Turdbo Cat
Newbie
I have some real world info for anyone wondering about the Barn of Parts mechanical power steering kit.
It flat out works.
I've always thought my 2013 RR turbo should steer easier, and was entertaining the addition of electric power steering... unfortunately with the turbo, room and weight are an issue. When seeing Barn of Parts kit, I thought wow, how simple...
I also thought wow, how expensive.
So I built my own.
My design encapsulates the steering arm versus sits on top of it, but the premise is the same. The furthest tie rod hole is 2" back from the OEM spindle hole.
After riding 350miles last weekend, the theory proved itself as a winner. Sure, it changes the turning radius, but nothing that one can't handle if they look 20 feet ahead the end of their ski tips. Be aware of your surroundings and the loss of turning radius means little.
I think the slowing down of the steering geometry actually helps calm down trail manners too. It's much easier to correct a loose or tail-out condition on icy corners.
I'd say it reduced effort by 50%. Its awesome.
Now..
Im not sharing this about building my own to demean Barn of Parts. Quite the opposite actually.
I'm saying the kit works as advertised and IS worth the $380 they charge.
I built my own simply because I had the material and time. After material, machining time spent, and figuring out how much and where to bend the tie rods, I had the $380 I would have spent with BOP.
If you'd like to reduce steering effort, my suggestion is to BUY THIS KIT!!! IT WORKS without adding a bunch of weight and spending a bunch of labor installing an electric system.
It flat out works.
I've always thought my 2013 RR turbo should steer easier, and was entertaining the addition of electric power steering... unfortunately with the turbo, room and weight are an issue. When seeing Barn of Parts kit, I thought wow, how simple...
I also thought wow, how expensive.
So I built my own.
My design encapsulates the steering arm versus sits on top of it, but the premise is the same. The furthest tie rod hole is 2" back from the OEM spindle hole.
After riding 350miles last weekend, the theory proved itself as a winner. Sure, it changes the turning radius, but nothing that one can't handle if they look 20 feet ahead the end of their ski tips. Be aware of your surroundings and the loss of turning radius means little.
I think the slowing down of the steering geometry actually helps calm down trail manners too. It's much easier to correct a loose or tail-out condition on icy corners.
I'd say it reduced effort by 50%. Its awesome.
Now..
Im not sharing this about building my own to demean Barn of Parts. Quite the opposite actually.
I'm saying the kit works as advertised and IS worth the $380 they charge.
I built my own simply because I had the material and time. After material, machining time spent, and figuring out how much and where to bend the tie rods, I had the $380 I would have spent with BOP.
If you'd like to reduce steering effort, my suggestion is to BUY THIS KIT!!! IT WORKS without adding a bunch of weight and spending a bunch of labor installing an electric system.
