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Rake kit

thanks for the feed back, certainly some pro's and con's to think over. Fortunitly it's not something I plan on doing right away if at all. One of the local dealers I stopped into has one on the floor, think I'll see If I can test ride it. Maybe that will be the deciding factor. Ya gotta admit it does look good if you get the right combination, good ride'n guys.
 
Remember its for show not riding .

Everyone puts on chrome for show. Most of the people who install slip-ons do it for the sound, not the performance. And forward controls don't give you better positioning to handle the bike. But all of us make choices to customize our bikes as an extension of our creativity and our style of riding.

I don't dip my bike into curves any more, but I enjoy a great cruise. And I lose a little maneuverability from a standstill, but I still love the rake. I think it was one of those Dirty Harry movies where Clint Eastwood says, "A man has to know his limitations." If you acknowledge your limitations and respect them, it's not unsafe.

I think it's a nice show, and it's a nice ride, too, even if there are some trade-offs. I don't think death is imminent, either, because I choose to ride chopper style.

Ride safe.
 
Speaking on rakes i have a fxr and went to a 7 deg tree and at about 70 got steering shake but it looked good so i took the tree off and used the 3 deg cups worked ok but there a job to put in straight a it turned a little hard so unless you want to cut your frame to get where you want to be its a bad idea,jel
 
I have the same questions. I've thought about putting one of those AME kits on my 05 Sportster but I'm not sure about it because of the issues already raised.

That being said, I would say that raking out a stock Sporty isn't what the bike/frame was made for. I don't think choppers are unsafe if you do what a previous poster said in that you 'know your limitations'. But in raking out a stock sporty you're changing the geometry and balance of the bike. That would be the only thing (imo) that would make it at all unsafe. I'm still considering doing it to mine, but I understand at the outset what I'm getting into.
 
One thing that people need to understand is the difference between raked trees and kits from company's like AME. The AME kit has the correct rake and trail geometry built into their kits unlike most raked triple trees that don't factor in the trail. The AME kit changes the pivot point so it is correct and very safe. I installed the 9 degree kit with 4" over tubes on my bike for cosmetic reasons. I just wanted it a little more stretched out than stock but not sacrifice too much on handling. With that said, I've ridden in the same twisty sections as before with no ill effect and the straights are rock stable. The AME kit is a high-quality product IMO and glad I went this way. Here's a pic of my bike for reference.

100_4155.jpg


100_4149.jpg
 
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One thing that people need to understand is the difference between raked trees and kits from company's like AME. The AME kit has the correct rake and trail geometry built into their kits unlike most raked triple trees that don't factor in the trail. The AME kit changes the pivot point so it is correct and very safe. I installed the 9 degree kit with 4" over tubes on my bike for cosmetic reasons. I just wanted it a little more stretched out than stock but not sacrifice too much on handling. With that said, I've ridden in the same twisty sections as before with no ill effect and the straights are rock stable. The AME kit is a high-quality product IMO and glad I went this way. Here's a pic of my bike for reference.

100_4155.jpg


100_4149.jpg


Is there a tank lift on your bike?
 
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good looking sporty sounds like you know its limitations know what you mean about the difference in handling bet it would look god with a bobtail fender nice choice of color too
 
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