ForkModifications

The existing telescopic forks have been drained and dismantled and most parts were discarded. The lower fork castings are really all I kept. New upper tubes will be made from aluminum bar stock. The triple clamps will the modified to accept ball joints (from a pickup) and attached to the new upper tubes to form a single, fixed unit. The forks still clamp the front axle in the same way and still hold the brake calipers in the same place. Honda spend untold millions designing the optimal positions with the lightest possible materials, so why would I try to reproduce it with other materials? Recycling is much easier. Click on a sketch to see a larger version.

On the scale model I attached the lower control arm to the fork brace, but the brace isn't nearly strong enough. I used another Interceptor triple clamp attached to the fork's upper tubes, which previously extended much higher supported by long springs inside the lower forks. The upper tubes shown on the left photo are merely thin-wall electrical conduit, cut to length. It was the only thing I could find that was the right diameter and the triple clamps fit snugly. I want to run the brake lines inside the forks (like in the sketches) for a cleaner look but it'll have to wait.