Inverted fork project

[Hotrodhoppy]

This is a project I been planning for some time now, and now finally getting it started. After a friend gave me a set of yz 250 forks a couple months ago I got a set of VTX honda triple clamps. Still working on the axle, and I need to figure out what to do as far as a front brake.

[bulacouple]

Seriously? those are VTX tripples and they fit the YZ? Looks good so far!

[Hotrodhoppy]

I had to machine a few grommets and spacers, then a lot of grinding, and polishing, but that is the stock 250r steering stem. Forks barely fit..

[jb104]

I had to machine a few grommets and spacers, then a lot of grinding, and polishing, but that is the stock 250r steering stem. Forks barely fit.. When comparing the length of the stock forks vs those are they similar?

[Hotrodhoppy]

No these are 3 inches longer than stock, (12.2" wheel travel) but I was able to take away almost 2 inches buy the way they are positioned at the neck, and inside the triple clamps. Plus it has a 6" swing arm so it should level out for me. I hope..

[kazander]

post pics and let us know how this works

[wild200x]

can't wait to see this in person!

[Mr. Richard]

i have been running this same setup for 2 seasons now.. i can tell you it works great... it steers a little quicker because of the shorter rake,,, but i am also running a +6 swinger and that really makes it work out great,,,

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n592/KASEYII/DSC01285-2.jpg

[fire1]

i have been running this same setup for 2 seasons now.. i can tell you it works great... it steers a little quicker because of the shorter rake,,, but i am also running a +6 swinger and that really makes it work out great,,,

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n592/KASEYII/DSC01285-2.jpg

Are you also runnung the yz forks

[Mr. Richard]

my forks are VERY RARE i find out.... they are apprillia 125 forks. THEY ARE AWESOME!!!

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n592/KASEYII/DSC01457.jpg

[dksix]

Kasey, are you also using the VTX triple clamps?

[Mr. Richard]

yes.. i have a few sets of them,,, picked them up a year and a half ago.

[Hotrodhoppy]

Wow, I didn't realize it till just now, but Mr. Richard is the one that wrote up this thread a couple years ago that got me started.....http://www.3wheeler.org/vb/showthread.php?39497-250r-Inverted-Forks I owe Mr. Richard a big thanks for this write up.:headbang:
Vtx clamps are a great idea, and cheep too.

[doord521]

Love that R Richard. Makes me smile when I see it. Kinda silly but it reminds me of Wall-E

[Mr. Richard]

Wow, I didn't realize it till just now, but Mr. Richard is the one that wrote up this thread a couple years ago that got me started.....http://www.3wheeler.org/vb/showthread.php?39497-250r-Inverted-Forks I owe Mr. Richard a big thanks for this write up.:headbang:
Vtx clamps are a great idea, and cheep too.

wow i didn't ralize it was that long ago,,,, kool i am glad someone else has done it now!!! very cool.

[travis i]

i had just read caseys build on 3ww and was following build to gain some more info. could these clamps be applied to a 350x? do you know what year the forks are. on your last thread it said that the clamps were 50mm tops and 54mm bottoms. i have been having a hard time finding what forks could swap in. any additional info would be great. thanks

[motoman12]

its looking like the forks are the hard parts to find or finding one that fit

[Hotrodhoppy]

i had just read caseys build on 3ww and was following build to gain some more info. could these clamps be applied to a 350x? do you know what year the forks are. on your last thread it said that the clamps were 50mm tops and 54mm bottoms. i have been having a hard time finding what forks could swap in. any additional info would be great. thanks

I don't see why these wouldn't work on 350x, but will take some machine work to make the stem fit. I will be posting more pics of this project soon to show how I made things fit together. The VTX clamps are about 56.5mm top and bottom. The bottom clamps clamped right on the forks, but I had to machine a set of sleeves to get the top clamps to work. My YZ KYB forks are very common. You can find them on a lot of early 90's to mid 2000 kx yz, and some rm cr dirt bikes. Right now Im in the process of machining a axle for the hub. This whole set up is taking a bit of machine, and some fab work to make it work. Nice thing about the aparila forks is you can use the atc axle, but it's a Italian dirt bike so, you almost have to go to Italy to find a set.

[travis i]

that would be sweet to see pictures. my dad and i just bought some tools and bits for the lathe and mill he got, so this looks like a fun project to try this on. i have looked for about a week for the aprilia forks and thats a no go. i am looking forward to your progress reports.

[JasonB]

those look slick man! lov ethe black forks, and inverts make trikes look so much more updated.

[Hotrodhoppy]

3129031291
Here is what I had to do to make top and bottom clamps fit the fork legs. The dirt bike has a longer stem than the 3wheeler, so I counter bored the top of the top clamp 1.75" dia with a .330 depth. Then a spacer was machined for the bottom of the top clamp .230" thick.

[Hotrodhoppy]

3129231293
The top of the forks were much smaller in diameter than the top clamp diameters, I made some aluminum sleeves with slots cut to fill in the gap.

[Hotrodhoppy]

313033130431305Got a lot done today. Light is on. and the brake caliper with a dirt bike brake line to the 250r master. Still need to put fluid in bleed the line. The 3wheeler brake rotor is too small in diameter. The pads only grip the top part of the rotor. It's going to need a YZ rotor.

[fire1]

Looks great nice job!

[Hotrodhoppy]

3130631307Here are pics of the steering stops. I used the shoulder of a long 5/8" bolt cut into two 1." pieces. Then I welded them on the faces of the steering stop. Just in case I have a crash. Don't want to put the fork legs through the radiators.

[Hotrodhoppy]

3130831309More pics...

[Red Rider]

Nice job on the swap. The longer inverts balance the bike out nicely. I'd be careful sliding it though.

[travis i]

thats turned out real nice. and not to difficult. i was going to try and make my own triples but that easier. thanks for all the pics

[travis i]

could i use two top pieces of the vtx triple and put in my 350x stem. the price of the whole triple is pricey but i will keep an eye out.

[Hotrodhoppy]

Thanks for the complements guys. Ive seen your set ups, and they are what inspired me to try this. All these years Ive been riding little sahara Ut I have never seen a trike out there with a invert conversion. I can't wait to see how it will handle. I know it will take some time to get used to, and I will have to take it easy at first.

[Hotrodhoppy]

could i use two top pieces of the vtx triple and put in my 350x stem. the price of the whole triple is pricey but i will keep an eye out.

I thought about using two vtx top clamps, and if I do this again that is the way Im going to go. I think it would be less work, and look cleaner because the top and bottom clamps would match. All you have to do is machine the hole for the stem the same inside demensions as the bottom clamp of the 350x. You will have to allow room for a 1/16" to 1/8" spacer or washer to go between the clamp and the bottom of the bearing in order for the bearing to spin freely. The hardest part was figuing out what to do for a axle. Because I used YZ forks, the dirt bike axle is much bigger than the trike so I ended up making a new axle with the denensions I needed to fit the forks and the hub. The caliper side fork had a 15mm thread which is bigger than the trikes 14mm thread. I guess there is a couple ways to go here, and I didn't think about this till after I machined the axle that maybe a simple 15mm helicoil would work. I made the axle with a fine 13mm thread then drilled and tapped a fine 13mm ID thread using a 15mm bolt. Then I used some locktight and threaded the 15mm bolt into the fork leg. I hope this works, if not I can machine a nother axle, and try the helicoil idea. Now I know why guys use the KTM forks.

[travis i]

sweet, i was thinking it would work but wanted someone who has done its input. and thanks for the info on the axle. i was thinking over what to do. i just got a set of rm250 forks in the mail today. they are the same diameter as ur forks and was kicking myself for not buying a set of polished triples on ebay, they went so cheaper than stock but i didn't do much research on them. but i will try the two top triples if i don't win the set im watching now. thanks again for all your info.

[doord521]

You used VTX1800 triples correct? Does anyone know if the VTX1300 triples are the same or not?

[Hotrodhoppy]

I don't know much about the 1300 clamps. I do know they have a smaller clamping diameter with could work with the smaller forks from a YZ, KX 85 or 100. Also will need to make shure the width of the clamping diameters will be wide enouph to fit the front tire.

[Hotrodhoppy]

Now that I got the axle bearing problem taken care of maybe I can finally take this out for a test run.

[travis i]

i bought suzuki forks and just changed the seals, and got the triple trees bored out the clamps to fit. i just need to fit the steering stem and make an axle. i also have my dads neighbor welding my old triple and the suzuki triple together. ( we works in a machine shop and has a guy that is going to tig weld them, he does it for a living so i would think he will do a good job) so he has my extra set of triples and will let ya know when how it all works out. i am watching some more cheap parts on ebay.

[travis i]

oh yeah i am trying to use both top triples clamps. so i had to open up one of them to 56.5 mm and than i made a shim like you did for the top clamp.

[Hotrodhoppy]

Keep me posted. I am curious how this will work on a 350x. Do you know if the 350x triples have a rake angle? I know the 250r has about a 6 degree built into the stock triples.

[travis i]

i don't think they have any rake and i just need to press the stem out and get a tapered drill bit, so i can press the 350x stem into the vtx clamp. i was also wondering if anybody had used a long bolt as the stem, i am not sure if you even press the stem out, i figured that is what a guy would do. they guy would not weld for me either, he didn't want to take the risk of the welds not holding. so i just got my old triples back and will try to due some more work. let me know if anyone has done or if a bolt for the stem is a good or bad idea. i will post pics or let ya know when i get some work done. my baby daughter has been keeping me busy lately so if i get time to tinker its real late and i have to be quiet in the garage.

[Hotrodhoppy]

I would use the 350x stem. Any machine shop or auto repair shop should have a arbor press that can get that stem out. A little heat to the aluminum will help it press out easier.

[Hotrodhoppy]

Finally got to take it out for a little rip today to test out the new suspension. Still working on the front rotor so no front breaks yet. I think I got it all figured out. Definitely a much taller bike now. About 2 1/2 to 3" taller seat height than a 400ex, and the front springs are stiffer and tighter than the stock ones. Steering is quicker, and I think the turning radius is even sharper than what it was. A nice little surprise that I wasn't expecting is it wants to keep the front wheel in a strait line. Going down a strait away it didn't pull at all to the left or right. Soaked up any whoops, and bumps perfectly. My 6" extended swing arm feels more like the stock one now. I can easily pull a wheelie in 4th gear. Now I can't wait to see what it will do in the sand. So far I'm very happy with the set up.

[Hotrodhoppy]

The little motor head sitting on it is the assistant fabricator, wrench holder, and general gofer. 317153171631717

[cbx1170]

This is exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks. I will compare the VTX18 trips and what appears/may be Valkyrie trips for my needs. I need some specs on Valkyrie trip top and bottom holes. I need 54mm top 58mm bottom.....

Not sure I would use two tops tho. Have to think on that. I have done many bike repairs from insurance crashers and the lower trips are made that way for a reason.....

I have some 250r lowers that are cracked.... no thanks!

[travis i]

your 250r looks nice, i wish my boy wanted to do stuff in the garage with me. stupid video games. i got an old go cart to see if he gets interested in fixing it up, or just riding with me. great work on your atc.

[Hotrodhoppy]

Well guess it's time for a ride update. Been testing out this new set up, and the more I ride it the more I like it. I rode so hard this weekend I bent my custom swing arm, and blew a head gasket. I guess I just was having too much fun. No matter how hard I rode I couldn't bottom out the front forks. I could fly over the whoops at the bottom of sand mountain in 6th gear, and stay in perfect control. Any rough or tore up sand was like riding on glass. With the longer forks I could go right over the tops of the dunes, and I never drug bottom over the man eating razorbacks. Even had a few dirt bikes come over to check out the setup. They had never seen a trike with inverts, and was very impressed with the idea. Sooo here's a few recent pics in the dunes. Sorry my trike hating family wouldn't take any action pictures for me while I was jumping.

3326733268332693327033271

[wild200x]

nice set up. i like it. Anthony went to the dunes too i guess!? did you see him? (Mr.350x)

[Hotrodhoppy]

Actually I rode right passed him, and didn't realize who it was till I got home, and saw his picture on facebook. It was after I blew the head gasket on the wheeler so I riding the trx250r. If I had been riding my trike he probably would have recognized me.

[The otha TRI-Z]

Very impressive R. I like the colors a lot.

[BWard]

I would really like to do this trick set up someday.
Looks Great