Rake & Trail Calculator

Calculate steering trail from rake angle, fork offset, and tire size. Trail is the single most important number for understanding how a motorcycle steers and feels at speed.

Fork offset / tire units:

Bike Type Presets

Rake / Head Angle (°) — measured from vertical

Sport: 22–26° · Standard: 24–28° · Cruiser: 28–35° · Chopper: 35–45°+

24°

Fork Offset (mm) — center of axle to steering axis centerline

Sport: 28–45mm · Cruiser: 60–130mm

Front Tire Diameter (mm)

Steering Trail

95 mm

Neutral

Balanced handling — standard bikes and adventure

Rake

24°

Fork Offset

37 mm

Tire Ø

610 mm

Trail Reference

< 70 mm	Very Agile / Nervous	Pure race bikes
70–90 mm	Sport / Quick	Sportbikes, supermotos
90–115 mm	Neutral	Nakeds, adventure, standards
115–140 mm	Relaxed / Stable	Cruisers, touring
> 140 mm	Very Stable / Slow	Choppers, heavy customs

Notes

• More rake → more trail → more stable (slower steering, better high-speed stability).

• More fork offset → less trail → quicker steering. Aftermarket triple clamps change offset.

• A taller front tire increases trail (effectively raises the front axle).

• Formula: Trail = (tire_radius × sin(rake) − fork_offset) / cos(rake)

• Rake is measured from vertical in most motorcycle specs (not from horizontal like car caster).