Types Of Shock Absorbers For Motorcycles
Types of front and rear suspension or damping
As we already referred to in our previous post: What are the shock absorbers for? , the shock absorbers or suspension is divided into front and rear suspension.
Each one has special characteristics and functions, which together offer the pilot comfort, safety and control.
Front suspension
Most motorcycles today use telescopic forks for the front suspension.
In 1940, girder forks were used that used parallel springs, which are not very common today. The forks can easily be understood as large hydraulic shock absorbers with internal springs. They allow the front wheel to react to imperfections in the road while isolating the rest of the motorcycle from that movement.
They have been called "telescopic forks" because of the movement that tubes generate as they slide in and out of bodies, similar to a telescope. The fork tubes are completely smooth and clean, causing a mirror effect so that they do not allow friction or lubricating oil to escape from the fork bodies.
The upper part of the forks is connected to the motorcycle chassis by an upper triple clamp or yoke and lower triple clamp or yoke, which allows the fork to rotate so that the motorcycle can properly corner and adapt to changes in address.
In some motorcycles and especially in sports it is common to find inverted forks, that is, that the fork bodies go upwards fixed to the seat post or yokes and the tubes fixed on the wheel axle. It has several advantages such as reducing the weight of the wheel side of the motorcycle; and increased torsional stiffness, factors that can improve motorcycle handling. As disadvantages, comment that they have a higher cost than conventional telescopic forks and that they can lose all the shock absorber oil in case of damage to its seal.
Rear suspension
Classic motorcycles used to have rigid rear suspensions after the Second World War, as opposed to the front suspensions that had a universal reception before the First World War.
In motorcycles like Harley-Davidson, they pretend to be rigid, since the springs and rear shock absorbers are hidden, the most notable example being the suspension called Softail.
BETOR rear shock absorber
The hydraulic or gas shock absorbers used in motorcycle rear suspensions are essentially the same as those used in other types of vehicles
Rear motorcycle shocks differ from the front ones in that the spring for the rear suspension is on or around the shock and not internally.
At BETOR SHOCK ABSORBERS we offer hydraulic and gas rear shock absorbers on request. We manufacture these shock absorbers adapted to the motorcycle and rider, taking into account the characteristics of the motorcycle, the rider's weight, and driving preferences.
Twin shock absorbers or Twin shocks
Twin shock absorbers refer to motorcycles that have two rear shock absorbers.
The mono-shock absorber or Mono-Shock
When a motorcycle has only one shock absorber (mono-shock), connect the rear swingarm to the frame of the motorcycle. The mono-shocks are designed to prevent the swingarm from turning sideways and to provide an improvement when braking and in general handling the motorcycle. Some well-known brands give their shocks their own names: Honda Pro-link, Kawasaki Uni-track, Suzuki Full-floater, and Yamaha Monocross.
What is the function of the Monoshock?
Like any other shock absorber, they are responsible for absorbing impacts and adequately and comfortably overcoming the irregularities of the terrain where we are rolling. They play an important role in the stability, adherence to the road, and control of the motorcycle in turns and bounces.
