Been trying to learn suspension, specifically on motorcycles. I’ve almost got the differences between preload, suspension, and damping down. Issue is you can’t play with those terms unless you have a machine with adjustable suspension (cheap ones only have adjustable preload).
There seems to be this trend that light, cheap bikes may have adjustable preload. Mid-weight have some combo of adjustable preload, front & rear with much better suspension parts. Heavyweights max out on top brands.
This creates 4 markets:
- oil viscosity
- drop-in cartridges ( aka emulators)
- fork kits
- adjustable rear kits
Most of the cheap suspension has little holes in the tubes in the front; liquid goes through these little holes to absorb bumps. It’s called “damper rod fork”.
The rate at which that happens is based on how thick the fork oil is. They can get hydro-locked when the hole is too small or the oil the wrong viscosity; meaning the oil can’t move fast enough to allow the fork to absorb the bump. Tradeoff of cheap forks. Regardless of suspension, oil viscosity can help / hinder based on road vs dirt.
The cheap way to significantly improve your front forks is to use a drop-in cartridge (aka “fork emulators”). Little circles w/valves that go into your front fork and can be adjusted to let more oil in & out. Help prevent hydro-locking & can increase plush feeling.
Many fork kits also come with new springs you drop into the front forks. Some even come with a new tube where you drill your own hole in the metal. They range from $200 – $400, so a great low-hanging fruit. Emulators + kits can absorb bumps, remove brake dive, & help in turns.
Finally, rear shock kits vary, but many provide preload, rebound, and damping adjustment with JUST a turn click; no tools needed. You can work on the shock, refill the oil reservoir, and they can last a long time. Spring choice here can be customized to your weight as well.
A lot of the above depends on the bike, and what kind of riding they’re doing, and where. Me, the street is fine, it’s when I get my ADV bike on off road I notice it’s not great (at least when compared to the dual sports blasting past me). Worse when I’m plowing over rocks.
So it appears the lowest hanging fruit is, in order:
- adjust your suspension; most suspensions, even preload, can drastically improve the enjoyment of your riding. Use what you have, no need to buy anything.
- doing cartridge drop ins
- upgrade rear
The rear seems to be least passionate since, off road in the dirt/rocks at least, the front are what contribute the most. Seems opposite for the sport bikes? Anyway, Ari Henning has a good video on how to do the cartridges yourself.
However, there appears to also be drop in from Cogent which does not drilling anything so much easier to install. I may do some more research to compare the drilling vs not.
I may seem odd buying a bike, then spending $300 – $3000 on upgrading the suspension. However, regardless of bike and riding style, this seems to be the consistent thing that links them all: everyone loves better suspension. That means even if your bike comes with “ok” suspension, EVERYONE seems to be in agreement if you have the money, it’s always worth it.
The common refrain is “Once you’ve experienced good suspension, you never go back”. Again, the repeated caution is “your existing suspension _may_ actually be great, you just didn’t adjust to your weight & riding style”; even just preload adjustment can help.
That said, $300 seems paltry to improve quality of life + the learning experience, so… I may give it a go.
Leave a Reply