Rake vs Trail?

[mittens]

So My chopper rides great. Got a Buddy's Custom bike in here. did some work on it. It FLOPPS hard. like start to turn the bars and BAM full lock. Once driving its ok, but sucks to park or turn around. The tripple Trees are Arlen Ness and all the chrome is crap.

I am told the Rake is the angle made into the triple tree + the Rake in frame/stem. Trail is something else. So my question is when replacing these triple trees can we get something with the proper rake to make it not flop so much? Its a Custom softail Frame. And just looking the Trees look parallel to the Neck bearing.

Also side note my 2004 Chopper has 35Degree in Neck, and Pro one tripple trees. not sure what angle they are 5 or 7?

 

[mittens]

Trying to measure Trail on this custome bike in question is like 12 inches.... from google teling me 3-6 is good. more then 6 will flop and be hard to turn so that makes since... but you cant take the rake out of the frame?

 

[HMAN]

Professional Rake and Trail Calculator

whosyadaddy.com

 

[john sachs]

Get some triple trees that are NOT offset, (0 degrees of rake). If you are at 35 degrees in the frame steering head (frame level), you should have no problem. Also realize, with an extended fork length, you may run into a flopping issue also.
John

 

[mittens]

The forks are short on this bike and the trees are strait on this bike. its all the rake in the neck of the frame.

My Big dog Chopper has 5=7degree Trees, and longer fork tubes. and no flop.

 

[mittens]

From all my Reading adding Rake in the trees will take away trail. Which is bad for stability. BUT in the case of a bike put together wrong and SO MUCH trail its flops HARD. this could help.

If you add Tube length and rake it keeps it the same but just rake same tubes will take away soem trail. need to play with calculator.