Is The Traxxion Dynamics GL1800 Fork Brace worth the expense?

[DaveDragon]

Inquiring minds and all that jazz...

[Goldwing_Don]

Kuryakyn Brace works great for me

[Hazle]

I have the Kury, but if they had the traxxion when I bought mine I would of bought it! They both do the same thing, the traxxion looks nicer and comes in Black!

[laj48]

I have one with the dust shields, pricey but worth it.

[Bartman]

Originally Posted by Hazle

I have the Kury, but if they had the traxxion when I bought mine I would of bought it! They both do the same thing, the traxxion looks nicer and comes in Black!

+1! Love the black one!

[ace2002]

Traxxion brace world of difference worth the price

[FazerDude]

Traxxion or Kury. Functional equivalents. Go with the one you like the looks of. Yes, it is worth it.

[ddking]

It's worth it to me. I also bought the fork protectors. But many have installed fork braces and could not feel a difference. If you're sensitive to adjustments in suspension, you'll probably appreciate it.

[cycledude]

i was quite skeptical but eventually fell into a good deal on a used Kury forkbrace so i bought it

installed it a few weeks ago, WOW for me it is a HUGE improvement !
i know lots of folks say they cannot tell the difference with or without the brace but for me there is a HUGE difference, it handles way better with the brace at ALL speeds

knowing what i know now i would not hesitate to pay the price for a brandnew forkbrace, Kury or Traxxion

it does leave me wondering why Honda does not sell a forkbrace of thier own ? maybe there is some good reason not to use one but i sure don't know what that might be

[Fred H.]

I have owned both the Traxxion and Kuryakyn, and I would buy the Traxxion brace over the Kury brace any day of the week. The Traxxion brace is lighter, better designed, better constucted, and the fork protectors are much better. Not to mention you won't have problems with the chrome peeling off.

I weighed both braces and the Traxxion brace is about 1.5 lbs and the Kury is about 2 lbs. This is a half pound reduction in unsprung wheel weight.

http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/traxxionbrace

http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/traxxion2





Notice how close the sharp edge on the glued-on fork protectors on the Kury brace come to the fork legs. If the glue ever looses it's grip, that protector is going end up resting against the fork leg, which will scratch the slider tube and ruin your fork, causing a fork oil leak. In My Opinion, this is a bad design and a problem waiting to happen.

[GreenDragon]

Thanks, Fred. Good pics.

[jwhok]

I have one. It has zero affect on 40 mph decell wobble.

However, it does seem to help with low speed maneuvering &
tracking in the twisties

[DaveDragon]

Thanks for all the replies; I orderd the Traxxion brace.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by Fred H.

I have owned both the Traxxion and Kuryakyn, and I would buy the Traxxion brace over the Kury brace any day of the week. The Traxxion brace is lighter, better designed, better constucted, and the fork protectors are much better. Not to mention you won't have problems with the chrome peeling off.

I weighed both braces and the Traxxion brace is about 1.5 lbs and the Kury is about 2 lbs. This is a half pound reduction in unsprung wheel weight.

http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/traxxionbrace

http://www.pbase.com/fredharmon/traxxion2





Notice how close the sharp edge on the glued-on fork protectors on the Kury brace come to the fork legs. If the glue ever looses it's grip, that protector is going end up resting against the fork leg, which will scratch the slider tube and ruin your fork, causing a fork oil leak. In My Opinion, this is a bad design and a problem waiting to happen.

Fred..I can't believe your posting misleading information



You know darn well that one brand of brace is no better than the other,it's just a matter of choice on which brand one chooses..

You also know that Traxxion was installing the Kuryakyn Brace because they know it works,When one had there fork kits installed for a couple of years!
You also know that Traxxion couldn't copy the exact design of the Kury Brace,so Max made his own brace that does the same thing..

You kept using the Kury fork brace on your 02 until you traded it in as a matter of fact.


You also know that Kuryakyn redesigned the fork protectors.Yet you bring up the old design..Why is that?? I'd like to know!
Here is the thread I posted,and you asked a question as well.http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203377&highlight=Fork+protectors


I find it hard to believe a man of your talents and intelligence would forget this??

Here are the new covers installed,It's clear to see they are totally different !!
They are now in front with way more room, instead of the old design of on top like Traxxion still uses!



Front View.


They are secured with 3M two sided tape,Sure they have to have new tape installed when you do a fork service.
How often is that for most Goldwing owners?
$39 vs $100 for traxxion covers is a lot of gas money to some..
A roll of 3M tape is less than $5 and would last the life of the bike!


3M Tape has been used on all metal/plastic add on aftermarket products for decades,I have yet to hear of any of them falling off..



Now if any of you think I'm attacking Fred,Forget it!
I'm disappointed that's all!

[Fred H.]

I have not seen the new covers in person, so I can't vouch for them. I have seen the old covers, and they are very poor in design. I ordered mine in December from Hal and that is what I got. So while new covers may be available somewhere, there is no guarentee that is what you will get when you order.

Since that time I got the Traxxion brace and did a direct comparison to the Kry brace. Yes, they both perform the same function, except the Traxxion brace is lighter, doesn't have chrome that peels, and the fork protectors actually fit.

I'm just callin it as I see it. If you don't agree with my opinion, you are free to voice your own. Personally, I don't care for much of anything Kuryakyn makes, as I find it to be low quality. But I'm sure there are folks on here who love them. To each his own.

For me, the Traxxion brace is just more functional, with less weight and a better design. Yea, I used the Kuryakyn on the old bike, simply cause it was the only one available that had a floating bridge in the center. But now that there is a choice, I would rather have the Traxxion brace.

I do notice you had to powder coat your Kury brace due to chrome problems. How much did that cost? The Traxxion fork covers only cost $50 more than the Kury, and their brace is actually about $20 cheaper than the Kury one ($199 vs $219), so when you add in your powder coating fees, it would seem to me that the Traxxion brace is actually cheaper.

[08RedWing]

+1 Works for me, with the dust shields ....John

[one50npump]

I have the Kury fork brace and I re-used the stock dust covers. About 5 minutes with a dremel tool and then BOLTED my stock covers back on. Have not had any chrome problems after 2 years.

[Jchefboyardee]

Yes!

[Roadie]

I like both the Kury and the Traxxion brace and would have bought the Traxxion if it was in chrome...but it isn't, so I bought the Kury. It's been a year and no problems with the chrome with my brace...or with the first gen Kury dust covers either.....but I do like looks of the new redesigned dust covers that Kury came out with better and will be upgrading.

[azjerry]

Tom Finch posted a while ago about his opinion on fork braces for the GL1800. I can't find the post but it was interesting, his analysis was that a fork brace was not needed or effective on the GL. FWIW, interesting reading but probably won't change any minds.

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by Fred H.

I have not seen the new covers in person, so I can't vouch for them. I have seen the old covers, and they are very poor in design. I ordered mine in December from Hal and that is what I got. So while new covers may be available somewhere, there is no guarentee that is what you will get when you order.

I thought you had your old style covers sooner than that from this thread.
http://gl1800riders.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196258&highlight=Fork+protectors
But I can see now that you had just ordered them from the above thread.

OLD Part #: KUR-8616

NEW redesigned Part #KUR-8636

I'm sure you could be right about some not knowing if they are getting the old vs new design..

Hopefully Kuryakyn recalled the old version that were in shops,and replaced them with these improved covers..

They are also made of thicker metal now too.
I did get a chance to see the thinner old design..I too didn't think there were worth a darn!

Since that time I got the Traxxion brace and did a direct comparison to the Kry brace. Yes, they both perform the same function, except the Traxxion brace is lighter, doesn't have chrome that peels, and the fork protectors actually fit.

I'm just callin it as I see it. If you don't agree with my opinion, you are free to voice your own. Personally, I don't care for much of anything Kuryakyn makes, as I find it to be low quality. But I'm sure there are folks on here who love them. To each his own.

For me, the Traxxion brace is just more functional, with less weight and a better design. Yea, I used the Kuryakyn on the old bike, simply cause it was the only one available that had a floating bridge in the center. But now that there is a choice, I would rather have the Traxxion brace.

I do notice you had to powder coat your Kury brace due to chrome problems. How much did that cost? The Traxxion fork covers only cost $50 more than the Kury, and their brace is actually about $20 cheaper than the Kury one ($199 vs $219), so when you add in your powder coating fees, it would seem to me that the Traxxion brace is actually cheaper.


You are correct,I had chrome peeling/blistering on my Kury Brace..
As I said in that thread,I was thinking about having it powder coated,but opted for painting it instead.
This is what I did.
Sanded it first.
Primed to fill the voids where the chrome peeled off.
Then painted it with Metallic Silver.
Then three coats of clear.
The two cans will also last the life of the bike should a rock put a nick in the paint??

BTW: The paint was a better option and happened to cost less.It is holding up very well,Bugs don't seem to bother it at all,A wet wash cloth wipes them right off..

While I like the looks of the Anodized Traxxion proctors,I wonder what will happen after a couple years if rocks can or could nick it's finish..


Thank You for your reply.

.
.

[Bentwing]

I have the traxxion brace sand the dust covers...very happy with the quality of both. The covers seem a tad expensive but a close inspection of their quality will take care of that. Is it worth the money...yes

[mjw930]

I did the Kury brace before I realized Traxxion had one (I watched Max's video and he talked about the Kury brace so I didn't even think to look to see if he made one). If I had to do it over I would probably buy the Traxxion, I like the design better and I anticipate the Kury will peal in a couple year just like most chromed aluminum parts do in the salt air. Functionally they are identical

My Father-In-Law had a brace on his 1500 and installed them on 5 or 6 of his friends 1500 a few years back (many years, he sold the 1500 in '02) and swore by it. He just smiled when I told him I put on a brace.

My experience has been very positive. I noticed right away the increase in stability at parking lot speeds as well as at anything over 50 mph. Not a lot of twisties here in the Daytona area but playing on some ramps I noticed I track now without correcting where I had to correct without it to maintain a smooth line. The final acid test was a road they have been resurfacing. There's an area of about 5 miles where they have cut the surface in preparation for the new top coat. You know, those 1/2" wide grooves they grind into the road...... Stock the front was all over the place and you could feel the forks twist in your hands. With the brace the connection to the tire is direct, it was astonishing how different the ride was.

[catch]

I think if you have the Kury the Traxxion is not worth it!

[mjw930]

Originally Posted by catch

I think if you have the Kury the Traxxion is not worth it!

You lost me there Catch??????????????????????????

[catch]

Originally Posted by mjw930

You lost me there Catch??????????????????????????

If you already have the Kury Brace the Traxxion would not be worth buying They are one in the same except for 1/2 pound and some other features according to the GW Guru!

[laj48]

I had a Kury brace with old style dust covers. I weigh 210 lbs and when I hit some bumps in parking lot at work the forks bottomed out or came real close. I was going very slow. The old style Kury dust covers will hit the triple clamp and fall off. I sent the whole brace back and was waiting for a redesign when I bought the Traxxion brace.

[BigD1800GW]

I had the dealer put the Kury on mine BUT the chrome is peeling off, is the Traxxion USA heavy chrome made?
Me thinks Im gonna sandblast my Kury and have my buddy powder coat it black.

[Fred H.]

Originally Posted by catch

If you already have the Kury Brace the Traxxion would not be worth buying They are one in the same except for 1/2 pound and some other features according to the GW Guru!

I agree. If you already have the Kury brace, I don't think the differences would justify replacing it. However, if you don't currently have a brace and are looking for one, I personally would buy the Traxxion one over the Kuryakyn.

[icing777]

There is no brace for the airbag model in production yet (according to Motovation).