The two-wheeler started with a bicycle. The era was the internal combustion engine. Some people curiously set the combustion engine on the bicycle. He was surprised to see that the matter was not bad. Then they dared to install a bigger engine. They were impressed by the results. But the problem was elsewhere. The guy is not only comfortable, but also dangerous and dangerous. He is shaking to the bone in the shaking of the road and while taking the corner, he fell down and broke the bones of one or two people. But if this problem can be solved, it is like getting the moon in the motionless hands of that time. The time is the middle of the 19th century. Some time went by like this. Then another group of people came forward to solve the problem. They designed some of the components that helped solve this problem.
Yes, I was talking about the history of motorcycle suspension. Before that, let's find out what a motorcycle suspension is and what it does.
What is suspension and why?
Simply put, the two springs attached to the front and rear wheels of a motorcycle are called suspension or shock absorbers. Suspension work is multifaceted; In the meantime
The main task is to protect the rider of the motorcycle from road shaking and to keep the wheel well attached to the road. If the suspension is bad, you will not be able to brake the bike at high speed.
Modern bikes use coil springs in suspension. This coilspring is easily seen in the rear suspension of our conventional motorcycles. The front spring is most often in the concealed position in the fork tube. The travel or motion of the suspension coil is determined by understanding the type of motorcycle. Dart bikes have a travel ratio of up to a maximum of 12 inches, while cruiser bikes have a minimum suspension travel ratio of three inches.
If your bike moves regularly at this full suspension travel ratio, it is called BOTTOMING. In this case you should quickly change the suspension. Because it will have a serious effect on the braking of your bike. We have a separate article on this.
The Girder Fork was designed to overcome the lack of front suspension on the bike at the very beginning. Much like the front wheel fork of a bicycle, but the only difference is that there was a spring between the two forks. Damper Damper is installed at a later time to facilitate control. This suspense lasted for several days. The latest bike to use this suspension is the 1950s superbike, the Vincent Black Shadow. The bike could easily reach a speed of 200 km / h. This suspension is no longer used for some problems. Being heavy in weight, comparatively long makes it difficult to balance center gravity, most importantly the bike cannot be rotated too much from right to left. Despite all these problems, The Confederate Wraith is now. This suspension is now being used on bikes.
Relatives of Girder Fork can call Springer Fork. Its use can be seen in chopper type bikes. This type of front suspension is used mainly due to muscular visual appeal. Although there are some differences in the design, all the problems of Girder Fork are present in it. So modern bikes do not use it.
The time is 1918. The age of the motorcycle was only 20 then. Carl Neracher, an American, designed a motorcycle that was many years ahead of its time. He named the bike Ner-a-Car. This 221 cc bike was two stroke, the steering wheel of the monocoque chassis was near the abdomen. In just 7 years, he sold 16,000 bikes in America and Europe. The bike was famous for its stability. Until 1925, the bait had no rear suspension. However, the Sprung swinging arm suspension on the front wheel brings a new dimension to the bike. Carl Neracher was the first to change the concept of traditional front suspension by using swing arm suspension on the front wheels of his bike. Light in weight, easy to control, almost no shaking as not directly attached to the handle. Much later, in 1980, SUZUKI used swing arm suspension on the front wheels in their Suzuki GT550 model. The bike is gaining popularity.
The advantage of using swing arm suspension on the front wheel is that it allows the braking and steering to be separated from the suspension. As a result, the bike can be ridden much louder. Later brands like Honda, Yamaha also used this technology on their racing bikes.
Today, about 90 percent of the world's motorcycles use front telescopic fork suspension. Surely you have seen the telescope. Insert the other into one of the two tubes, with the lens attached to the end of both tubes. The end of the telescope is adjusted by pulling or inserting to increase or decrease the ability to see far. The same technology is used in the telescopic fork suspension of the front wheel of the motorcycle. In this case a slider bar is inserted in a primary barrel for smooth movement. The sleeves have a spring and fork oil to absorb the shock. The telescopic suspension is attached to the handle bar with the help of three clamps and the other end is attached to the wheel axle. This causes all shock systems to be attached to the front wheels. In this way the movement of the wheels can be done in an excellent way and the handle is strong enough to keep the bike stable.
The suspension is thought to have been linked to the landing gear of the 1932 Messerschmitt's M29. In 1934, the Danish vacuum cleaner company Fisker & Nielsen (Nilfisk vacuum cleaner) decided to make their new motorcycle Nimbus. And they use the first telescopic fork. It was an oil damped telescopic fork. A new door opened for the front suspension of the motorcycle. Between 1934 and 1970, Fischer and Nelson sold 12,000 bikes, of which 4,000 are still in operation. BMW first used their R12 and R17 bikes in 1935 with telescopic fork suspension. Hydraulically damped telescopic fork using BMW. BMW was so impressed with the suspension that they did no further research on the front suspension for the next 20 years.
One of the major disadvantages of telescopic fork suspension is that it allows the drive to brake. Which has a big impact on the stability and control of the bike. Again, if there are extra bumps on the road, its sensitivity decreases. Another problem is that an extra brace has to be put on the steering head to hold the front wheel tightly, making the front of the bike heavier. But the advantage is cheap, beautiful to look at, smooth and self-sufficient. Girder forks are better in all respects. Ideal for those who like style.
All the famous and expensive brands along the way of BMW now use this telescopic fork. Interestingly, although BMW was the pioneer of the telescopic fork, they stopped using it after 1955, but others did not. Instead, they continued to conduct research to overcome the weaknesses of the telescopic fork. While the suspension drive has been reduced during brakes using progressive fork springs, many have tried to progressive the spring rate by using pressurized air.
BMW started using telescopic forks again in 1986 and by 1980 they started using telescopic forks on all their bikes.
In 1989, Honda used the TRAC - Torque Reactive Anti-dive Control technology in telescopic forks. This allows them to control the drive of the suspension during brakes.
In the 1970s, Kawasaki added AVDS - Automatic Variable Damping System to the telescopic fork. In this case, using the hydraulic pressure of the brake brake, the drive of the telescopic fork is controlled during braking. Yamaha and Suzuki have the same technology.
In the mid-90's, Yamaha used BASS (Brake Actuated Suspension System), which freed a lot of telescopic forks from unwanted drives.
As the speed of the bike has increased over time, so has the weight. Where previously the brace of the telescopic fork was attached to the bottom of the handle, in the new design it is now designed to be mounted on the wheel. Modern super bikes now use this technology.
In the 70's the British company Saxon-Motodd brought a groundbreaking change in the telescopic fork. They attach the brakes of the telescopic fork, with a bearing on the front wheel instead of under the handle, to the other end attached to the pivot point of the bike. Attach a spring damper to the handle brace. It is a highly efficient and effective anti-drive system. BMW used this technology in 1994 in their "Telelever" model. Interestingly, so far this technology has not copied any other expensive brand....