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Motorcycle
Suspension and Steering
See also
Engines
- Stroke, 2 or 4
- Configuration
Frames
- Introduction
- Types
Suspension
and Steering
- Girder front end
- Telescopic forks
- Hub center steering
- Steering dampers
- Rear Shocks |
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Suspension
and Steering
Front end
Motorcycle steering and suspension can be controlled
by several different types of front end.
The most common form, by far, is the
telescopic fork which consists of sliding steel
tubes with long springs inside which use hydraulic fluid
for damping shock absorbers. The front fork is one of
the most critical parts of a motorcycle. The angle of
rake determines how controllable the steering is. The
more horizontal the forks are the more laid back the
handling, more vertical = more twitchy and agile.
Girder
front ends can be found on the radical Confederate
Wraith motorcycle. The Wraith has an advanced 'multi-link'
girder front end.
Hub
centre steering is characterized by horizontal
forks running to the center of the front wheel where
by a complicated series of pushrods the wheel is turned.
Hub centre steering can be found on the The Bimota Tesi
1D, Tesi
2D and Suzuki
Nuda concept.
Steering
dampers can be found on many modern sportbikes
and all race bikes, steering dampers are similar to
telescopic forks in that they provide a dampening effect
to bumps in the road. A steering damper provides a resistive
force against the direction of movement, giving a controlled
compression and rebound. Dampers are velocity dependent
so the faster the spring moves (like when you hit a
bump), the more resistance the damper provides. If
you attach a damper there will be a dampening force
that will tend to stop any steering motion. In most
cornering at mid to high speeds, your front wheel steers
very little to lean you into a corner so the damper
doesn't have much of an impact. However, if the wheel
hits a groove and starts oscillating back and forth
vigorously, the steering damper will resist the movement
and dissipate the energy providing more stability to
the whole bike. The level of dampening can be adjusted
quickly and easily by way of a dial on most units.
Rear shocks
Rear shocks usually come in three different forms:
Dual
shocks.
One shock absorber placed either side of the wheel
attached to the swingarm and frame.
Monoshocks.
One shock positioned at the front of the swingarm, above
the swingarm pivot bolt. This type of shock is found
on most modern bikes, especially sportsbikes.
Softail monoshock. One
shock mounted horizontally in front of the swingarm
below the swingarm pivot bolt.
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