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A Brief Study on Motorcycle Suspension System

Last updated on 18-Jun-2022 , By Shuvo

A motorcycle suspensionsystem is such a system that absorbs the bumps and suspense for giving the comfort of riders by absorbing the vibrations (Source). It also provides good handling and contributes to braking._x000D_

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Types of suspension of Motorbike:

_x000D_ Normally motorbike has two types of suspension_x000D_

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One pair of fork tube for front suspension
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Either one or two shock absorber with spring as rear suspension
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_x000D_ Suspension Geometry_x000D_ _x000D_ Less trail means less stability, which means a quicker-steering bike. This makes these bikes a lot less stable to ride in a straight line, but a lot more flickable in the corners._x000D_ _x000D_ More rake means more trail, which means more stability, which makes the bike harder to turn. However, bikes with more rake work better in a straight line, which is why bikes to be long-distance cruisers use it._x000D_ _x000D_ For example the difference between a flickable Yamaha R1 race bike and a BMW K1200LT cruiser is 24Â° and 26.8Â°_x000D_

Front Suspension (Telescopic Forks)

_x000D_ Motorcycles today use mainly use telescopic forks for the front suspension. The forks consists of large hydraulic shock absorbers with internalÂ coil springs._x000D_ _x000D_ They allow the front wheel suspense up and down giving a comfortable ride.The bottom of the forks are connected to the front axle around which the front wheel spins._x000D_ _x000D_ On typical telescopic forks, the upper portion, known as theÂ fork tubes, slide inside theÂ fork bodies, which are the lower part of the forks. The fork tubes must be made smooth in order to seal theÂ fork oilÂ inside the fork._x000D_

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_x000D_ "Upside-down" forks, also known as inverted forks, are installed inverted compared to conventional telescopic forks. The slider bodies are at the top, fixed with the handle bar and the at the bottom, fixed to theÂ axle._x000D_ _x000D_ This arrangement has two advantages:_x000D_ _x000D_ (i) Â Â Â Â Â Â It decreases theÂ unsprung weightÂ of the motorcycle_x000D_ _x000D_ (ii) Â Â Â Â Â Â It improve handling._x000D_ _x000D_ Two disadvantages of USD forks are:_x000D_ _x000D_ (i) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â They are more expensive than conventional telescopic forks;_x000D_ _x000D_ (ii) Â Â Â Â Â Â They are liable to lose all their damping oil if oil seal is broken_x000D_

Two types to Rear Suspension

_x000D_ Twin-shock, regular swingarm_x000D_ _x000D_ An H-shaped swingarm is pivoted at the front to the motorbike frame. On either side there are basic coil spring units which provide the suspension._x000D_ _x000D_ The shocks are inside the coil spring units. This style of suspension began to fall out of favor due to weight considerations (Source)._x000D_ _x000D_ It was also not a particularly robust design It all got a bit bendy and flexible under extreme riding conditions, and the only way to make it stronger was to add more metal, which added more weight and cost._x000D_

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Monoshock Regular swingarm

_x000D_ Monoshock is actually a Yamaha trademark, the Honda version is called Pro-Link. This was designed to reduce some weight by redesigning the rear suspension and removing one of the coilspring units._x000D_ _x000D_ On the current monoshock designs, there is now a linkage at the bottom end which joins the coilover to the swingarm itself. It provides less weight and hence more speed.

How can I tell my motorcycle suspension system is bad?

The bike is lower to the ground then is was previously.
Leakage of fluid from the shock
Makes noises
No damping
Broking parts
Change in handling

FAQ- Frequently Ask Question

1. How does motorcycle suspension work?

Ans: Your bike suspension is designed primarily to absorb the imperfections in the road and in doing so assure both tires keep contact with the tarmac at all times.