http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/features/columns/122_1210_motorcycle_chassis_design/#.UG06WgOwgdg.facebook

Interesting article, what does everyone think?

they’ll all start doing this 😉

Rossi to Vincent for 2014? 😉

It makes total sense to be designing bespoke front ends in motor sport where you have almost totally control of the whole product

I suspect however, as in mtb, it’s just too easy to buy off the shelf existing units & design around them

BMW seemed to be pushing a complete front & rear package but it’s not really taken off.

I have ideas & sketches of a single sided, anti-dive, rear shock based front end but lack the ability to manufacture one

It goes offroad too 🙂

I’d love someone to develop a more up to date version with a bit more travel and/or a slacker head angle … so thepodge; I’d be happy to be a product tester 😉

plenty of funky fork designs abound that dont need total frame design, but
consumers are more conservative than they like to think. Ironically BMW invented the telescopic fork.

.
Looks conventional but isn’t.
Had a brief go on one and first impressions were very good.

Just stick pedals on the side

I wonder how many people manage to get on that last one facing the wrong way 😉

Steve, there is a 1000 pound product tester fee, none refundable

CTM, that alke fork is I think the same as the one I saw in Bristol, I want it so much it hurts

Hmmm…
Boke is nice though.

My F29RL’s should be with you tomorrow Snr’ LoCo… 🙂

Seems to me that the pilot is the most important factor in the steering and front wheel problem. I don’t remember Agostini complaining about all that crap.

Yes, but the bikes were a fair bit slower along with the tyres having nowhere near as much grip which is a contributory factor in chatter.

takisawa2, great will get on them first thing next week. 😀

What’s with that Bionicon? Only thing I can see is an extra cable/hose near the bars.. some sort of balanced fork/shock combo? Didn’t Muddy Fox do this?

Interesting link, thanks.

Ok it’s rigid and that comes with different issues, but riding a Jones F+F makes me realise how flexy even a good / stiff MTB telescopic fork with 100mm hub wheel actually is, mainly under braking, also on off-cambers or those wonky landings. Whether sus forks need to be any stiffer on an MTB is debatable though. Under braking, yes, it’d be good (anti-dive would be more interesting) but at the speeds where it would count I expect you’d be on stiffer, longer dual-crown forks and brake dive / weight shift is more of an issue than fork flex.

Dunno about heavier motorbikes, but for MTBs the telescopic seems to be the best compromise. But I’d like to see a few more rake options, as we have on 29er forks now – to balance weight distribution and trail better. Would be interesting to ride a slack 150mm forked FS bike with nearer 50mm rake.

The bionicon has “fixed” travel front and rear, but you can “tilt” the bike fore/aft by 30mm (I.e extend the a-c length, and lower the bottom bracket, and vice versa).

DrP

http://www.tonyfoale.com/gallery/FrontEnd/index.htm
http://www.tonyfoale.com/Articles/RakeEx/RakeEx.htm
http://www.tonyfoale.com/seminar/index.htm

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-was-wrong-with-leading-link-forks-whyte-use-sub-girvins

http://mtobikes.com/2008-interbike-outdoor-demo-wimmer/

have ideas & sketches of a single sided, anti-dive, rear shock based front end but lack the ability to manufacture one

You mean you drew a USE Sub? 😉

The Alike one is like this one from Bespoked: http://www.bespokedbristol.co.uk/Bespoked_2012_Photos.html#55

It was on a Crisp titanium frame. The whole bike was lovely but I really liked the fork. If I ever make a bike I will make something similar but out of carbon fibre.

I like the lefty style one above – the link with strut is used on aircraft undercarriages and is plenty tough enough:

better image:

http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible_bikes.html

nicko74 – You mean you drew a USE Sub?

Different shock placement

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48962