How to extend the life of motorcycle shock absorbers

According to experts, to increase the "lifespan" of shock absorbers, do not carry too much weight, exceeding the manufacturer's recommended load...

Recently, there has been some information from Yamaha NVX users about the phenomenon of rear shock absorbers "bent" or "making noise". So how do shock absorbers work and when are they considered damaged? Is this a manufacturer's fault?

What role do shock absorbers play?

First of all, we have to talk about the structure of any shock absorber, which consists of two parts: the elastic part (can be a spring or leaf spring - for cars) and the shock absorber. The role of the elastic part is to bring smooth, comfortable operation for the people sitting in the car, while the role of the shock absorber is to quickly dampen the vibrations of the elastic part.

Shock absorber operation on the road.

Structure of shock absorber.

Imagine: without shock absorbers, after going over a bump, the car will shake up and down forever and this can cause motion sickness for the people sitting in the car.

Therefore, it can be said that shock absorbers are an important part of the vehicle, with the task of reducing vibrations for the vehicle when encountering potholes or bad roads, increasing the vehicle's grip while at the same time providing comfort, smoothness and ease of operation.

The structure of shock absorbers on motorbikes is usually in the form of a telescopic tube, containing springs, fork rods and shock absorber oil to help minimize the impact force from the front wheel to the handlebars. This is the most popular type of fork currently used in most commercial vehicles.

Signs of damage to motorcycle shock absorbers

The first sign of shock absorber damage is when the vehicle is heavily loaded or fully loaded (2 people, 120 kg) and hits a speed bump or pothole, the rear of the vehicle will swing and jerk unstably. Especially when entering a bad road, the entire force from the road surface will impact the frame, causing vibration or numbness in the hands (if traveling long distances), the vehicle will feel less smooth, stiffer and more bumpy than usual.

The spring touches the shock absorber causing noise and easily damaging the shock absorber.

The second sign is that the motorcycle shock absorber makes a squeaking sound when operating. The shock absorber tube may be warped or the rusty spring may rub against the sleeve and the hydraulic rod body. The squeaking sound gets louder when the vehicle goes on bad roads or speed bumps.

The third sign is when the steering wheel is unbalanced, swerving to one side, this is most obvious when the front shock absorber of a scooter breaks, at which point the vehicle will sway, completely swerving to one side. Your vehicle may have a broken spring on one side or a bent rod or even a broken hydraulic rod.

Oil leakage is the most common damage to shock absorbers.

The fourth sign of shock absorber damage is oil leaking and getting wet in the shock absorber tube. Usually when you discover this symptom, your shock absorber is already quite badly damaged, possibly due to a broken seal or a bent rod causing oil to leak out.

Extend the life of shock absorbers

For the front shock absorbers of most motorbikes today, it is possible to disassemble, change the oil and perform periodic maintenance. Meanwhile, most rear shock absorbers are usually made in one piece, so they cannot be maintained, but only the shock absorber rubber blocks should be checked and replaced to avoid the dynamic load from the road surface acting jerkily on the shock absorber, causing damage and oil leakage.

Front shock absorber maintenance.

In addition, during the process of using and taking care of the car, you should wash the car regularly, paying special attention to the shock absorber to avoid dirt sticking to the shock absorber rod, leading to scratches and faster wear of the shock absorber rod, causing oil leakage. Do not carry too heavy loads, exceeding the manufacturer's recommended load, and limit speeding on bad roads (causing sudden impact forces that quickly damage the shock absorber).

Pay special attention to using the load change pin when carrying more people or goods in the back. Pay attention to pouring the right type of oil into the shock absorber (hydraulic oil), avoid using engine oil instead. If you have to replace it, you should replace the shock absorber on both sides to avoid the phenomenon of the rear of the vehicle swinging, which is unsafe when operating, as well as causing rapid damage due to imbalance when working. You should periodically maintain the shock absorber for the vehicle about once a year to promptly detect and repair problems./.

According to VOV