California based Battistinis say they have teamed up with suspension and fork manufacturer American Suspension to develop a new style set of lower legs - taking inspiration from 1970s motocross.
These legs feature an axle that is offset over 1 1/2” forward and around 1/2” lower, “to give a perfect trail when fitting a 23” front wheel to any touring bike.”
Described as a “true bolt-on part,” ‘Leading Axle’ fork legs simply replace the stock lower legs without the need to remove the fairing, trees or change the frame geometry – “the ‘Leading Axle’ fork leg has the corrected trail built right into the leg.”
Utilizing the stock brakes, fender and all fork internals, Battistinis say they can be replaced in under two hours, reducing downtime and labor cost compared to alternate solutions.
Machined from 6061-T6 aluminum, they have a wrap-around fender mount that has the corrected alignment built in to allow the use of the stock fender (no need for any extra raise-up kits) and a modular design that allows for various color and finish combinations - choose from all chrome, all black, chrome and black or black and chrome.
The caliper mounting brackets are held in place with two 1/2” bolts to ensure rigidity and provide the option of single or dual disc - a radial mounting bracket and caliper is separately available. The radial mount caliper can be set up to use 11.5”, 11.8”, 13”, 16” or even 18” rotors.
The axle can be fitted either way, and is secured with an axle cap which protects the leg from possible damage if cross-threaded, and keeps full suspension travel with a 23” front wheel – there’s no need to install travel limiters or uprated springs. The kit is said to be compatible with American Suspension’s own fully adjustable cartridge and suspension kits. With the axle offset, the “high point” of the wheel is moved forward, making the wheel and tire appear larger - doing this gains frame and tree clearance. Using the offset fork leg allows more travel than using raked trees or any previous option. The patent pending design is said to provide an easy way to “get the best ride on a 23” wheel conversion - nothing else is needed and it looks great with the stock front fender.”
BATTISTINIS CUSTOM CYCLES
www.battistinisusa.com