Rake

Slope of the front forks.

Steering axis angle

Telescopic forks on a BMW motorcycle reveal the head angle or rake

Example of a chopper with an unusually large rake

The steering axis angle, also called caster angle, is the angle that the steering axis makes with the horizontal or vertical, depending on convention. The steering axis is the axis about which the steering mechanism (fork, handlebars, front wheel, etc.) pivots. The steering axis angle usually matches the angle of the head tube.

In motorcycles, the steering axis angle is called the rake and is measured counter-clock-wise from the vertical when viewed from the right side. A 0° rake would be vertical. For example, Moto Guzzi offers:

• a 2007 Breva V 1100 with a rake of 25°30’ (25.5 degrees)
• a 2007 Nevada Classic 750 with a rake of 27.5° (27.5 degrees)