Jake Robbins
taper-girder forks
The last time we were at Jake's workshop way back in the hilly-billy country of East Sussex, he was working on a new batch of replica Castle forks to satisfy demand for his products (and very good quality forks they were too).
Jake was telling us that he was working on Webb-type replica Triumph Speed Twin fork and that he'd located a supplier of the crucial tapered tubing (crucial if you want authenticity) and that he was now working on the finer points of the fabrication and should have a set ready in the near future.
Well, it looks like he's moved the project on someways because here is the next stage in the development of those forks bolted to what looks like a T120 or T140 test rig.
They're not exact a Speed Twin replica fork, although they share many of the characteristics. Instead, Jake tells us that these items are a kind of "halfway house" intended for the bobber/chopper/custom bike/general classic bike market.
The fork tubing is one-inch double tapered seamless stock welded to laser-cut steel lugs. A traditional single spring handles the shocks. A double friction damper system is employed to quell the recoils. And he's using Oilite bushes for the spindles.
▲ Above: Jake Robbins's bobber/chopper fork detail. Tapered tubing. Lazer cut lugs. All-welded construction. £1100. More "faithful" Speed Twin forks are coming.
The eventual Speed Twin fork, meanwhile, will feature cast lugs and will be brazed in the traditional manner.
There's little point in asking if the quality is as high as his Castle forks, because we know that Jake won't make them unless he's satisfied that they're as good as they can be.
Jake has orders from around the world and is intending to keep them as an "off-the-shelf" item adaptable for a range of projects. So it's likely that different lengths will be on offer.
Telephone: 07986 254144
— Del Monte
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