Replacement front shock on a girder front end

HeвЂ™s a determined fellow, and convinced that forks are at the end of their life span. No forks here, heвЂ™s chopped the front off a 2004 Yamaha YZF-R1 and grafted on his own design, one that went from CAD to wood to the product you see here-machined from billet 6061 aluminum-in just under a year. This is how he designed it with some pictures.Д«y Rennie Scaybrooks, 'Can this Crazy Front End Really Replace Forks?'Дown in the depths of the bitterly boring and generally freezing city that is Canberra-AustraliaвЂ™s Capital Territory-Laurence Smith of Suspension Smith has been burrowing away under a ton of aluminum swarf and sweat for the past 12 months to create his version of the future of motorcycles front suspension. What do you guys and gals think? You think its going to be the 'future?' Or what would you think you would do to make the Girder handle better through high speed cornering? But I keep wondering if the 'traditional' front end wasn't doing the proper job, wouldn't the big engineering guys up at Honda, Ducati.ect change it up? I would like to read about this front end in a couple months with the some tyres that suit the front end, have rake, trail, rider height dialed in and maybe send it to a track that's suited for a 1000. Or maybe just for cruisers or a non high performance bike. I think it needs some more development before its on a serious race bikes but it could be the future. I thought it's an excellent, different way of thinking. I read this article this afternoon about Laurence Smith redesign of a New Front End. I know it's LONG but really worth reading.

Replacement front shock on a girder front end