MikeJ
Member
Here is another thought, sure to poke somebody to ask, "Just why?".
I will try a few rides with the shocks currently installed. They are great shocks on a smooth road doing 25 mph in a frame with heavy rider but no 30 pounds of engine, tank, etc. I will tighten its nuts and bolts before doing higher-speed engined runs.
But if the wheel wobbles at any speed below 40 mph, its days as the shocks which Rock Shox sold are done. I intend to remove the spring and drain the oil out of the product. I will then insert the sliding tubes in the housing, and slide the tubes almost all the way down. Then I plan on drilling quarter-inch holes, several of them, through the tubes and insert bolts. The intent is to prevent any motion relative to the tubes. Essentially, the shocks I have now will become fixed hard forks. There will be no chance of reversing this.
Why? If tolerances for shocks that are good on a non-motorized bike result in wheel wobble on a motorized bike, I will just do away with the the tolerances. Radical idea? Probably. But a new front fork that I like costs over $100. AND the lower head bearing needs replacing, which means I borrow a special bicycle shop tool, or the wrenchers which I have little faith in, must install the new bearing.
Some readers will say, "You will destroy the shock!" Yup, they will be re-purposed. I have no other bike to put the unaltered shocks on, and I am not giving them away. If my concept works, I saved $100. If it fails, I will spend the $100 then. But there is no way I am going to risk scraping my old hide on any paved road.
I hope the tightening of axle, stem, preloading, and maybe a stiffer spring, will do the job.
MikeJ
Added Later - I read earlier today that Harley sells some device to place on their Dyna Glide shocks for what they readily acknowledge as the Dyna Glide Wobble. How or why the device works is a little beyond me at this moment. But I did realize that the tiny bit of flex in forks at high speed is the cause of some pretty good tumbles. Solid front forks remain an option until testing is done and evaluated.
I will try a few rides with the shocks currently installed. They are great shocks on a smooth road doing 25 mph in a frame with heavy rider but no 30 pounds of engine, tank, etc. I will tighten its nuts and bolts before doing higher-speed engined runs.
But if the wheel wobbles at any speed below 40 mph, its days as the shocks which Rock Shox sold are done. I intend to remove the spring and drain the oil out of the product. I will then insert the sliding tubes in the housing, and slide the tubes almost all the way down. Then I plan on drilling quarter-inch holes, several of them, through the tubes and insert bolts. The intent is to prevent any motion relative to the tubes. Essentially, the shocks I have now will become fixed hard forks. There will be no chance of reversing this.
Why? If tolerances for shocks that are good on a non-motorized bike result in wheel wobble on a motorized bike, I will just do away with the the tolerances. Radical idea? Probably. But a new front fork that I like costs over $100. AND the lower head bearing needs replacing, which means I borrow a special bicycle shop tool, or the wrenchers which I have little faith in, must install the new bearing.
Some readers will say, "You will destroy the shock!" Yup, they will be re-purposed. I have no other bike to put the unaltered shocks on, and I am not giving them away. If my concept works, I saved $100. If it fails, I will spend the $100 then. But there is no way I am going to risk scraping my old hide on any paved road.
I hope the tightening of axle, stem, preloading, and maybe a stiffer spring, will do the job.
MikeJ
Added Later - I read earlier today that Harley sells some device to place on their Dyna Glide shocks for what they readily acknowledge as the Dyna Glide Wobble. How or why the device works is a little beyond me at this moment. But I did realize that the tiny bit of flex in forks at high speed is the cause of some pretty good tumbles. Solid front forks remain an option until testing is done and evaluated.
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