New triple tree clamping concept from Gilles

Ok..then that's useless complication.

 

What's complicated about it?

 

ahh, I didnt realize the yellow part was 2 pieces.

ive heard that over-tightening clamps can oval the tubes and should be avoided. its ez enough to avoid with a torque wrench. are there any more drawbacks that necessitate a different design?

 

That collet doesn't appear to have much meat for threads. That's going to make it fragile to those with gorilla like wrenching skills. Kill one and your weekend is done. The same gorilla could strip a bolt hole on a triple as well but to get by the gorilla could run a longer bolt through with a nut.

That collet is also more difficult to make and likely won't be a cheap to replace.

 

Nope.

 

As you said, tube crushing, but also not having to go back and forth with sequential tightening of multiple fasteners per leg and as a design result, weight reduction, not to mention rigidity?

Preach it, brother.

 

One thing it does do is allow the lower triple to be used with many different diameter tubes via different diameter collets. That does make the lower production easier for the product line. The uppers will still need to be tube size specific. Do the same for the uppers and you have an almost universal triple clamp system. Swap out to the correct stem and grab the correct diameter collets and you are good to go. That does move the manufacturing complications to the collets. Over all I can see some positives and negatives.

 

theres no way one design/stiffness for a lower clamp is optimal for all bikes. that part seems pointless.

 

As for rigidity, I don't think anyone is designing flex into the steering stem as part of the handling equation. If anything, all indications of triple clamp design show that everyone is trying to remove the flex. I've never seen one developed for a performance application that had a decrease in mating surface area and/or had only one clamping bolt.

 

Collet torque values would provide tuneable flex, no? Torque to flex, then lock with a set screw/retainer.

 

Nope

 

Yamaha published exactly that for the 17+ R6. they put on stiffer forks and needed to remove stiffness from the triple.

 

Yamaha did change the lower triple from the 06-07 R6 to the 08 and up R6. They changed the lower triple to grab 10mm higher on the tube to help change flex characteristics.

 

My experience with fine threads and aluminum tell me that this could be a very problematic system if someone got a bit heavy handed or if the part was a bit dirty after a tumble.

 

When it's used on the top factory Moto Gp bikes then maybe it might have some advantage. Until then looks like a marketing gimmick.

 

I’ve had this Gilles triple tree on my RC51 for the past 3-4 years. It is an impressive part, fully adjustable in almost every way, beautifully machined and can be switched between bikes.

If someone is interested in buying one, I can send photos and a lot more information. I remember this being a little bit pricey, but I think it is a nicer product than my Attack or other aftermarket triple clamps.

 

I won't pretend to know anything about triple clamp engineering principles so forgive me if I got the ideas and words mixed up - I generally try to say the correct thing when shit gets technical. For a clue as to what I'm talking about, stangmx13 said Yamaha said they stiffened the forks. Well, look below at Gilles' advantages, specifically, the fourth one.

What, like on a shock collar? Those kinda fine threads in a dirty environment? Few people spending $1500 for a triple set are gonna be ham-fisted or ignorant.

Gilles Tooling doesn't do gimmicks. They're German...no foolin' around BS. Maybe their triple clamps aren't on any of these bikes, I wouldn't know.

https://www.gillestooling.com/racing/



From Gilles...
Several advantages of Gilles Tooling F.O.-ONE Triple Trees over stock are:
- Adjustable without removal of top clamp
- Readjust without removal of steering head bearing
- Offsets available in different sizes
- No fork distortion, even under extreme conditions
- Patented AllOver clamp accommodates different size fork tubes (54-60mm)
- Lightweight, aircraft grade 7075 aluminum construction
HONDA
Frankly, I don't really care who uses 'em. I'm just aghast that anyone would argue against German engineering. I mean, how dare you?

PSA: Before anyone goes nuts over the "old" sponsorship deals, these triple clamps came out in 2014.

 

Relative to my non-engineering education concerning non-certified opinions...
IMO, it's not the stack height of threads that give them holding power, it's the length of their cut if you could uncoil them. As long as the material is stiff enough so as not to distort the shape of the fastener, you're not gonna strip the threads any sooner than you would the traditional set-up. It's late, I ain't doin' the math.

 

Most importantly here. Are these legal for I group trackday guys and novice racers? This type of technology shouldn't go wasted.

 

They are definitely pretty and look to be well engineered. I don't consider myself to be hamfisted or ignorant (opinions may vary) but I have boogered up threads similar to that just because I was not paying close enough attention. And the dirt comes from when you cartwheel your shit thru the grass at 100+ MPH. See my user name to understand my concern about that better.

For me there is just no need for this much complexity in a triple clamp. If I had bags of money I would probably have pretty stuff like that on my bikes but it would strictly be because it was pretty. But it would not be for any performance advantage.