear the fender, and use the stock gators which I also wanted to retain. All in all I really like the way it fit. Wiil post back when I test it on the road.

[somesuch]

Yesterday I finally rode my Tkat forkbrace equipped bike over Kennedy and Hicks roads. It was warm out, and the traction was good. The improvement is noticeable, and apparent, especially when pushing the bike. I was on old tires, so I imagine the difference would be even more pronounced on stickier rubber.

I need a lot more ground clearance

Now on to the internal fork mods.

[somesuch]

Well experiment continued....I put the infamous RFY shocks to add some clearance (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=83200.25) and was pleased that I could lean the bike a lot more before scraping stuff. I next removed the fork brace for some fork maintenance, and decided to leave it off for a day to better remember "what it was like" without one. The wobbles returned, and there was less precision, so the verdict for me is quite clear.....this CB750 does indeed benefit noticeably from the forkbrace, the difference is really obvious in the sweepers

[andy750]

Thanks for the very good review and photos. Very helpful!

Andy

[chewbacca5000]

Ok, how do we put in are orders?

[somesuch]

Tkat's web page is  tkat.com.  His contact info is there, or you can call him at (408)980-8880
The only pictures on his web site are of the Yamaha XS fork brace though.

[Dyrden]

Nice looking piece. I see different versions in one of your photos. Does he make them for long lower leg versions too?

[jessezm]

I have one on my 400f, and all I can say is that it's awesome.  A very robust piece of equipment and I routinely hit 100mph with total confidence.  I have never had a wobble or felt weird going hot into a turn either.  I've also got nice shocks and fork internals, but no front fender, and the brace does its job.

[somesuch]

Nice looking piece. I see different versions in one of your photos. Does he make them for long lower leg versions too?

Yes, he does.

[Retro Rocket]

so the verdict for me is quite clear.....this CB750 does indeed benefit noticeably from the forkbrace, the difference is really obvious in the sweepers

Even though i already know this through my own experience, its great to have someone actually do this on the forum and post the results, it makes a huge difference and combined with a steering damper,  allows these old bikes to be pushed quite hard, and YES, you do run out of clearance pretty quick. Thanks for posting your results..  good shocks will make it even better   {runs away and hides} ....

[xsmooth69x]

sooooo..... since there is nothing about prices anywhere is this one of those if you have to ask how much it costs u probably wont be able to afford it kind of thing?

[somesuch]

so the verdict for me is quite clear.....this CB750 does indeed benefit noticeably from the forkbrace, the difference is really obvious in the sweepers

Even though i already know this through my own experience, its great to have someone actually do this on the forum and post the results, it makes a huge difference and combined with a steering damper,  allows these old bikes to be pushed quite hard, and YES, you do run out of clearance pretty quick. Thanks for posting your results..  good shocks will make it even better   {runs away and hides} ....

I completely agree, good shocks would make a big difference, but on a (small) budget, the cheap Chinese shocks made a big difference in the "enjoyment level" and feel OK unless pushed  somewhat hard when their wallow becomes annoying. I currently have an old pair of Koni shocks and I would venture to say that those are too harsh and I am able to go quicker on many sections of the local roads with these RFY Chinese shocks than with those old Konis (springs are a bit stiffer on Konis as well) 

I have ridden this cb750 exclusively (a lot) the last couple of days. It is partly due to the fact that scraping is so much reduced, and now that the fork brace is back on, the front end feel is much better and I enjoy riding the bike more. I normally ride my old Husky 610 supermoto because it is so much fun to ride, and keep the other bikes "because I like them". I like them for many reasons, but their handling is almost never one of those reasons

I have a couple of steering dampers that I was going to try when I get a chance. There are a few places where I normally ride where I definitely feel one would be useful.

[somesuch]

sooooo..... since there is nothing about prices anywhere is this one of those if you have to ask how much it costs u probably wont be able to afford it kind of thing?

   I think Tkat prices are pretty cheap for the amount of work that goes in it, and they are pretty close to what other fork braces cost, I will suggest to him that he update the website, but he is not a computer guy, so it may be a while. I do not want to quote prices for someone else, but if you call him I am sure he will not keep the price a secret.

[shinyribs]

Just to make life easy on us,and to prevent a bunch of tire kickers from ringing his phone off the hook,do you mind giving us a ball park figure?

[somesuch]

Just to make life easy on us,and to prevent a bunch of tire kickers from ringing his phone off the hook,do you mind giving us a ball park figure?

I am not certain, but I think the prices vary depending on the model.....$125 -$150 is my guess.

[shinyribs]

Awesome. Thanks!

[srbakker]

I know this is an older thread - but I was wondering how your fender is attached?  Is it just the front and rear stays holding it up?
Thanks!

[Really?]

Looking at that attached image, you can see the original fork brace is still attached.  Chances are the fender is still riveted to the original fork brace.

[sethdhawkins]

Just to let everyone know, tkat still has some of these left. I just purchased one about a month ago and powdered it black for my project.

[nixon]

yup i know this was old thread..but I got a tarozzi fork brace from fastfromthepast

http://www.fastfromthepast.com/servlet/the-Fork-Braces-cln-Honda/Categories

fits my 77cb750k good..feels much more 'solid' in general

[bjbuchanan]

You didn't need tkats brace bc you have the taller sliders/fork bottoms

[somesuch]

Saw some fork braces at Tkat when visiting a while ago... if you were planning on getting one, these are probably the last ones to be had.