Don't Forget Before High Performance Rear Shocks! Grease up the undercarriage to prevent it from becoming a treasure

Motorcycle suspension is an important part for handling stability and comfort. The stock products installed on stock vehicles are selected by motorcycle manufacturers to provide both performance and cost, while there are also products called "high-performance rear shocks". The main attraction of this product is that you can expect an increase in performance just by installing it, but depending on the condition of your vehicle, it may not perform as well as you would like. Before customization or suspension tuning, practice suspension maintenance first.

Replacing with high-performance shocks is the first step in suspension tuning.

Suspension works as a combination of coil springs and shock absorbers. When the vehicle changes its posture by going over a bump or braking, the springs first contract to accommodate the change in load. The retracted spring recoils and returns, but if it does not, the shaking of the vehicle body continues indefinitely. Shock absorbers suppress this movement. When motorcycle manufacturers develop standard front forks and rear shocks, they take into consideration the vehicle weight, rider weight, stability under various riding conditions, and manufacturing costs. Therefore, suspension specifications naturally differ between the standard sports models, which are mainly designed for public roads, and the supersports models, which are designed for circuit riding. If we focus on the rear shock, there are many high-performance products from well-known brands in the aftermarket. Rear shocks with stepless spring pre-load adjustment and separate damping force adjustment for compression and extension are expensive, but their performance is often said to be far superior to that of genuine parts. There are a number of reasons why a high performance rear shock has high performance, such as different spring rates, wide and fine damping force adjustment range, and so on. Product price is one of them. If the price of a stock rear shock can be as high as that of a luxury brand product, then it is possible to further enhance the performance of a stock component. However, just like brakes and tires, suspensions are expensive to increase performance. Therefore, the specifications of production cars are set in consideration of the balance between performance and cost as a production car. This is the reason why some production cars are equipped with brand-name brake calipers and rear shocks as "special edition" models, and why they are generally more expensive.

Before you assume the rear shock is bad, is the link ok?

While it is undoubtedly true that "famous brand rear shocks are better," the performance of any rear shock may be spoiled depending on the condition of the vehicle body on which it is installed, specifically the suspension links. In the case of monoshock cars, which are the standard type of sports models, a link is often incorporated between the swingarm and the rear shock, and the shock and load changes received by the rear tire are transmitted to the rear shock through the link. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the linkage operates smoothly. If the linkage does not operate smoothly due to poor lubrication, the replacement of the rear shock will be a waste of time and money. Inadequate maintenance and poor lubrication of the rear suspension links occur on many motorcycles. Even if the rear suspension works fine when you put weight on it, it may just be moving reluctantly due to the high resistance of the linkage. One of the most common complaints about the stock rear shock is that it does not move well in the smallest stroke range. In the area where the rear shock is fully extended, the load to retract is smaller, so if the friction of the linkage is too large, it may not "extend" enough, causing the ride height to drop. When replacing the factory rear shocks with aftermarket shocks, many users may disassemble the links and find that they are out of grease, clean and grease them up, and then install high performance shocks and be satisfied with the "brand-name, flexible movement" of the shocks. However, just by greasing up the links with the stock shocks, the movement may become smoother. However, there are many motorcycles on the street that have lowered rear ride height due to lack of linkage maintenance. While a high-performance rear shock is certainly attractive, if you first disassemble, clean, and grease up the rear suspension links with the stock shock, and then replace them with high-performance parts, you will be able to feel the effects even more clearly.

A stuck swingarm also gets in the way of the rear shock.

Similar to the lack of linkage lubrication on monoshock cars, the swingarm pivot on twin-shock cars is another area to watch. The swingarm pivot portion has a small operating angle relative to the rear tire stroke (travel), and the swingarm will always swing when the rear shock moves. The pivot part is composed of a pivot shaft that penetrates the frame on both sides, and bushings and collars on the swing arm side. Depending on the model, needle bearings may be incorporated instead of bushings. The swing arm pivot is not only the fulcrum of the swing arm's vertical movement, but also receives the forward and backward movement that occurs during acceleration and deceleration, so a large force is constantly applied to the contact area between the pivot shaft, collar, and bearing. With the rear tire installed, the swing arm is forced to move even if the pivot is poorly lubricated because of the inertia weight. It would be fine if the swinging motion is as smooth when the tire is removed, but if you feel resistance in the swing arm movement as the load is reduced, you should be careful. If the lubrication of the bush type pivot, which has more friction during operation than the bearing type pivot, becomes defective, it is not unusual for the swing arm to remain stuck in a horizontal position, even when the driver releases his/her hand. If this happens, even if the rear shock is replaced with any high-performance product, the friction of the swing arm pivot, which is the fulcrum point, will cause excessive damping force, so it is important to perform maintenance first. It goes without saying that lubrication of the swing arm pivot is important not only for twin-shock cars but also for mono-shock cars. Some of the bikes we have serviced with twin shocks that had increased friction between the linkage and the pivots have been asked, "Did you lower the preload? Did you remove the damping force? The impression before and after the work may be so drastically different from the original one. However, it is important to check the lubrication condition of the links and pivots, and to make sure that proper maintenance is not neglected.

It's not just the rear shock. Wheel bearings are directly related to the weight of the suspension.

Although slightly removed from the rear shock and suspension, the condition of the wheel bearings is also important as a component that determines how light the bike moves. Bearings are essential for smooth movement, but by supporting a combined weight of the chassis and rider of well over 200 kg, a poorly lubricated bearing can be forced to turn. It is easy to detect if there is a rattling sensation when the tire is rotated by floating it on a stand, but it is difficult to notice when the weight of the vehicle is added, and if rust or poor lubrication develops, the bearing may be destroyed and lead to serious damage. There are two types of bearings: the open type, in which the balls are exposed, and the sealed type, which has a waterproof and dustproof cover. However, there are two-sided and one-sided sealed types, and it is possible that the ball is exposed on the inside side of the wheel hub while there is a seal on the side that can be seen when the wheel is removed. When you remove the wheel and rotate the bearing with your finger, if you feel a rattling sensation that is not smooth, it is a sign that it is time to replace the bearing. If it is an open type, the old grease can be washed off and new grease applied, but if the race surface where the bearing balls roll has rust or scratches, greasing it up will not help, so replace it with a new one. The rear shock is an important part of the bike's handling stability, and you will definitely experience the benefits of installing a high-performance product. Any rider who wants to replace the rear shock will be encouraged to perform basic maintenance, but if you have never inspected the linkage or swingarm pivot, we recommend that you try cleaning and greasing first, which is much less expensive.

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