Back to the Drawing Board!
The original front end design had a trail measurement of 8", roughly twice what is recommended for full sized bikes. I looked at adding more offset to the triple clamps and and moving the axle in front of the forks. Those changes would get me down to about 6" of trail and make the bike longer. To get the kind of correction I need, I needed to reangle the head tube and add some rake into the triple clamps. By doing this I should get the trail down to about 4", which ought to be pretty good.

This can't be a good omen... While cutting out he new triple tree plates with a cutoff wheel, I kindof set myself on fire!

First things first. The new design has the head tube at 40 degrees instead of 45. So, after a few seconds of Sawzall fun, I bust out the Angleometer and the "LASER" and get the tube lined up.

After welding up the head tube at the correct angle, I started assembling the new forks. I decided build a complete new set rather than cut up the old ones, just in case I wanted to reuse them. You can clearly see the 5 degrees of rake between the neck and the forks.

Back in business! The handlebars are just a little off on their angle now... more reason to redo them.

Here's a good profile shot of how it's looking at the moment. The geometry works a lot better. Originally, if I turned the bars to full lock the front wheel would lift off of the work table by about 2". Now it's about 1/2 - 3/4". That translates to a good feel that you don't have to fight at low speeds. Oh... and that seat, while not bad, it is a little shorter in length than I want so it's just temporary.

I think I have the basic frame done now... Next, it's on to the drivetrain!

What's next?