Suspension history of USDs?

[husaberg]

Yep. Simons UDX60's. Worth big money now. Was a new set on TM a while back. Similar to the sort of money Fox Factory Forx fetch..sometimes more.

Simons "invented LOL" inverted forks and were used during the 1981 season on the Suzuki 250's in the us MX series i have a pic here in a book.
My 1954 James captain has them too......

[Crasherfromwayback]

Simons "invented LOL" inverted forks and were used during the 1981 season on the Suzuki 250's in the us MX series i have a pic here in a book.
My 1954 James captain has them too......

Yeah think they mean birth of the modern USD unit eh.

[MVnut]

In the jungle we just make our own

[Waihou Thumper]

Close the Patent Office!

Was more trying find Adjustable USD Fork use , before say 1990.
Some Huskys, Ktms, Ducati (Racebikes) ,Kawasaki ZXR250 anything else spring to mind ? Who reinvented them around there.
WP say 1986 on above mx models, and they did some GP bikes aprox early 90`s

My 1989 aprilia Tuareg has them, aprilia boasted that they were state of the art..HUH?

[malcy25]

Sweet! Due to this post I can now pull out my Ex Lawson YZR & legally use USDs in Posties.


.

if ya got the right "period legal USD's that were used on it, yep, bring it on!!

[F5 Dave]

Still looking. Sure we'd left it here somewhere between the Bimoto Mantras (5 of), Robert Stark Aprilia 650 & CB250Ns.

[Crasherfromwayback]

Bad Brad on the charge.

[ktm84mxc]

I believe the first over the counter USD's were fitted to some 1983 KTM models in a production bikes as OEM parts. They offered more rigidity and less/no fork over hang but were deemed to harsh and lead to unnecessary triple clamp and frame flexing/breakages.
The Simons were an after market supplier similar to FOX with there air shocks and fork kits.

[Jay GTI]

I read somewhere ages ago that the main reason for the mass adoption of USDs over conventional/RWUs was way more to do with fashion than the claimed benefits. Once they started turning up on the factory MX'rs, the public started demanding them and, as with alloy frames and fuel injection more recently, it soon got to the point where you couldn't sell a MX bike if it didn't have USDs. Nothing dated a bike visually more than the old RWU forks...

Suspension guys of the time apparently could easily get RWU's to perform as well, if not better than USDs (can't remember off-hand, but seem to recall that RWU's have some of their own advantages).

[Robert Taylor]

In terms of road racing and the development that never ceases USDs have overall more benefit than RWU forks. In the roadbike world as much is owed to marketing and all the spin applied by salesmen.

[F5 Dave]

Underseat Exhausts anyone?


. . .Well ok 3MA(reverse TZR), & RG/RZ500 its permissible, but they are technically superior to 1/2 time engines so they can cope.

[mr bucketracer]

the honda NR500 was the first roadracer i think had the start of a modern looking USD forks

[manxkiwi]

the honda NR500 was the first roadracer i think had the start of a modern looking USD forks

Maybe looked like USDs, pretty sure they weren't on the NR or the NS. You have to get to around '89 or so for USDs, in 500 GP anyway.

Interesting what Robert said about the racing advantages, care to expand Dr Bob?

[F5 Dave]

. . ., care to expand Dr Bob?

Put him on a diet of Pies & fizzy drink, that should do the trick.

[mr bucketracer]

Maybe looked like USDs, pretty sure they weren't on the NR or the NS. You have to get to around '89 or so for USDs, in 500 GP anyway.

Interesting what Robert said about the racing advantages, care to expand Dr Bob?

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgur...ed=0CFUQ9QEwBw