Nichols top triple 05-06 SDs?

How many of you with 05-06 SDs would be interested in a Nichols top triple with the standard 05-06 fork offset?

This would be a straight fit no changing the lower triple so you would keep your much better 05-06s steering geometry

Advantages: Looks the nuts (Bling) its stronger, less flex, more direct feel no rubber mounted bars, and you can play with dropping your forks through the clamps further

Interested so far:

1.TLS_Russ

2. Linga

Also on this...
If we get this off the ground one lucky Member gets the chance to purchase my 07 Nichols and Black anodised... Yes that's right folks... BLACK anodised, lower tree!
Wow!
This is amazing... I'm soo excited

I have emailed Nichols and asked them how many pieces they need ordered to produce the 05-06 SD top triple,

I will post up when I get an answer

Post up a price as well dude. I could be interested at the right price.

Good idea.

Not sure how far you'll get with NIchols as i know they refused to do a triple project for GoGo's RC8. Worth asking the question though.

I have 05 upper and lower sitting here doing nothing if anyone needs them for measuring.

Well said on the benefits . Bling, stronger, less flex, solid bar mounts with the option of two positions........plus the range of adjustmet is there if you wanted to play with fork height or balance the bike back out if a 190 rear was fitted.

There is a guy on the KTM forum that does top yokes, but top trees that allow you to go from clip ons to streetfighter bars.

If its a no go for Nichols worth giving him a shout.

Edit
This is him:
http://www.topyokes.com/
http://www.ktmforum.co.uk/members/motomatt.html

No reply from Nichols as yet

Might be better to do this in the UK anyway, just need a few more takers, a Nichols top triple and an 05-06 OEM top triple to get started

If you would, please explain.
My thought was that the Nichol's, for lack of a better term, relaxed the geometry. Is it that the clamp does not fit or is it that people are going to get to lower thier forks to recieve no change in geometry?

Dan, It just comes as a bare top triple. The lower from ktm comes with the centre spindle. Those are the bearings from my original .


It's 150 direct from ktm for an 07> lower. You can pick them up on eBay Germany for under 80 quid delivered.



I'm leaving Nichols threads now coz it's starting to do my nut in.

thanx that was helpful and I can see now why a top triple for an 06 would help. I flunked spelling and geometry so I try to keep it simple with concepts like boobies and beer and infinity.

Nichols have not even had the common courtesy to answer my email enquiry....... hmm.....

I will be chatting up Harris Performance when I get back to the UK

I haven't asked him if he could/would do one but Kev @ Projex has made loads of tripleclamps for the custom bike scene. i think he was charging about £200 for a complete set. Worth giving him a bell.
Harris charge about £800 for an adjustable set - fork offset to your specification and a shim set to change the rake.

There is one thing I don't understand about this though: why do we want yokes that allows us to drop the forks through? Surely the SD steers too slowly already and there is an issue with the weight bias being too much towards the rear?
For me I would run the yokes pushed down the forks to improve the steering and front end feel/grip if it wasn't for the lack of ground clearance.
I think I would be interested in the Nichols ride height adjuster or get a solution in place from somewhere else.

Dave, a significant number of people are of the opinion that the head angle is too sharp / there is not enough trail.

Do you not think the steering is amazingly quick?

The idea of the yolks is to enable you to push the forks down to increase trail / slow steering.

Yeah the whole idea was to push the forks down through the yokes to make the front end more stable through corners. I have pushed mine 5mm beyond flush but wouldn't want to go anymore with the standard clamps. They also make a height adjuster for the shock to lift the rear and lengthen the wheelbase even more. I have the SDR shock in which has already raised the rear on my 06. Would like to have another 10=15mm on the front but without the offset clamps that's not going to happen. Steering is still really quick. Not sure if you saw the original GoGo thread on this but its a good read.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11514&p=131569#p131569

Yep, I think the 05-06 steering and feel is just about perfect, on the limit of stability sometimes but thats the trade off,

All we need is a top triple with the 05-06 offset based on the Nichols design not a complete set,

Dropping the forks a little further than the standard top triple allows will enable you to tailor the front end to where and how you ride and also move the instability further away, a much better idea than fitting a steering damper

I think the clamping width on both the standard top triple and the Nichols should be deeper, the same as the bottom triple would be much better

Solid bar mounting will also give more feel for what the front tyre is doing

I have a few people in mind who can do this in the UK, I will start with Harris as their reputation is second to none, yes maybe a little more expensive but worth it,
I am picking up some PVM wheels for my TLs from Harris when I get back to England so that will be a good time to chat them up

My SD is the first one into the UK.
It was KTM's press bike and then the prototype for the Battle series.
If the '07 onwards model is slower steering than the '05-'06 bikes why did the Nichols clamp come out for them?
I've watched the video on this trying to find out why Trivalley thought this was such a good idea and I'm still not sure I understand what its for/how you are supposed to use it.
I think its important to understand how and what they used both components for and what effects they were looking for. (triple clamp and ride height adjuster)
E.G. if you push the forks down through the yokes (raising yoke and headstock) this has the effect of not only increasing the the trail but increasing the effective steering head angle. If you then use the ride height adjuster you can reduce the steering head angle and trail back to the original figures but this also has the effect of raising the center of gravity. Is this the only effect? Other than increasing the pitch of the motorcycle and making it even more difficult for short arses like myself to reach the ground is this the only effect? Does raising the CofG improve front end feel?
Obviously adjusting the rear ride height too much can severely effect the amount of traction available.
According to my little suspension book raising the rear ride height steepens the steering making the bike turn in more quickly, reduce stability and increasing front grip whilst also reducing rear grip.

ok... +1... any idear of price... i want the bling... and the solid mounted bars

the ride hight adjuster was to reduce the ride hight at the back

I think the reason they came out Dave was that GoGo was racing an 07 onwards bike and kept losing the front. Tri Valley who provided his bike got together with Nicholas and they came up with the height adjuster and top triple. That thread of GoGo's kind explains it all if I remember rightly.

Did you ever get anywhere with this Russ?

adding my 20p's worth
i always felt the sd (mines an 06 ) was always a hand full , i think the general problem is the headstock needs cut off and re-welded back on about an inch lower ,then the forks re-set to compensate , i can't explain it better than this
this is a seat of pants feel thing
i generally run race tyres raceteks etc , part worn cast offs from my mates daughters 675 racer
but it felt better with avon storms on it , tho they got roasted sharpish

i have a 97 blade ,a million miles on it and the most confidence inspiring bike i know (familiartiy i guess)
i'd love my sd to feel like this but it dosen't
so the quest begins to alter it to my liking first thing is to find out why i starts to weave on the stock suspension settings at about 90