Fitting front fender '47 Chief

[TH47Indy]

This thread caught my eye as I am building my basket case '46 with some left over '47 parts threw in by mistake.
What I found:

1946 upper shackles are 4"
1947/48 upper shackles 4 3/8"

46-47-48 Lowers all 4 11/16"

Hatfield also mentions the change change as being 1/2 inch longer link in '47 and through 1948 girder fronts. I have read it somewhere that it was changed due to handling issues but I cannot recall where I read that. I don't know about the side car handling with a girder front, anyone have more info on that?

Nice looking build, gives me inspiration to make mine as nice.

With the shorter upper shackles the top bar of the forks may also hit & dent the shock. My current shakles are the shorter '46 ones, so on the hunt for a pair for '47's. Hard to find becasue it looks like many '46 owners have made the switch.

Thanks for your comments. Waiting on the motor rebuild and the tank repairs then I can start moving ahead again. Driving me nuts not having something to work on, guess I need another project to fill the wait time!

[pisten-bully]

With the shorter upper shackles the top bar of the forks may also hit & dent the shock.

...especially when you encounter one of those spine jarring, teeth grinding surprise potholes that make you wonder why you don't have a flat tire!

[PRG]

Howdy sir,

Absolutely no handling issues with the 346, prefer it to any of the 47/later girder/hydraulics which I've owned/ridden extensively. The 47-48 change, reducing trail, was made to sharpen the turn in to hopefully mimick the agile handling of the newly arriving agile British machines. It was essentially a pointless exercise in light of the other factors of weight, 5 X 16's, length of wheelbase, 3 speed handshift etc. A properly setup 346 is a delightful relaxed road machine with response commensurate with one's expectations in light of the above.

Where folks compromise the handling portion of this setup when assembling baskets is substituting the shorter (1/2") lower fork spring seat (764009) from the more readily available 47 later for the proper 7/8" long one. Shock fouling realistically only occurs on machines topping out on rebound because of worn out units.....or, and this may happen annoyingly on every ride, when cresting a rise abruptly at speed and getting air.