Exploring the Anatomy of Motorcycle Front Forks (Part 2)

Trailling Link Suspension

This special type of suspension uses a system of flexible springs like those found in modern trucks – leaf springs. From the front wheel, through a series of hinges, the impact force when passing obstacles will be partially transmitted to the front fork while the rest will be transmitted to the connecting axle with the spring in a vertical direction and the spring will be responsible for absorbing most of this force to make it easier for the user to control.

A type of trailling link suspension.

Advantages of this type of suspension:

– Simple.

– Affordable.

– Easy to repair and design.

– High durability.

Disadvantages:

– Ineffective when encountering large impact forces.

– Reduces the lifespan of the shock absorber and its damping function if used on bad roads.

Because of these disadvantages, this type of suspension is rarely used. This type of suspension helped make Indian Motocycle – USA famous and became their trademark. The first models of BMW motorcycles also applied this type of suspension.

BMW R32 applied the trailling link suspension and it was also a successful model of the German brand.

Leading Link Suspension

The leading link suspension is a type of suspension where the yoke is connected to the front wheel through a connecting bar (link) and a pivot point. On the yoke, there is also a pin used to attach the shock absorber, and the other end of the shock absorber is directly attached to the front wheel.

Operating diagram of the leading link suspension.

When colliding with obstacles, the impact force is directly applied to the connecting bar and will be transferred through the shock absorber, so the rider will not be greatly affected by this impact.

Advantages:

– Affordable.

– Highly efficient even with small impacts.

– Easy to identify when damaged to avoid regrettable consequences for the user.

Disadvantages:

– Poor durability when encountering large impacts.

– Can lose stability when traveling on steep surfaces.

In summary, the leading link suspension is excellent for city driving but should not be used for off-roading.

Springer Suspension

This is a type of suspension similar to the leading link suspension. This type of suspension does not have a spring system (tubes, springs) placed inside the suspension casing, but it is placed outside the yoke (front fork). This type of suspension is used on classic or chopper-style motorcycles. However, nowadays, this type of suspension is also applied to the Softail Springer version of Harley Davidson.

This type of suspension has its unique spring system placed near the yoke (front fork) or between the yoke and parallel to the two fork legs. The hinge on the front wheel is responsible for connecting the front wheel to the suspension and the two fork legs. In addition, the main function of this hinge is to transmit vibrations when colliding with obstacles to the front suspension before the fork legs are affected.

• Learn about the construction of motorcycle front shock absorbers (Part 1)

Thanh Phan (Trithucthoidai)