Topic: Modern USD forks are just so 10 minutes ago. Say hello to tomorrow.

[FunJimmy]

Just when you thought front suspension couldn't get any better than gas charged USD Ohlins, along come the Ausies. Thanks Mick!

Up to a second faster per corner? Motorcycle Innovation's futuristic front end

[Mantree]

Sure is nifty I don't ride hard enough to need it but I could see the practical application in racing

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[simon#42]

i must admit that i cant see any practical application in racing at all .  it looks great and the hipsters will love it but there is nothing new there , it looks like a few older ideas mixed together

i have emailed them though and asked if i can buy one for this years TT , now lets see one second a corner 300 and something corners 6 laps .............i might even win .

[Scott S]

 Isn't that much like BMW's tele-lever (or whatever it's called) front end?

[dusterdude]

Hmmm,kinda like cal,efficient but ugly

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[simon#42]

i didn't know cal was efficient .

[scrapvalue]

So basically, you will be able to get going faster before you crash, Right?
Or does this new design make the motorcycle crash proof?

[FunJimmy]

So basically, you will be able to get going faster before you crash, Right?
Or does this new design make the motorcycle crash proof?

No such luck. You still need to develop riding skills. Bummer, Eh?
What it does do is provide fewer suspension related compromises.
Life is full of them and they all suck. Compromises, I mean. Not suspensions.

[dusterdude]

i didn't know cal was efficient .

Simon,you have a point

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[Retro Rocket]

i must admit that i cant see any practical application in racing at all .  it looks great and the hipsters will love it but there is nothing new there , it looks like a few older ideas mixed together

i have emailed them though and asked if i can buy one for this years TT , now lets see one second a corner 300 and something corners 6 laps .............i might even win .

Interesting comment coming from a racer..., even a 10th per corner is a massive advantage, being able to brake as deep as you want into a corner, not having to worry about bump steer in corners as much as tele forks, and having 75% plus of your front suspension available under full braking, not to mention the adjustability of the whole system, I can see massive advantages. This design seems to have answered all the misgivings of every other similar type of suspension and bettered conventional systems at the same time.. You aren't just whinging because you're a Pom are you Simon...

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

It looks like the cost to manufacture might be pricey, given all of the machined parts, but it is very interesting.

Far too futuristic looking and purpose-built for hipsters.  Remember, they like Firestones.

[simon#42]

I've ridden quite a few race bikes with alternative suspension mick  , fior , elf, hossack , foal etc and while i love the theory in practice they tend to be rubbish . the last one was the vyrus which also looked good and was going to be much better into corners etc etc
i was actually in spain when it had its greatest result , a 16th place in a spanish championship moto 2 race . watching the race it sure looked like there were 15 better bikes with forks on .
one day forks will be bettered but not yet !
australians should stick to what they do best mick ,making bad larger !

[Retro Rocket]

It looks like the cost to manufacture might be pricey, given all of the machined parts, but it is very interesting.

Far too futuristic looking and purpose-built for hipsters.  Remember, they like Firestones.

If I saw that front end in combination with firestones, I think I'd be in the market for a new gun...

As far as price goes, with the way CNC works, it wouldn't take long to recoup set up costs once production started, if it gets to that stage...

[Retro Rocket]

I've ridden quite a few race bikes with alternative suspension mick  , fior , elf, hossack , foal etc and while i love the theory in practice they tend to be rubbish . the last one was the vyrus which also looked good and was going to be much better into corners etc etc
i was actually in spain when it had its greatest result , a 16th place in a spanish championship moto 2 race . watching the race it sure looked like there were 15 better bikes with forks on .
one day forks will be bettered but not yet !
australians should stick to what they do best mick ,making bad larger !

I've also followed these suspension types since the early 80's, this time it looks like this set up covers all the ills of existing set ups, Knowing how Aussies work, I very much doubt they would be looking to take this straight to Moto GP on a whim my friend, from other reports i've read, it has none of the inherent faults of other systems and if not told, you wouldn't even know it wasn't a conventional fork system. I'm curious, did you read the complete article and watch the video's, this system is nothing like the systems you've mentioned...?

[eigenvector]

I don't know about racing, never done it, but from what I see that setup could do a lot for the enduro crowd.

[Retro Rocket]

Simon, here's a review done by Alan Cathcart, its an interesting read, also Warren Willing was part of this project up until his premature death, being one of the most respected suspension and motorcycle set up experts there is must say something about this particular system....

Here's Cathcarts review..

https://nebula.wsimg.com/28022a65577f72cd0e7da2a7948a8b2a?AccessKeyId=2229E12122400A5FEC56&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

Motoinno's site, not far from where I live...  Might have to drop in and have a look...

https://www.motoinno.com.au/

[simon#42]

hi mick , i enjoyed the article . alan Cathcart is a huge fan of alternative front suspension and is always keen to support the builder . i have several other articles he has written over the years where he has said much the same about other bikes .
warren willings involvement is interesting as he is the only real motorcycle engineer [ with years of racing experience ] that has been involved in the project , i do wonder what his input was .
i do like the bike and think it looks great but i don't think it will be winning any races in the near future .

[Retro Rocket]

i do like the bike and think it looks great but i don't think it will be winning any races in the near future .

Being a racer, Simon, then you should know inherently that a single element can't insure a victory. It takes a motor, a frame, a team, and a rider to win races. And some luck to carry the rider's balls. What will be interesting is to see how the system performs across numerous events as they tune and setup each bike differently, incorporating everything they learned on the track.

To dismiss this latest innovation out of hand is a bit presumptuous. Simply saying "...seen it all before and it didn't win then" is to ignore the evolution of design and knowledge. Thin where our bikes and cars would be if innovation were tossed. Even if this system in its current form isn't the Cat's PJ's, then it might actually lead to an evolution that is.

Everything on a bike is some type of sacrifice. Looks, comfort, handling, braking, etc. Look at the SRR. Riders say it has so much power that they feel its trying to kill them overtime they race the darn thing. The most power doesn't always win. Great handling bikes with no straight line power suffer on some tracks as whatever lead they gain is lost after the exit. But finding the balance of these attributes with a skilled rider, that can lead to many checkered flags.

I don't see the merits of the system for road bikes, but I certainly see the intended merits for race bikes. I just hope they find some success to extend their design development until it reaches a level of maturity.

As for the Vyrus finishing 16th in Spain, he did beat some other conventional suspensions now, didn't he. And wasn't that his 1st race

This new front suspension leaves the Vyrus for dead, it seems they've finally got it right, or damn close too it, it does everything its intended to do, without the compromises conventional forks display. and it steers better than a conventional forked bike, with a tighter turning circle, its made for street riding.  Here's a interesting article with a bit more info about it..

http://motorbikewriter.com/mad-max-animator-creates-safer-steering/

[simon#42]

hi cal , no the 16th place was after the bike had been raced for four seasons , this was there best result at any sort of decent level .

hi mick , i see that warren only set the shock up for them which makes me even more suspicious about the bikes ability . the thing that sets alarm bells ringing for me is the claims of gaining one second a corner . that is between 6 to 10 seconds a lap
and that is ridiculous . another thing is that no one has any development background in bike or for that matter car racing . these people are from the film industry , there skill is telling a good story and that is exactly what this is .

[grcamna2]

I've read about the Yamaha GTS1000 which had a front suspension that reminds me of this bike in question and that one has been out since the early 90's. I never rode or even saw one(rare?)but want to ask if anyone has ever ridden one ?

[FunJimmy]

I've read about the Yamaha GTS1000 which had a front suspension that reminds me of this bike in question and that one has been out since the early 90's. I never rode or even saw one(rare?)but want to ask if anyone has ever ridden one ?

The GTS1000 uses a RADD suspension design developed by James Parker and simular to the Bimota Tesi but weighed a ton. This triangulated design seems to have overcome a lot of the issues plaguing the GTS design but will it be enough? Conventional tele forks aren't as bad as they would like you to believe.

http://www.visordown.com/features/the-bikes-that-time-forgot/14152-3.html

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Simon, here's a review done by Alan Cathcart, its an interesting read, also Warren Willing was part of this project up until his premature death, being one of the most respected suspension and motorcycle set up experts there is must say something about this particular system....

Here's Cathcarts review..

https://nebula.wsimg.com/28022a65577f72cd0e7da2a7948a8b2a?AccessKeyId=2229E12122400A5FEC56&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

I thought that looked familiar.  I remember reading that article this last September.

The test reviews sound very positive.  Dismissing it as "same as others before it," seems premature.

[Retro Rocket]

hi cal , no the 16th place was after the bike had been raced for four seasons , this was there best result at any sort of decent level .

hi mick , i see that warren only set the shock up for them which makes me even more suspicious about the bikes ability . the thing that sets alarm bells ringing for me is the claims of gaining one second a corner . that is between 6 to 10 seconds a lap
and that is ridiculous . another thing is that no one has any development background in bike or for that matter car racing . these people are from the film industry , there skill is telling a good story and that is exactly what this is .

You are extremely dismissive Simon, I'm not exactly sure why at this point. Every article I've read about this system , the rider used says the same thing, so who exactly is telling the story..? if you look at which part of the movie industry they are in it has nothing to do with the "story", The main guy is a self taught mechanical engineer {try doing that by yourself } , proficient in Auto Cad.. Sometimes you need to look at things from out side the box to make others see what they've been doing wrong, I could post a million examples of that scenario that have been successful my friend., I was involved in one quite interesting scenario myself, although not motorcycle related.  Do you actually think someone as heralded/ famous and as busy as Warren Willing, would give up time to a bunch of useless fools trying to develop a new suspension if it had no potential...?  That's pure fantasy mate, go try get someone as important, busy , well paid and as highly respected, and at the pinnacle of his chosen profession, who's worked repeatedly with the worlds best,  to come work on one of your "idea's" and see how you go...... I know you aren't silly mate, these systems have been persued for years due the exact reason you dismiss it for, that its capable of "up too" a second a corner faster by removing steering and braking forces from the front suspension, so far, that's what their testing and results have shown, I'm 100% positive they wouldn't be pursuing moto gp racing on a "unproven", unworkable whim....

[jeffg]

"While the current TS3 bike is an AU$300,000 prototype"

::: a little pricey

[Retro Rocket]

While the current TS3 bike is an AU$300,000 prototype::: a little pricey

Most prototypes are, Think of all the years of work gone into those first few bikes, this is an entirely new design, if you keep reading the article they say that" they should be able to make the system for a price comparable to a modern USD set up, once line production starts", my only question to that is that you'd also need their frame, have you priced an aftermarket specialist frame lately for a conventionally suspended bike..?, Looks like most of this, including the frame can be made on a CNC machine, therefore it should be well priced....I'd buy one....