Actually, the forks consist of an internal spring and a damping unit. In braking or turning the spring compresses and the damper controls its velocity with oil. Here the folks play the role of lever which undergoes some serious stress as they attach to the front wheel. Precisely, in breaking the total mess of the bike rushed on the forks for stopping the bike in a while, so forks are the crucial component of a motorcycle. In a discussion of motorcycles, we used to talk about cubic capacity (cc), top speed, max power and torque, braking configuration, and others ignoring forks or suspensions. Ever you thought if there were no suspensions setup in your bike then what would happen in a sudden brake at high speed or rough movement of the handlebar?
There are two types of front suspension Telescopic Fork Suspension and Up Side Down (USD) Suspension for various types of motorcycles in the industry. Both telescopic forks and USD fork suspension are similar in action but they are slightly different from each other. In this blog, we will make an elaborate discussion on the telescopic fork and USD fork suspension.
Telescopic Forks Suspension
Telescopic Forks SuspensionIn a standard telescopic fork suspension, the outer tube is attached to the axle of the wheel, and another tube is mounted on the bike yoke or triple camp. The outer tube contains oil and a spring that controls the pressure of the inner tube. When rider applies the front brake the yoke-mounted tube gets pressure and goes inside the outer tube to stop the wheel. The outer tube is built with heavier and bigger materials to endure the entire mess force of the bike in heavy braking. Generally, lower-capacity commuter bikes, roadsters classic, commuter street bikes, and some sports bicycles are equipped with telescopic fork suspension. Although telescopic setups can’t meet the demands of super sports bikes, they provide satisfactory performance in lower cc commuter bikes.
Up Side Down (USD) Forks Suspension
The USB suspension is quite a reverse configuration to the telescopic fork suspension. Here the outer tube is mounted on the bike yoke and the smaller tube is attached to the wheel axle which goes to the inside of the outer tube. The heavier tube is attached handlebar and the outer tube connects the wheel via the lighter tube, as a result, the front wheel gets a higher capacity to go over bumpy roads. USD forks are modern suspension systems mostly seen in high-end performance-oriented motorcycles. Nowadays, even lower cc cummer and naked sports motorcycles have been equipped with up side down forks suspensions due to their versatility and popularity.
In mechanism, telescopic fork suspension and USD fork suspension remain the same, it is just a positioning difference. As the oil contained tube is mounted on the handlebar so when the oil leaks then it may cause severe issues, oil may damage other parts of the braking unit. In telescopic suspension also a chance of oil seal damage but because of the bottom position oil drops on roads. USD performs well in cornering and braking to provide a quality riding experience. On the other hand, telescopic suspension is suitable who prefer daily decent ride. As USD suspension is a more complex setup than telescopic so USD is an expensive system.
