Motorcycle Suspension
Going Down or Staying Up

Motorcycle suspension is needed on all bikes; from offroads to street motorcycles and all just to make our rides more comfy. From old saddle spring to modern hydraulic dampers, here's an overview...

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Older motorcycles with no back suspension were also known as hard tails and could only rely on the damping of the tire and possibly the coils in the saddle. It didn't take long before the manufacturers realized how important motorcycle suspension was, so then it went through a revolution of designs.

Suspension influences the driving character of your motorcycles probably just as much as the frame and engine. The first motorcycles developed didn't have much of a suspension system. Only the front wheel had springer suspension.

Front and rear suspensions work basically in the same way. A coil spring absorbs the shock but it is controlled by a hydraulic damper. This allows the compression and decompression but prevents a catapult effect shooting you off the motorcycle. Oil is pressed through holes of different sizes in the shock absorber thus controlling the effect of the damping. Because the oil gets hot some motorcycles have external oil holders so the oil can cool quicker.

Upside down motorcycle suspension is being used in motorcycles today because of the strength it gives in comparison the regular suspension setup. On a regular motorcycle suspension setup the widest part of the fork is found towards the bottom. Which in effect means that the narrow part is holding the wheel. By turning the suspension around the widest part is now closer to the frame which gives more stability and power to the whole suspension setup.

There is an alternative to the common fork suspension which is a whole different setup to the front steering of the bike. The main reason another option is being tried is because the front suspension is under the influence of braking power, resulting in a forward / backward movement which fork suspensions can't deal with in an optimal way. However the other way of steering and linking the front wheel is expensive and complicated. It's not a success and the old folk design seems to be working just fine.

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A spring's ability to absorb bumps is expressed in pounds per inch (where about 100 pounds p / inch is normal). So, 100 pound impact moves the spring 1 inch.

There can be two different types of springs, straight rated (The spring rate stays the same as the spring compresses) or progressive rated (the spring rate increases as the spring compresses)

A preloaded spring can be adjusted so it will start its first compression at a later point than normal - the motorcycle will feel a little stiffer to ride.

Suspension tuning - when your bike feels wobbly in turns, isn't stable in a straight line and might not have enough ground clearance - you might have weak springs and insufficient damping. Also check your tires.

Suspension tuning - your motorcycle rides very tough, any bump feels very hard and you notice it in the handling - you might have too stiff springs and damping set.

Suspension tuning - your motorcycle rides wide in a corner as you feel the bike compressing more and more - your rebound damping is too big and springs might be too soft.

Dealing with suspension and settings you must remember that tires, bearings and even your frame also play a part in how the motorcycle handles compressions.

Using a strap around the front shock can easily help you in measuring you sag and suspension.

Sag should normally be 1/3 of your total suspension travel (remember distance from rider height - to full suspension is your suspension travel - the distance from rider height to full extension is your sag)

Setting rebound damping is best done in small controlled steps (clicks) from a zero position - as you adjust and ride - you'll find the perfect setting for yourself.

When considering an aftermarket product for your motorcycle, try to replace the springs first (easier) and only later (if needed) any damping specs.

Stiction is when fork tubes are not aligned together because of incorrect fork seals, bad settings or even damaged fork legs.

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