To understand the advantages of the inverted reduction, one must first understand its structural principle. Whether it is the forward reduction or the inverted reduction, it must consist of the following components: the outer cylinder and inner cylinder of the shock absorber, the spring, the damper, the oil seal, and the dust cover. Moreover, in order to be connected to the vehicle body, the upper and lower three-star plates are also indispensable.

Board the Samsung board

This object shaped like glasses is the upper three-star board, which is also called the upper connection board by some people. Two shock-absorbing upper ends are clamped at each of its left and right ends and are connected to the frame with bearings. In off-road vehicles, ADV bikes and most street bikes, the upper three-star is usually also used as the fixed end of the handlebars.

Download the three-star board

The function of the lower three-star plate is similar to that of the upper three-star plate in design. They jointly hold the front shock absorber and are connected to the frame. In terms of design, the lower three-star plate, which has to bear a lot of force, is usually thicker than the upper three-star plate and is directly connected to the steering column. It is then installed on the vehicle frame through a larger bearing. Some off-road vehicles' mudguards are installed on the lower three-star plate.

Outer cylinder of the front shock absorber

The outer cylinder and the inner cylinder can move relatively, and the oil seal is used to prevent the shock-absorbing oil from leaking out. In addition, the outer cylinder of the upright front brake caliper must also be designed with installation holes for the brake caliper and the front axle to achieve its function of supporting the vehicle. On the contrary, for the inverted front subtraction, since the outer cylinder is on top and the inner cylinder is at the bottom, the outer cylinder does not have this design. Both the calipers and the front wheels are installed on the inner cylinder.

Front shock absorber inner cylinder

Whether it is forward or backward reduction, the inner cylinder will undergo surface treatments such as electroplating. The purpose is to increase surface hardness, reduce frictional resistance and damage, and achieve the function of rust prevention. In terms of appearance, it will present a mirror-like luster. Some inner tubes will also be electroplated in gold and brown, looking quite dazzling.

Oil seal, dust cover

The oil seal is a very important mechanical component. It is connected to the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder to prevent the leakage of shock-absorbing oil. A dust cover will also be installed on the oil seal to prevent dust or soil from entering the oil seal and scratching the surface of the oil seal and the inner cylinder. However, some racing vehicles, in pursuit of a smoother performance and lightweight performance, do not have dust covers installed.

For motorcycles, the front shock absorber not only needs to support the vehicle's weight and handle vibrations but also shoulder the steering function. Therefore, the strength of the shock absorber is absolutely crucial for the vehicle's handling and safety. In addition, by adjusting the position of the upper and lower Samsung hugging shock absorbers, the vehicle height and forward tilt Angle can also be changed to meet different needs and handling performances.

Inverted front shock absorber

In the 1990s, inverted shock absorbers began to appear in large numbers on mass-produced vehicles. Their appearance is very similar to that of positive shock absorbers, except that the inner and outer cylinders are placed upside down. It is precisely for this reason that they got the name "inverted shock absorbers". In terms of performance, the retrofit has higher overall rigidity and more sensitive shock absorption effect, and has gradually become a main feature of performance car models since the late 1990s. Up to now, whether it is a racing car, a supercar, an off-road vehicle or a sports street car, most of them have adopted reverse shock absorbers as the front shock absorbers.

Size reduction

On the upright front shock absorber, the diameter of the inner cylinder is a key design point. For instance, the front shock absorber of the SUZUKI GSX1400 once had an extremely large inner cylinder with a diameter of 46mm to cope with the heavy weight of the vehicle and the rigidity required for high-speed riding. This not only led to a sharp increase in manufacturing costs but also made it impossible to control the weight of the shock absorber. When evolving from positive reduction to inverted reduction, if the required rigidity remains the same, the diameter of the inner cylinder can be reduced. This is the relative advantage of the inverted shock absorber.

Increased rigidity

Rigidity has always been one of the selling points of the inverted subtraction. Under the same inner cylinder diameter design, the inverted subtraction can be more rigid than the traditional forward subtraction. Therefore, under the same rigid demand, the inner cylinder diameter can be reduced, and thus the overall weight of the shock absorber will be lighter. When the tire is impacted from all directions by the ground, it will first be transmitted to the front shock absorber. Through the lever principle, the lower three wheels are the fulcrum. The closer to the fulcrum, the greater the torque received. Therefore, placing a thicker outer cylinder on top will provide better shock absorption rigidity.

Under the same conditions, the rigidity of the inverted reduction is stronger

Reduce the unsprung mass

The unsprung mass refers to the mass of the part below the spring in the shock absorber. In the reverse damping process, the inner cylinder is designed to move to the lower half of the front damping unit. Besides allowing the inner cylinder diameter to be smaller, its mass is also made lighter compared to the relatively larger outer cylinder. In actual tests, reducing the unsprung mass, the installation of shock absorbers in vehicles can make the shock absorbers work more sensitively. This is also the reason why most performance-emphasizing vehicles use shock absorbers!

Finally, let's make a brief summary of the two types of shock absorbers. The advantages of positive reduction lie in its relatively simple structure, easy maintenance and disassembly, and low cost. The advantage of the inverted reduction lies in its stronger rigidity and lighter unsprung weight, which is conducive to vehicle handling.

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