Lowering a Felt Bandit front end.

[tri297]

Lately I have been looking at a bike that I have in storage. Its a Felt Bandit chopper. I stopped riding it because I dont really like chopper bicycles. I am more of a board tracker, low to the ground bike kind of guy. I always wanted to shorten the fork but the frame is pointy in the front and kind of low, I figured shortening the fork would not be possible, until I saw this: http://ratrodbikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/felt-bicycle-pics.16855/page-5

So, today im gonna dig up that ride from storage and try to lower that front end. I will love that bike again. I do have some questions about how to do it. The main thing im wondering about is, looking at the picture, wether new axle mounts are welded in the middle of the fork and the bottom part was chopped off, or if the fork was raised and the top part chopped off. And if that second option would have the same result. Also, any way of changing the angle of the headtube on this bike or if there are forks available that do that. I even thought about flipping the fork so the axle mounts are on the inside, closer to the frame hence changing the angle. Havent seen that done anywhere, so maybe there is a reason for not doing that. Looking forward to learning more from the rat bike comunity. Any tips welcome.

Daniel.

 

[gigmata]

Daniel,

Have a look at the Girvin forks I went with on this
bike. They are backwards from the factory. I need another set at the moment but I have been happy with them. The board tracker "Great Blue Yale" rides nicer than any car I have ridden in.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tri297]

Ok I will be chopping the lower end of the fork and adding new mounts higher up. Question: I have the bike set up to figure out the height and wonder what is the lowest functioning height for the pedals from the ground with the crank in vertical position. I will be riding this to work, so it has to work and pedal fine, but I also want as low as possible. Any tips welcome. Thanks in advance. PS its looking sick, trying to post a pic later.

 

[texasbigjon]

if its a standard style triple tree fork, it would be a whole lot less work to just slide the tubes upward to your desired ride height, then hack them off.

 

[tri297]

Hi. Here is an update on my build. This is somewhat the way I want the bike to look after I lower it. The lower the better, but I noticed that there are some challenges there. It would not be any fun if there werent right?

1. How low: The pedals need to clear the ground when riding. I figured I can leave 1.5 inch between the ground and the pedal in vertical postion. I think it should be enough. I can also get some shorter cranks, but not sure if I should. These feel like 170/172, pretty long, maybe I can go to 168, depends whats available around here. How long are cranks on cruisers/choppers in general?

2. Chopping the fork: My first plan was pulling the fork up through the triple tree and chop the top off, and i found it odd that the picture I saw of the lowered bandit had the bottom chopped off. When I looked at the fork I found this sticker under the triple tree stating "do not tighten crown below this line" I think this means that I should not tighten the crown below that point on the fork tubes. Im guessing it is because it might break or something. Any tips on how serious this statement could be are welcome.

3. Bars: The bars of this bike are simple tubes with a 90 degree angle that insert in the fork tubes from the top. This makes the bars very high and chopper like. I want the bars lower. So I am looking for a way to clamp bars to the fork tubes between the top and bottom crown of the triple tree. could be any clamp that fits the fork tube, which allows attaching a bar to it, that fits the shifter grip.

Any help or suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance. Daniel.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

A couple of things...

Yes, 1.5" is enough clearance under your cranks: Provided you teach yourself to ride pedal up when turning, if you don't you can get some bad pedal strike which can make you crash or at least not look as cool as you wanted to in front of that girl you were trying to impress...

I would guess there may be a difference in tube thickness inside your forks, which may be the reason for the sticker. OR: they just don't want you to lower the front too far for legality reasons. Is there any way of seeing inside the forks to check thickness below and above that point?

Sounds like what you want for your bars would be "Clamp on's" usually available on eBay for cafe racer motorbikes, only problem is that you need two 7/8" bars and they will probably come with one 1" and one 7/8" for the twist grip throttle. You may be able to get around this by buying two sets, but it will depend on the bars themselves if they have any curve in them that may not work when they are flipped. Your other option could be to get some older style cruiser bars and flip them upside down in your normal clamp, that would drop them lower.

Luke.

 

[tri297]

Thanks Luke, those are good tips.

I will shine some light in the fork tubes to see if I see any changes in the tube past the triple tree, maybe tap on it with a wrench to see if the sound changes. I think if there is a change and there is a smooth transition from thick pipe to less thick pipe, I wouldnt be able to see it. Lets see.

As for clearance and pedaling in corners, this should be fine. I built some fixed road bikes which ended up too low and I managed to ride them taking into account the pedals hitting the ground in corners. Should be fine. I will settle for 1.5"

So I need some clamp ons that fit the fork tube and have a 7/8" bar attached to it. Maybe I can get someone to weld a tube to a clamp. Perhaps get some from old motorcycles. Will post an update on what I find with the fork tubes and bars.

tnx, Daniel

 

[rrtbike]

That looks better already!

 

[tri297]

I took a look in the fork tubes, and want to share. As I usually convince myself things are the way I want them to be. Check it out below.

I had to take pics holding my phone and a flashlight in the tube and I can see some difference going deeper. The line you see a bit down, where the corrosion changes a bit is where I estimate the bottom triple tree ends. This change of corrosion can be because of thickness change, but also from the handle bars which were inside this tube from the top. They match this lenght.

My conclusion was that the tubes seem the same thickness all the way down, and maybe even thicker more down. So I figure they will not bend if I chop some off the top. Physics wise I am not sure if pushing the forks up through the triples will increase or decrease the force on the fork. Although I lean towards decrease. But your thoughts are welcome.

Below a pic of the lowered bike, I pushed the forks up through the triple tree. Looking at it now, I think I will get some shorter cranks. Not crazy short, but just a bit so I can leave it this as low as possible and still clear the ground fine.

In other news: Yesterday I found a redline rain city chopper, rusting away behind someones home. I saw a handlebar sticking out and was curious. The owner is not selling it because he plans to fix it one day. (sounds familiar) But I noticed that this bike's lower triple tree mount sticks out more while the top is not. this makes the fork/headset angle bigger. More chopper. Seeing that I want mine smaller, I could use a triple tree like that and flip it, making the angle smaller, and my wheel closer to the frame. I will make him an offer, see what happens. The rain city is low yo, should be scary in traffic.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

I took a look in the fork tubes, and want to share. As I usually convince myself things are the way I want them to be. Check it out below.

I had to take pics holding my phone and a flashlight in the tube and I can see some difference going deeper. The line you see a bit down, where the corrosion changes a bit is where I estimate the bottom triple tree ends. This change of corrosion can be because of thickness change, but also from the handle bars which were inside this tube from the top. They match this lenght.

My conclusion was that the tubes seem the same thickness all the way down, and maybe even thicker more down. So I figure they will not bend if I chop some off the top. Physics wise I am not sure if pushing the forks up through the triples will increase or decrease the force on the fork. Although I lean towards decrease. But your thoughts are welcome.

Below a pic of the lowered bike, I pushed the forks up through the triple tree. Looking at it now, I think I will get some shorter cranks. Not crazy short, but just a bit so I can leave it this as low as possible and still clear the ground fine.

In other news: Yesterday I found a redline rain city chopper, rusting away behind someones home. I saw a handlebar sticking out and was curious. The owner is not selling it because he plans to fix it one day. (sounds familiar) But I noticed that this bike's lower triple tree mount sticks out more while the top is not. this makes the fork/headset angle bigger. More chopper. Seeing that I want mine smaller, I could use a triple tree like that and flip it, making the angle smaller, and my wheel closer to the frame. I will make him an offer, see what happens. The rain city is low yo, should be scary in traffic.

Those forks look to be constant wall thickness to me too!
Pretty easy solution in the end.

Luke.

 

[tri297]

Got some shorter cranks today for 6 bucks. Compared to the 170 stock cranks these are 140.

I mounted them and get about 1 inch space between the ground and pedal in vertical position now. I think I will drop the fork a bit more to get 1.5 inch space. These cranks seem a nice size, I sat on the bike and pedaled to get a feel. So this setup is good. Now the bars and I'm done.

I called some moto shops for the clipons but nobody has any, i only find the U tube clamps which are not suitable for this. Its an island so we have limited supply when in comes to custom parts. Also the clipons for this size fork (1.5") are only used on Harley forks, which in my case means, more expensive than other clipons for Honda/Suzuki etc. Trying to find an alternative makeshift clamp to keep it real rat. Will update with how that goes. Daniel.

 

[gigmata]

Hi. Here is an update on my build. This is somewhat the way I want the bike to look after I lower it. The lower the better, but I noticed that there are some challenges there. It would not be any fun if there werent right?

1. How low: The pedals need to clear the ground when riding. I figured I can leave 1.5 inch between the ground and the pedal in vertical postion. I think it should be enough. I can also get some shorter cranks, but not sure if I should. These feel like 170/172, pretty long, maybe I can go to 168, depends whats available around here. How long are cranks on cruisers/choppers in general?

2. Chopping the fork: My first plan was pulling the fork up through the triple tree and chop the top off, and i found it odd that the picture I saw of the lowered bandit had the bottom chopped off. When I looked at the fork I found this sticker under the triple tree stating "do not tighten crown below this line" I think this means that I should not tighten the crown below that point on the fork tubes. Im guessing it is because it might break or something. Any tips on how serious this statement could be are welcome.

3. Bars: The bars of this bike are simple tubes with a 90 degree angle that insert in the fork tubes from the top. This makes the bars very high and chopper like. I want the bars lower. So I am looking for a way to clamp bars to the fork tubes between the top and bottom crown of the triple tree. could be any clamp that fits the fork tube, which allows attaching a bar to it, that fits the shifter grip.

Any help or suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance. Daniel.

Motorcycle handlebars. I have a lot these send me the OD in millimeters for application.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gordy]

I took a look in the fork tubes, and want to share. As I usually convince myself things are the way I want them to be. Check it out below.

I had to take pics holding my phone and a flashlight in the tube and I can see some difference going deeper. The line you see a bit down, where the corrosion changes a bit is where I estimate the bottom triple tree ends. This change of corrosion can be because of thickness change, but also from the handle bars which were inside this tube from the top. They match this lenght.

My conclusion was that the tubes seem the same thickness all the way down, and maybe even thicker more down. So I figure they will not bend if I chop some off the top. Physics wise I am not sure if pushing the forks up through the triples will increase or decrease the force on the fork. Although I lean towards decrease. But your thoughts are welcome.

Below a pic of the lowered bike, I pushed the forks up through the triple tree. Looking at it now, I think I will get some shorter cranks. Not crazy short, but just a bit so I can leave it this as low as possible and still clear the ground fine.

In other news: Yesterday I found a redline rain city chopper, rusting away behind someones home. I saw a handlebar sticking out and was curious. The owner is not selling it because he plans to fix it one day. (sounds familiar) But I noticed that this bike's lower triple tree mount sticks out more while the top is not. this makes the fork/headset angle bigger. More chopper. Seeing that I want mine smaller, I could use a triple tree like that and flip it, making the angle smaller, and my wheel closer to the frame. I will make him an offer, see what happens. The rain city is low yo, should be scary in traffic.

Hi there,

So sorry to trouble you with such a basic question but I can see that are a real enthusiast and extremely knowledgeable about the Felt Bandit bike. I

recently bought one secondhand in beautiful condition but sadly there are no instructions with it. Hence as a novice at bike mechanics and maintenance I’m just looking for a bit of reassurance as to how to adjust the handlebar/ fork set up. It’s an original bike as standard.

I’m really looking to get into these cruiser bikes. They look so amazing and such great fun but as I say I need to build my understanding before I just start to meddling around and potentially cause damage or do something that is unsafe.
Really hoping you could help me out. Thanks so much.

G.

 

[ifitsfreeitsforme]

heh heh, why should you avoid the "meddling around and causing damage" bit, we all did and survived. (chuckle) Just kidding. You're in the right place for all the advice you need.

 

[Gordy]

OMG that’s so hugely reassuring. I thought that you would just think ‘what the heck’ and may be you did but you’re a star for saying it in such a supportive way. So looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks so much.
PS - hoping beyond hope that it’s not ‘beyond’ me

Thanks again.
G.

 

[Gordy]

Oh and btw I’m in the UK so I hope that doesn’t count against me.

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

All I did with my Bandit was remove the fork legs & used a pipe cutter to remove 4.5" from the top to level the frame. Cut a small slit for compression on the bars when tightening & re-installed. Rides like a dream but have to be sure of pedal position in turns to avoid dragging them.

One of my favorite riders....

 

[Gordy]

All I did with my Bandit was remove the fork legs & used a pipe cutter to remove 4.5" from the top to level the frame. Cut a small slit for compression on the bars when tightening & re-installed. Rides like a dream but have to be sure of pedal position in turns to avoid dragging them.View attachment 182776View attachment 182777

One of my favorite riders....

OMG that sounds great but sadly well above me in terms of knowledge and proficiency. I’m just keen to understand how I set up the standard handlebar and fork arrangement. When I bought the bike the chap selling it kindly loosened the handlebars and put them together(very close together) at the top of the forks to make transit easier but I don’t know how to fix them into an outward position to ride the bike again. Also I can see from photo on the net that you can make the forks shorter rather than longer for a different type of ride but again I’m not sure how to do this as I have no instruction book with the bike?
So sorry to be a pain with all you guys that clearly reengineer things within a heart beat!

 

[Mr. Monkeyarms]

The 2 allen bolts that clamp on each side of the fork can be loosened to adjust the bars. When you slide them out they get closer to your body. When you find the position you like, tighten the 2 allen bolts on each side to keep them in place.

 

[Gordy]

The 2 allen bolts that clamp on each side of the fork can be loosened to adjust the bars. When you slide them out they get closer to your body. When you find the position you like, tighten the 2 allen bolts on each side to keep them in place.

OK. Thank you. I did it!
Great advice Mr Monkeyarms. Made the adjustments today and hoping to get out on the bike tomorrow. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. The bike looks and feels great. Must send you a photo! Cheers and thanks again.
G.