Mono shock knowledge needed

FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#1
#1
Looking for input on a mono shock. I have looked and looked for a pair of shocks that would fit on my Warrior but I just cant find what I want. I got to thinking about just using a Mono Shock type setup. I am not going to use any type of linkage as I don't need more than 3 inches of travel at the wheel. I would like a shock with eyes on both ends as I could have some adjustment built in on the lower mount.

Anything you can contribute to help me find a correct shock would be very much appreciated.

I am running out of ideas..... But this seems to be the most logical choice given the space I have to work in.

Am I thinking more simple or more complicated?????

Thanks for looking.

Doug
 
Last edited:
RobertC

RobertC

#2
#2
Hey Doug....

Angelo [MENTION=46062]chipper[/MENTION] crafted, and runs, some monoshock set up's on some of his bikes..they look like they work real well, as well as look real good too...:thumbsup:

Perhaps you could steal some of his ideas...:laugh:...and adapt them to your needs....:shrug:
 
Last edited:
Charles S

Charles S

#3
#3
IMO, monoshock is more complicated. Due to the leverage of the wheel over the shock, the swing arm would need to be much stronger than that of a dual shock setup; the shock mount on the frame would also need to be robust, it would be receiving several hundred pounds of force. No linkage is doable; you would need a short stroke shock to avoid having crazy-long travel at the wheel, which could cause problems with chain tension. I think the Buell Blast had a monoshock with no linkage; probably could find a low mileage Blast shock on eBay for cheap; swing arm may work for you, too (with some modification); it would be wide due to belt drive on one side, disc brake on the other. Should be lots of take-off monoshocks on eBay; some people buy a new sport bike and remove the perfectly good shock to replace it with an expensive aftermarket shock they don't really need. I bought a nearly new GSX-R600 shock, several years ago, for reasonable price.

I would suggest going with dual shocks; simpler, IMO, and they can look pretty cool, like these "Ohlins" knockoffs.

320mm 12 5/8" Monkey Bike Motorcycle ATV Black Air Shocks Suspension Pair 2PCS | eBay

12 5/8" 320mm Air Nitro Shocks Suspension Absorbers Pair RD 350 RD 250 H2 400 CX
 
H

Havasu Dave

Moderator
#4
#4
Take a look at the Powell swing arms Doug. "K.I.S.S." and they work very well. Unless you want to build a replica HD Soft Tail arm, which is quite ugly and space consuming. Or unless you want to suck up a large amount of real estate for a fully valved absorber like every dirt bike made after 1979.

Powells use a compression spring. It is very simple, pre load is adjustable, and the travel is about what you are looking for. I don't know how much pressure is applied to the spring perch (fulcrum) but I did cut a swing arm apart, straightened/repaired it, and re-welded it with my obsolete, and useless Lincoln 110 VAC, stepped voltage, piece of crap welder. :laugh:

The spring pictured was one I bought from Century Spring. They have a comprehensive data base of springs, including all specifications. This was from a Powell I partially restored to sell to a member. This was the swing arm I rebuilt.


This is an original E model spring, powder coated.
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#5
#5
Havasu Dave said:
Take a look at the Powell swing arms Doug. "K.I.S.S." and they work very well. Unless you want to build a replica HD Soft Tail arm, which is quite ugly and space consuming. Or unless you want to suck up a large amount of real estate for a fully valved absorber like every dirt bike made after 1979.

Powells use a compression spring. It is very simple, pre load is adjustable, and the travel is about what you are looking for. I don't know how much pressure is applied to the spring perch (fulcrum) but I did cut a swing arm apart, straightened/repaired it, and re-welded it with my obsolete, and useless Lincoln 110 VAC, stepped voltage, piece of crap welder. :laugh:

The spring pictured was one I bought from Century Spring. They have a comprehensive data base of springs, including all specifications. This was from a Powell I partially restored to sell to a member. This was the swing arm I rebuilt.


This is an original E model spring, powder coated.
Click to expand...
I agree David. KISS..... I am trying to keep it simple but it just wants to be a damn fight all the way. Then I throw a SWAG at it.... I cant find a pair of shocks that will work for me for duals so I am looking at all this empty space under the seat and on the front of the swingarm. (SWAG) I don't know why it wont work as it would be mounted directly to the backbone at the top and what ever I fab on the lower. I am thinking about fabing a slotted lower so that I can adjust it front to rear until I find a sweet spot and then make fillers to eliminate the slot. I may make a small bridge on the bottom for added strength too.

I have been looking at swingarms and rear shocks on Ebay and it is surprising how many bikes just mount the shock directly to the swingarm. Of course all the later model dirt bikes have the linkage and I am not going there...

I think I can make it happen but I will just have to see how it works.

I remember seeing the spring arrangement on the Powells when OND was building his and thought about how simple that was. I just don't have the space to do it on mine with 2 jackshafts to contend with.

Doug

PS: I don't like click, click, click voltage welders. :001_tt2: I have been welding patch panels in floor pans and cowls where just a couple of volts makes all the difference in the world between a nice weld and a hole..... And yes it is the exception as the average guy is not doing that kind of welding.

I have a friend that worked at the Catawba Nuclear plant Tig welding 10 foot sticks of pipe together in the cooling towers. He said that the old guys there could take a Tig torch and fuse a Wrigglies gum wrapper back together... Kind of like your Soldering experience. Its all about the tools and the operator.
 
Last edited:
Charles S

Charles S

#7
#7
If you're not opposed to a single-sided swing arm, there is a way to have suspension with no conventional shock(s) or spring(s). People have made one wheel trailers by modifying a trailer torsion half-axle. Lengthen the arm and reverse the hub. I imagine someone has done this on a minibike. The splined shaft/arm connection would allow for ride height adjustment and the unit could be bolted to a sturdy plate to allow for alignment adjustment. A couple of negatives would be that the half-axles aren't cheap and choosing the correct "spring" rate would be tricky, considering the lengthened arm.

TA.jpg

1_wheel_2.jpg
 
Last edited:
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#8
#8
Charles S said:
Urban Dictionary: SWAG ?

Sounds like a horizontal monoshock could be the answer. The shock would occupy that space under the seat.
Click to expand...
The Urban Dictionary is full of urban :001_9898:

Any car guy worth his salt knows that it stands for Scientific Wild Ass Guess...... And has been in my vocabulary since the early 70's.... It is a well used term in the SCCA back in the day before all these electronics and engineers and cubic dollars...

And sadly a horizontal shock wont fit. It will have to be vertical. I just posted this mock up pic on my build thread. Lots of room to work with a vertical shock.

Doug
 
FOMOGO

FOMOGO

#10
#10
Charles S said:
If you're not opposed to a single-sided swing arm, there is a way to have suspension with no conventional shock(s) or spring(s). People have made one wheel trailers by modifying a trailer torsion half-axle. Lengthen the arm and reverse the hub. I imagine someone has done this on a minibike. The splined shaft/arm connection would allow for ride height adjustment and the unit could be bolted to a sturdy plate to allow for alignment adjustment. A couple of negatives would be that the half-axles aren't cheap and choosing the correct spring rate would be tricky, considering the lengthened arm.
Click to expand...
Now that is being creative and I actually have a 3500 pound torsion axle in the shop. Going to the scrap yard... If you have ever been around one they only weigh a ton and a half.... I have torsion axles on my Featherlite enclosed car trailer and they are sweet for that use but I cant see them working on this. Now if someone offered a scaled down version with about a 500 pound capacity it might be worth looking at.

Doug
 
Charles S

Charles S

#16
#16
Looking at your photo, it looks to me like you could go horizontal monoshock, vertical monoshock, or dual shock.

For the horizontal, the shock would need to be angled (front up, rear down). Position swing arm for desired ride height, choose mounting location on backbone, choose a shock length, calculate location for swingarm shock mount, design triangulated swingarm structure to weld to what you have already made (looks good, BTW). For aesthetic purpose, I'd try to make the shock parallel to the backbone.

Vertical monoshock would probably be simpler; a shock mount on the backbone and swingarm, and the right shock. Dead vertical looks like crap; I've seen it. Forward at the top, parallel to the engine's valve cover would look best, IMO.

If you should need a really short shock for any monoshock layout, search "pocket bike shock"; I've seen as short as 4" eye to eye with spring rate as high as 1500 lb/in. Probably not much damping, but it's probably not very important on a minibike.

I'd go dual shock for simplicity, and for old school look, since it's basically a cruiser style bike.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top